Fixed-bed Reactor Configuration Research Articles

Derivatizing of Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oil and Coprocessing in Fixed Bed Hydrotreater

In several countries forest-based biofuels are being developed and to some extent also deployed. Fast pyrolysis bio-oil produced from, for example, sawdust, has now been coprocessed in fluid catalytic cracking refinery units in a number of commercial trials. However, this application is limited to about 10% of the total feed, and coprocessing in conventional fixed bed hydrotreaters is necessary to reach the high potential with this feedstock. Feeding and upgrading of fast pyrolysis bio-oil in a fixed bed reactor configuration is still problematic due to the inherent bio-oil properties. Stabilization of reactive compounds in fast pyrolysis bio-oil and mild hydrotreatment in a separate refining unit prior to refinery integration has therefore been developed the past decade. Another approach, presented here, involves complete dewatering of fast pyrolysis bio-oil by azeotropic distillation using mesityl oxide as the solvent, followed by conversion of the abundant hydroxyl compounds via mixed anhydride esterification methodology using an external source of mixed carboxylic acids of different chain lengths originating from renewable tall oil fatty acids, providing a lipophilic feed component. Dewatering and derivatizing were carried out in reactors up to 50 dm3 with a mass ratio of fast pyrolysis bio-oil to tall oil fatty acid of 10:13. The produced lipophilic oils were miscible with a petroleum light gas oil fraction and exhibited superior stability even after accelerated aging at elevated temperature (80 °C). The derivatized oils were thus mixed with light gas oil, with a proportion of 30 wt % derivatized oil in final blends and hydrotreated continuously in pilot fixed bed reactors for 14 days at 4 operating conditions without plugging or excessive exotherms. The test conditions were varied; the reactor pressure was either 55 or 80 bar, temperature 380 or 400 °C, and liquid hourly space velocity either 1 or 2 h–1 during the hydrotreatment. Successful hydrodeoxygenation and desulfurization were accomplished, whereas an increasing nitrogen concentration could be observed in the liquid products with the particular catalyst and reaction conditions employed. The observed hydrogen consumption (15–20 g/kg feed) was compared with the stoichiometric consumption for direct deoxygenation and with typical consumptions for industrial hydrotreated vegetable oil processing. The measured biogenic carbon content in hydrotreated liquid products (26.7%) agreed extremely well with the calculated biogenic carbon content in the hydrotreating feed (26.6%) that consisted of the blend of derivatized oil and petroleum light gas oil. The overall results are very promising since simple unit operations can be used to produce derivatized fast pyrolysis bio-oils that do not need additional standalone hydrotreating units but can be coprocessed in existing ones.

Comparison between two different fixed-bed reactor configurations for nitrogen removal coupled to biogas biodesulfurization

A comparison between a mixed aerobic-anoxic horizontal fixed-bed reactor (MAAFBR) and an aerobic horizontal fixed-bed reactor coupled with an anoxic vertical fixed-bed reactor (AHFBR-AVFBR) was made in order to evaluate the nitrogen removal behavior when nitrification and sulfide-driven autotrophic denitrification occurred in a single unit or spatially separated. Both systems achieved Total-N removal efficiencies (RE) higher than 89 %. Moreover, for both reactors, the effluent pH was affected for bicarbonate alkalinities lower than 250 mg CaCO3 L−1, decreasing the biogas desulfurization from 98 to 50 % in the MAAFBR and from 100 to 61 % in the AVFBR. Hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 6, 8, 10 and 12 h did not affect the nitrification RE on the AHFBR, maintaining values higher than 99 %. In both cases, biogas desulfurization was achieved. However, results suggested that elemental sulfur (S0) was not predominantly formed due to the interference of oxygen. Such interference was more severe for the MAAFBR, in which the results implied diffusion of O2 and H2S between the aerobic and anoxic chambers.

Microwave-activated structured reactors to maximize propylene selectivity in the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane

Abstract Microwave (MW) heating has been applied to increase the selectivity to propylene in the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of propane. The preferential heating of the solid monolith (made of SiC, a good microwave susceptor), allows working with a lower gas phase temperature, reducing the formation of undesired by-products in the gas phase via homogeneous reactions. Conversion levels of ~ 21% and selectivity to propylene up to 70% have been achieved with MW-heated straight channel monolithic reactors coated with a VMgO catalyst. These competitive values contrast with the more limited performance delivered by the same catalytic system when it is subjected to conventional heating in a fixed-bed reactor configuration, thereby corroborating the advantage of working under a significant gas–solid temperature gap to minimize the extent of homogeneous reactions.

