Indirect Gasification Research Articles

Gasification of solid biomass or fast pyrolysis bio‐oil: Comparative energy and exergy analyses using AspenPlus®

AbstractThe conversion of biomass residues into syngas through gasification is attractive for energy and process industry applications. However, transportation, storage, and operational challenges limit the conventional direct solid biomass gasification process. To address these issues, the intermediate conversion of biomass to bio‐oil has emerged as a promising alternative. Bio‐oil offers improved transport and storage capabilities due to its higher mass and energy density, enabling the decoupling of solid biomass supply and syngas demand. This study compares two routes for syngas production: direct gasification of solid biomass and indirect gasification using bio‐oil from biomass pyrolysis as an intermediate with biochar and pyrolysis gas supplying thermal energy to the pyrolysis stage. Biochar combustion provides about 1.4 MJ kg−1 of dry biomass to maintain the pyrolysis temperature at 480°C. Using AspenPlus® simulations, the composition and Low Heating Value of the syngas produced by both routes are analyzed. Energy and exergy analysis at different equivalence ratios and temperatures revealed that direct gasification has higher efficiencies than indirect gasification. At 1000°C and an equivalence ratio of 0.4, the highest energy and exergy efficiencies occurred in direct gasification processes. The energy efficiency of direct and indirect gasification amounted to 62% and 53%, respectively. At the same time, the corresponding exergy efficiencies were 65% and 61%. The syngas of direct and indirect gasification processes is a starting point to produce energy, synthetic fuels, and chemicals; this study provides insights for designing and optimizing biomass gasification processes.

Economic Evaluation and Technoeconomic Resilience Analysis of Two Routes for Hydrogen Production via Indirect Gasification in North Colombia

Hydrogen has become a prospective energy carrier for a cleaner, more sustainable economy, offering carbon-free energy to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and address climate change challenges. However, hydrogen production faces significant technological and economic hurdles that must be overcome to reveal its highest potential. This study focused on evaluating the economics and technoeconomic resilience of two large-scale hydrogen production routes from African palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) by indirect gasification. Computer-aided process engineering (CAPE) assessed multiple scenarios to identify bottlenecks and optimize economic performance indicators like gross profits, including depreciation, after-tax profitability, payback period, and net present value. Resilience for each route was also assessed, considering raw material costs and the market price of hydrogen in relation to gross profits and after-tax profitability. Route 1 achieved a gross profit (DGP) of USD 47.12 million and a profit after taxes (PAT) of USD 28.74 million, while Route 2 achieved a DGP of USD 46.53 million and a PAT of USD 28.38 million. The results indicated that Route 2, involving hydrogen production through an indirect gasification reactor with a Selexol solvent unit for carbon dioxide removal, demonstrated greater resilience in terms of raw material costs and product selling price.

Role of surface morphology on bed material activation during indirect gasification of wood

Olivine and alkali-feldspar were utilized in separate campaigns in an indirect dual fluidized bed gasification campaign with woody biomass as fuel. After three days, both bed materials were reported to be active towards tar removal and exhibited oxygen-carrying abilities and had formed an ash layer consisting of an outer ash deposition layer and an inner interaction layer.X-ray microtomography analysis concluded that a preferred deposition of ash happens onto convex regions of the bed particles, which results in an increase in thickness of the ash layer over convex regions. This effect is most pronounced for the outer layer which is a product of ash deposition. The inner layer exhibits a homogeneous thickness and is probably formed by interaction of Ca from the outer layer with the particles. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of Fe and Mn on the surface of the particles in a solid solution with Mg. The oxygen-carrying effect which is found for aged particles is therefore attributed to the presence of Fe and Mn on the surface of aged particles. Alkali were found on the surface of both particles which are likely contributing to the catalytic activity of the material towards tar removal.

Tar characteristics generated from a 10 kWth chemical-looping biomass gasifier using steel converter slag as an oxygen carrier

Tar management is one of the key components to achieve high energy efficiency and low operational costs connected to thermal gasification of biomass. Tars contain a significant amount of energy, and unconverted tars result in energy efficiency losses. Also, heavy tars can condense downstream processes, resulting in increased maintenance. Dual fluidized beds for indirect gasification operated with active bed material can be a way to better convert and control the tar generated in the process. Using an active material to transport oxygen in an indirect dual reactor gasification setup is referred to as chemical-looping gasification (CLG). A higher oxidative environment in the gas phase, in addition to possible catalytic sites, could mean lower yields in comparison to normal indirect gasification.This paper investigates the effect of using Steel converter slag (LD slag), a byproduct of steel manufacturing, as an oxygen-carrying bed material on tar species generated in a 10 kWth dual fluidized bed biomass gasifier. The results are compared to the benchmark oxygen carrier ilmenite and conventional silica sand. Three different solid biofuels were used in the reactor system: steam exploded pellets, pine forest residue and straw. Tar was absorbed from the raw syngas using a Solid Phase Adsorption (SPA) column and was analyzed using GC-FID. Bench-scale experiments were also performed to investigate benzene conversion of LD slag and ilmenite at different oxidation levels.The findings of this study suggest that oxygen carriers can be used to decrease the tars generated in a dual fluidized bed system during gasification. Phases in LD slag possess catalytic properties, resulting in a decreased ratio of heavy tar components compared to both ilmenite and sand. Temperature and fuel load showed a significant effect on the tar generation compared to the circulation and steam ratio in this reactor system. Increased temperature generated lower tar yields and lower ratios of heavy tar components for LD slag in contrast to sand.

