Pyrolysis of RDF and Catalytic Decomposition of the Produced Tar in a Char Bed Secondary Reactor as an Efficient Source of Syngas

Bogusław Kusz,Dariusz Kardaś,Bartosz Trawiński,Łukasz Heda

doi:10.3390/pr10010090

Abstract

One of the technical limitations of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) pyrolysis is the high content of tar in its gas products. In order to resolve this problem, a two-stage RDF pyrolysis with a catalyst based on char from RDF pyrolysis is proposed. This paper presents the results of municipal waste pyrolysis beginning in an oven heated to 480 °C and ending with catalytic tar cracking carried out in the temperature range from 800 to 1000 °C. Thermal and catalytic pyrolysis with a char catalyst containing a minimum of 6% Fe resulted in increases in the CO and H2 contents in gas products and decreases in CO2 and CH4. At 1000 °C, the mass ratio of gaseous products to liquids was greater than 6. The residence time of the gases in the catalytic zone was about 3–5 s. The reactor was a good source of hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

Highlights

In the European Union (EU), 250 million tons of municipal waste is generated annually, which means that each inhabitant produces an average of 488 kg of waste per year [1]
These proportions are different in the case of landfilling: in the EU13, as much as 53% of the waste is treated in this way, while in the EU15, only 18% goes to landfill
The tests in the Ch0Fe0-1000 series were conducted without a char catalyst

Summary

Introduction

In the European Union (EU), 250 million tons of municipal waste is generated annually, which means that each inhabitant produces an average of 488 kg of waste per year [1]. The differences between the countries of the old EU15 and the new EU13 include not just the amount of waste produced. In the EU15 countries, 31% of the waste is used in waste-to-energy processes, while in the EU13, only half as much, or 15%, is processed in this way. These proportions are different in the case of landfilling: in the EU13, as much as 53% of the waste is treated in this way, while in the EU15, only 18% goes to landfill.

Methods

Results

Conclusion