Pyrolysis of hydrothermal liquefaction algal biochar for hydrogen production in a membrane reactor

Algal biomass has recently emerged as a sustainable feedstock that can be converted to liquid fuels and other energy products. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is considered one of the most efficient thermochemical conversion techniques to produce high-quality biocrude oil that can be upgraded into a variety of liquid fuels. However, failure to identify practical uses for the HTL residual solids (biochar) could make the process economically less attractive especially with low lipid algae. This work investigates the conversion of HTL biochar of microalgae Galdieria sulphuraria to hydrogen under pyrolysis conditions in a membrane reactor capable of selectively separating hydrogen from the reaction zone. HTL biochar pyrolysis was first investigated using thermogravimetric analysis experiments and fixed bed reactor configuration. Batch membrane reactor pyrolysis experiments were then carried out using Pd77Ag23 hydrogen-selective membrane. The involvement of a Pd77Ag23 membrane in the reactor during the pyrolysis of biochar results in the recovery of hydrogen in the permeate stream (~2 times the hydrogen remaining in the retentate) and further facilitates the conversion of biochar to gaseous fuels. The retentate stream shows reduced CO and CO2 as well as increased CH4 content compared to pyrolysis conditions with no membrane.

Water microbial disinfection via supported nAg/Kaolin in a fixed-bed reactor configuration

In this paper we have investigated and demonstrated the antimicrobial capabilities of nano-silver-4 wt%-kaolin (nAg-4-Kn) composite supported on borosilicate glass beads (BGB). Tests have been conducted in a fixed bed reactor on effluent from the secondary clarifier of a conventional wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The prepared BGB with immobilized nAg-4-Kn (nAg-4-Kn/BGB) were characterized using the RAMAN spectroscopy, TEM equipped with EDX and Focus Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB-SEM) techniques. The rate of disinfection was assessed through Luria-Bertani (LB)-agar plate cell counting technique. The results showed complete disinfection after few hours, which was preserved even after several days in repeated runs. The nAg-4-Kn/BGB was reused, demonstrating that the immobilization of nAg-4-Kn was stably achieved, and the activity and integrity of the composites on the BGB were preserved. First order disinfection kinetic constants were estimated to be 2.76 cm h−1 and 2.56 cm h−1 in two consecutive runs. Analyses of the beads after the experiments showed minor losses of nAg from the kaolin matrix thereby corroborating reusability of these materials.

Investigation of packed conductive foams as a novel reactor configuration for methane steam reforming

• Packed foams successfully applied to SMR process. • Systematic increase of productivity noted at fixed oven temperature. • Foam conductivity enhances heat transfer properties. • Development of a heat transfer model for packed foams. In this work, a novel fixed bed reactor configuration is proposed and tested for the steam reforming of methane; the proposed solution consists of filling the voids of highly conductive metallic open-cell foams with small catalytic pellets. This reactor layout aims at enhancing the radial heat transfer of the tubular reactor by exploiting the thermal conductivity of the solid interconnected matrix, while keeping a target catalyst inventory and avoiding issues related to washcoating of metallic structures. Tests were performed using a Rh/Al 2 O 3 catalyst in the form of alumina egg-shell particles, with diameter of 600 μm. FeCrAlY open cell foams of 12 PPI and copper open cell foams of 10 and 40 PPI were compared to a conventional packed bed system; experiments were performed at GHSV of 5000 and 10000 h −1 at oven temperatures in the 600–800 °C range. Experiments demonstrated a benefit in terms of the thermal management of the reactor and an increase of productivity at the same furnace temperature in kinetically-limited conditions. A heat transfer model of the packed foams was developed based on the approach of electric equivalent circuit; the model incorporates independently estimated lumped or effective parameters and provides an engineering rationale of the observed reduction of temperature gradients across the catalytic bed.

Improved Kinetics and Water Recovery with Propane as Co-Guest Gas on the Hydrate-Based Desalination (HyDesal) Process

Water is a key resource for sustainable development and plays a crucial role in human development. Desalination is one of the most promising technologies to mitigate the emerging water crisis. Thermal desalination and reverse osmosis are two of the most widely employed desalination technologies in the world. However, these technologies are energy intensive. Clathrate-hydrate-based desalination (HyDesal) is a potential energy-efficient desalination technology to strengthen the energy–water nexus. In our previous study, we proposed a ColdEn-HyDesal process utilizing waste Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) cold energy based on a fixed-bed reactor configuration. In this study, we evaluated the effect of 10% propane in three different gas mixtures, namely, nitrogen (G1), argon (G2), and carbon dioxide (G3), as hydrate formers for the HyDesal process. The achieved water recovery was very low (~2%) in the presence of NaCl in the solution for gas mixtures G1 and G2. However, high water recovery and faster kinetics were achieved with the G3 mixture. To improve the water recovery and kinetics of hydrate formation for the G2 gas mixture, the effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was evaluated. The addition of SDS did improve the kinetics and water recovery significantly.

Effect of Reactor Configuration on the Hydrotreating of Atmospheric Residue

To study the effect of reactor configuration on hydrotreating, a series of experiments was carried out in a pilot plant equipped with two reactors in series that can operate in two modes: a fixed-bed reactor (FBR) or an ebullated-bed reactor (EBR). The experiments were carried out with the atmospheric residue as feedstock and commercial catalysts at a pressure of 100 kg/cm2 and temperatures of 380 and 400 °C. The highest conversions were obtained for the EBR–EBR (35.67–52.21%) and EBR–FBR (29.08–53.09%) configurations, unlike the FBR–FBR configuration that exhibited the lowest conversion (15.42–27.34%). At 400 °C, the EBR–FBR and FBR–FBR configurations showed higher hydrodemetalization than the others (81.00 and 76.95%, respectively). It was confirmed that the formation of sediments increases at high temperatures, whereas at 400 °C, it begins to be significant for the EBR–FBR and EBR–EBR configurations (0.010–0.767 and 0.041–0.613 wt %, respectively), in contrast to the FBR–FBR configuration that presente...

Microwave-Assisted Catalytic Combustion for the Efficient Continuous Cleaning of VOC-Containing Air Streams.

A microwave-heated adsorbent-reactor system has been used for the continuous cleaning of air streams containing n-hexane at low concentrations. Both, a single catalytic bed (PtY zeolite) and a double (adsorptive DAY zeolite + catalytic PtY zeolite) fixed-bed reactor configurations were studied under dry and humid conditions. The zeolites were selectively heated by short periodic microwave pulses that caused the desorption of n-hexane and its subsequent catalytic combustion. The double bed configuration was attractive because it allowed nearly the same performance with only half of the catalyst load. The operation was especially efficient under realistic humid gas conditions that favored more intense microwave absorption, producing a faster heating of the adsorptive and catalytic beds. Under these conditions, continuous gas cleaning could be achieved with short (3 min, 30 W) microwave heating pulses every 5 min.

Wastewater post-treatment for simultaneous ammonium removal and elemental sulfur recovery using a novel horizontal mixed aerobic-anoxic fixed-bed reactor configuration

A novel horizontal mixed anoxic-aerobic fixed-bed reactor configuration based on nitrification coupled with autotrophic denitrification using hydrogen sulfide as an electron donor was developed. The nitrification removal efficiency (RE) reached values greater than 99% but was slightly affected by the accumulation of dissolved sulfur species in the liquid phase. The denitrification RE reached 99% with a H2S inlet load of 28.6 g S m−3 h−1, although the use of aluminum polychloride (PAC) as a sulfur coagulant in the anoxic zone affected the buffering capacity of the system and resulted in a decrease in the RE. The performance of the reactor was primarily affected by the buffering capacity of the system, and this effect could be controlled with an increase in the NaHCO3 concentration. The recovery of biogenic elemental sulfur was possible using PAC as a coagulant, although the solid collected at the bottom of the settling tank contained only 1.5% S0.

Comparative modeling study of catalytic membrane reactor configurations for syngas production by CO2 reforming of methane

Modeling based analysis of catalytic CO2 reforming of methane in fixed bed (FBR) and membrane reactors (MR) has been carried out for the production of syngas. Four Ni-based catalysts have been studied separately in FBR to identify suitable catalyst on the basis of carbon formation tendency at the reactor operating conditions of temperature (973–1073K), and CO2/CH4 molar feed ratio (CMR=1, 2, and 3). The simulation has resulted in Ni/La2O3 as most suitable catalyst at 1073K and CMR=1. Addition of 10% H2 to the feed further reduces the carbon formation tendencies. Two fixed bed reactor configurations [FBR1 (Ni/La2O3), and FBR2 (Rh/γ-Al2O3)], and two membrane reactor configurations [MR1 (FBR1+dense membrane), and MR2 (FBR2+porous membrane)] have been evaluated by simulation to identify the favorable configuration at operating conditions for syngas production. The yields of H2 and CO are found maximum as 94.5% and 98% respectively at CMR=1 in reactor MR1. Also the H2/CO ratio has been found close to unity at 1073K and CMR=1 in reactor MR1 with no significant effect of sweep gas. Hence, the membrane reactor MR1 is the best reformer configuration to produce syngas by dry reforming of methane.

Impact of fixed bed reactor orientation, liquid saturation, bed volume and temperature on the clathrate hydrate process for pre-combustion carbon capture

Hydrate based gas separation (HBGS) process is a promising technology for carbon capture from pre-combustion streams of power generation. Recently, fixed bed reactor (FBR) configuration has been reported to significantly enhance the kinetics of hydrate formation for the HBGS process. In this work, silica sand bed reactor was employed along with 5.56 mol% THF solution to capture CO2 from fuel gas mixture (CO2/H2) at 6.0 MPa, to investigate the effects of reactor orientation (vertical, horizontal), liquid saturations in the bed (50%, 75%, 100%), and fixed bed volume. Horizontal configuration showed a major improvement in terms of gas uptake and normalized rate of hydrate formation than vertical configuration, due to the larger cross sectional area in the horizontal configuration. 50% liquid saturation performed better than the other saturations from water utilization perspective, whereas 100% saturation was better from space utilization perspective. While bed volume did not influence the kinetics of hydrate formation much, smaller bed volume showed better dissociation kinetics. In addition, the effect of operating temperatures (279.2 K, 282.2 K and 285.2 K) were evaluated for a chosen configuration. Operating temperature of 282.2 K presented slightly lower performance compared with 279.2 K, but had the advantage of energy saving. The short induction time and high CO2 composition in hydrate phase (more than 91%) further enhanced the potential and feasibility of employing this horizontal FBR configuration for pre-combustion CO2 capture with the use of THF.

Enhanced hydrogen production by sorption-enhanced steam reforming from glycerol with in-situ CO2 removal in a fixed-bed reactor

For the fixed-bed reactor configuration in the sorption-enhanced steam reforming process (SERP), solid mixture of catalyst and sorbent is stationary and alternatively exposed to reaction and regeneration conditions for multi-cycles by periodically switching the feed gases for enhanced hydrogen production with in-situ CO2 removal. A NiO/NiAl2O4 catalyst was synthesized by the co-precipitation method with rising pH technique and the crystalline spinel phase of NiAl2O4 was formed under the calcination temperature of 900°C. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), and N2 adsorption–desorption. The non-stoichiometric thermodynamic calculation was carried out to determine the effects of temperature and in-situ CO2 removal on the enhancement of hydrogen production by SERP from glycerol at 425–700°C. The multi-cycles on reaction and regeneration for hydrogen production by SERP from glycerol were performed by NiO/NiAl2O4 catalyst and CaO based sorbent in a fixed-bed reactor. The results showed that hydrogen production by SERP can be clearly divided into three periods, and the experimental gaseous products were compared with non-stoichiometric thermodynamic calculations. It is obvious that H2 purity was greatly increased, and CO2, CO and CH4 concentrations were reduced by in-situ CO2 removal during the pre-breakthrough period. It is found that enhanced hydrogen production was mainly depended on in-situ CO2 removal. The operation durations for producing high-purity hydrogen of more than 90% were decreased with the increase of the cycles. It may due to the decrease in the reactivity of CaO based sorbent after multi-cycles reaction and regeneration.

Conceptual Process Design and Techno-Economic Assessment of Ex Situ Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis of Biomass: A Fixed Bed Reactor Implementation Scenario for Future Feasibility

The Author(s) 2015. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract Ex situ catalytic fast pyrolysis of biomass is a promising route for the production of fungible liquid bio- fuels. There is significant ongoing research on the design and development of catalysts for this process. However, there are a limited number of studies investigating process configurations and their effects on biorefinery economics. Herein we present a conceptual process design with techno-economic assessment; it includes the production of upgraded bio-oil via fixed bed ex situ catalytic fast pyrol- ysis followed by final hydroprocessing to hydrocarbon fuel blendstocks. This study builds upon previous work using fluidized bed systems, as detailed in a recent design report led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL/ TP-5100-62455); overall yields are assumed to be similar, and are based on enabling future feasibility. Assuming similar yields provides a basis for easy comparison and for studying the impacts of areas of focus in this study, namely, fixed bed reactor configurations and their catalyst development requirements, and the impacts of an inline hot gas filter. A comparison with the fluidized bed system shows that there is potential for higher capital costs and lower catalyst costs in the fixed bed system, leading to comparable overall costs. The key catalyst requirement is to enable the effective transformation of highly oxygenated biomass into hydrocarbons products with properties suit- able for blending into current fuels. Potential catalyst materials are discussed, along with their suitability for deoxygenation, hydrogenation and C-C coupling chem- istry. This chemistry is necessary during pyrolysis vapor upgrading for improved bio-oil quality, which enables efficient downstream hydroprocessing; C-C coupling helps increase the proportion of diesel/jet fuel range product. One potential benefit of fixed bed upgrading over fluidized bed upgrading is catalyst flexibility, providing greater control over chemistry and product composition. Since this study is based on future projections, the impacts of uncertainties in the underlying assumptions are quantified via sensitivity analysis. This analysis indicates that catalyst researchers should prioritize by: carbon efficiency(catalyst cost(catalyst lifetime, after initially testing for basic operational feasibility.

A novel anaerobic down-flow structured-bed reactor for long-term stable H2energy production from wastewater

BACKGROUND Anaerobic, upflow fixed-bed reactors have been considered suitable for the production of H2 from wastewater because, in contrast to completely mixed reactors, they avoid the washout of H2-producing microorganisms. However, the excessive growth and accumulation of biomass on the bed are unfavorable and cause a drastic drop in biogas production, even though the fermentative process in the liquid medium continues unimpeded. This paper proposes a novel anaerobic fixed-bed reactor configuration intended to control the accumulation of biomass by means of structuring the bed longitudinally and inverting the flow (down-flow). RESULTS Three anaerobic, down-flow structured-bed reactors (ADSBRs) with different support materials for the attachment of microorganisms were operated continuously with and without frequent biomass discharges. The H2 flow was continuously maintained for 120 days, resulting in a volumetric production of 0.6 L H2 L−1 d−1 and a yield of 0.5 mol H2 mol−1cs. Compared with the anaerobic, upflow fixed-bed reactor, the ADSBR increased by 10% the natural removal of biomass induced by the effluent and decreased by 15% the accumulated biomass in the bed. CONCLUSION Hence, this study demonstrates that the ADSBR produces H2 continuously and stably due to the constant renewal of biomass; furthermore, young biomass exhibited more H2-producing microorganisms than either non-producing or H2-consuming microorganisms. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry

Hydrogen production from chemical looping steam reforming of glycerol by Ni-based oxygen carrier in a fixed-bed reactor

Hydrogen production from chemical looping steam reforming (CLSR) of glycerol was studied by Ni-based oxygen carrier in a fixed-bed reactor. For the fixed-bed reactor configuration, solid Ni-based oxygen carrier is stationary and alternatively exposed to reducing and oxidizing conditions by periodically switching the feed gases. The Ni-based oxygen carrier was prepared by a liquid-state co-precipitation method with rising pH technique and the characterization was performed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and N2 adsorption–desorption. Gaseous products and temperature variety during CLSR process by Ni-based oxygen carrier in a fixed-bed reactor were measured, and the thermodynamic equilibrium calculation was also carried out. The results showed that the Ni-based oxygen carrier synthesized has a dual function and can efficiently convert glycerol and steam to H2 by redox reactions. The coexisting reactions of glycerol oxidization (or NiO reduction) and steam reforming occurred before the steady stage of hydrogen production in the fuel feed step, and the conversion of NiO to Ni was obtained. Alternating reduction and oxidation reactions enabled Ni-based oxygen carrier to produce H2 with a concentration of 85% of the equilibrium value at 600°C, and glycerol conversion was up to 99%. The increase of temperature related to the exothermic reactions by Ni-based oxygen carrier in CLSR process was observed in redox cycles.

Optimum High-Quality Ceramic Support like SiC, Al2O3 & TiO2 for Cobalt as a Very Active Metal for Fisher-Tropsch-Synthesis in a Fixed Bed Reactor Configuration

Optimum High-Quality Ceramic Support like SiC, Al2O3 & TiO2 for Cobalt as a Very Active Metal for Fisher-Tropsch-Synthesis in a Fixed Bed Reactor Configuration

Hydrogen-rich gas production from algae-biomass by low temperature catalytic gasification

H2 rich gas produced from Scenedesmus almeriensis biomass residue after lipidic extraction by low temperature catalytic gasification is addressed. The pyrolysis–gasification behavior under different atmospheres (CO2/He, H2O/He and CO2+H2O/He) were investigated using thermal gravimetric analysis. The conversion of the biomass takes place into three stages, according to its composition and corresponding to: loose of water bonded (30–200°C), major pyrolysis involving devolatilization (200–500°C) and decomposition of bio-char produced (500–800°C). The calculated apparent activation energy for the main pyrolysis stage was 97kJmol−1. Ni-based supported alumina catalysts (Ni, Ni–Pt and Ni–Rh) were prepared by impregnation. The catalyst influence on the final gas composition as well as in its HHV determined in mixed CO2+H2O/He gasification carried out in a double fixed bed reactor configuration with the catalyst located in the second bed upstream. Parallel and secondary reactions as reforming of tar and char together with WGS and Boudouard also take place favoring gas fraction yield with a value close to 0.3Nm3 of gas per kg of biomass. The catalytic role of Ni–Pt/Al2O3 catalyst in further reforming of the gas resulting from the gasification improves H2 content even at low temperature interval (600–700°C).

Enhanced kinetics for the clathrate process in a fixed bed reactor in the presence of liquid promoters for pre-combustion carbon dioxide capture

In this work, we present enhanced kinetics of hydrate formation for the clathrate process in the presence of two liquid promoters namely THF (tetrahydrofuran) and TBAB (tetra-n-butyl ammonium bromide) in a FBR (fixed bed reactor) for pre-combustion capture of CO2. Silica sand was used as a medium to capture CO2 from CO2/H2 gas mixture by hydrate crystallisation. Experiments were performed at different temperatures (274.2 K and 279.2 K) and 6.0 MPa to determine the total gas uptake, induction time and rate of hydrate formation. The observed trends indicated that higher driving force resulted in higher gas consumption and significantly reduced induction time. For the same driving force, higher gas consumption and shorter induction time was achieved by THF as compared to TBAB. 5.53 mol% THF attained higher gas consumption than 1.0 mol% THF whereas 3.0 mol% TBAB attained lower gas consumption than 0.3 mol% TBAB. A highest gas uptake of 51.95 (±5.183) mmol of gas/mol of water and a highest rate of 51.21(±8.91) mol.min−1.m−3 were obtained for 5.53 mol% THF at 6.0 MPa and 279.2 K. Overall, this study indicated better hydrate formation kinetics with the use of THF in an FBR configuration for CO2 capture from a fuel gas mixture.

Medium pressure hydrate based gas separation (HBGS) process for pre-combustion capture of carbon dioxide employing a novel fixed bed reactor

This work presents an effective medium pressure hydrate based gas separation (HBGS) process for pre-combustion carbon dioxide capture in a novel fixed bed column. 2.5mol% propane was added to the fuel gas mixture as an additive to decrease the operating pressure of the HBGS process. Hydrate formation kinetics was investigated at three different pressures (4.5, 5.5 and 6.0MPa respectively) and at 274.15K. The performance of silica sand and silica gel as a medium was evaluated. In silica sand bed, multiple nucleation events were observed. In silica gel bed, the gas uptake and water conversion to hydrates was significantly low at any given driving force than that obtained in silica sand bed. Experiments at different water saturation levels (50, 75 and 100%) in silica sand bed were investigated at 6.0MPa and 274.15K. It was found that at 50% water saturation, gas consumed for hydrate formation and water conversion to hydrates was almost three times that at 100% saturation. Water to hydrate conversions of up to 64.3% was achieved after 4h of hydrate formation for the 50% water saturated silica sand bed. Our study presents an opportunity to scale up the HBGS process for CO2 capture with enhanced kinetics by employing a fixed bed reactor configuration. Decomposition experiments at a driving force of ΔT of 10K and 23K were carried out to recover the gas consumed for hydrate formation and it was found that ΔT of 23K was sufficient to recover the hydrated gas.