Influence of indirectly heated steam-blown gasification process conditions on biochar physico-chemical properties

Our work provides a thorough characterization of different biochars produced by a novel 50 kWth Indirectly Heated Bubbling Fluidized Bed Steam Reformer. This study investigates the effect of temperature and gasification agent on the physico-chemical properties of biochars. We combined macro, micro and nano characterization techniques to provide a clear picture of the biochar characteristics, surface functionality and its “inert” nature toward potential applications. Our results demonstrate that indirect gasification is capable of producing carbon-rich biochars (> 92%) with increased porosity (89–198 cm3.g−1), high heating value (28–31 MJ.kg−1 a.r.) and aromaticity compared to the parent biomass. All biochars have lower O/C (0.02–0.04) and H/C atomic ratios (0.09–0.19), similar to anthracite. For the range of tested gasification conditions, air/steam gasification at an equivalence ratio of 0.20 and steam-to-biomass ratio of 1.2 provides the highest biochar yield (7.3%), while maintaining syngas composition optimal. On the other hand, air gasification produces biochars with relatively high content of inorganic elements. Indirectly heated biochars are compliant with the European Biochar Certificate regarding the carbon content, O/C ratio, H/C ratio. Our biochars may provide an improvement in agricultural yield and CO2 adsorption, especially those produced under air/steam gasification conditions. Our novel indirect design not only constitutes a promising development in the field of biomass allothermal gasification but also can help improving gasification circularity through the production of high quality biochar.

Process Analysis of Chemical Looping Gasification of Biomass for Fischer–Tropsch Crude Production with Net-Negative CO2 Emissions: Part 1

Large-scale biofuel production plants require an efficient gasification process that generates syngas of high quality (with minimal gas contaminants and inert gases) to minimize the extent of the syngas cleaning processes required for liquid biofuel production. This work presents process modeling of the chemical looping gasification (CLG) process for syngas production. The CLG process is integrated with a Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) process to produce Fischer–Tropsch (FT) crude with net-negative CO2 emissions, enabling process and system-level analyses of this novel biomass-to-liquid process. CLG resembles indirect gasification in an interconnected circulating fluidized bed reactor, where instead of inert bed material, a solid-oxygen carrier, such as mineral ores rich in iron or manganese oxides, is used. The oxygen carrier particles undergo oxidation and reduction in the air reactor and fuel reactor, respectively, thereby providing heat and oxygen for gasification. This work uses data from CLG experiments performed with steel converter slag as the oxygen carrier and investigates its potential when integrated with different downstream gas cleaning trains and the subsequent fuel synthesis process with the primary objective of quantifying and evaluating the performance of the integrated CLG–FT process plant. Syngas with a high energy content of 12 MJ/Nm3 (lower heating value basis) is predicted with a cold gas efficiency of 73%. CO2/CO ratios, higher than indirect biomass gasification, are also predicted in the raw syngas produced; thus, there exists an opportunity to capture biogenic CO2 with a relatively lower energy penalty in the subsequent gas cleaning stages. This work quantifies other key performance indicators, such as heat recovery potential, negative CO2 emission capacity, and FT crude production efficiency of the CLG–FT plant. A 100 MWth CLG plant produces roughly 677–696 barrels per day of FT crude, with net-negative emissions of roughly 180 kilotonnes of CO2 annually.

Environmental Performance and Operational Analysis of a Sewage Sludge Fermentation Solid Oxidation Fuel Cell System Using Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> and Kanuma Clay

This study discussed the performance of an integrated indirect gasification solid oxidation fuel cell (IIG-SOFC) in consideration of LCA thinking. Generally, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in gasified biomass causes cell voltage in a stack to decline over time. Although the biomass resource such as sewage sludge are carbon-neutral, a decline in SOFC performance creates environmental disadvantage of global warming potential (GWP); as such, it is necessary to remove H2S via adsorption, and typically, ferric oxide (Fe2O3) is used for desulfurization. However, Fe2O3 imposes a considerable environmental burden of abiotic depletion potential (ADP). Kanuma clay (Kc) which is a natural sorbent was proposed as a viable substitute in our previous study, but Kc is characterized by a low adsorption capacity. As such, limitations associated with the adsorption column size and frequency with which adsorbents should be changed mean that utilizing a large amount of Kc does not necessarily result in a high desulfurization rate. Therefore, we investigated the optimal performance of IIG-SOFC utilizing Kc using exergy analysis and LCA. As a result, the maximum exergy efficiency was 28.2%. Likewise, the smallest GWP and ADP was achieved at a desulfurization rate of 100%, Kc usage ratio of 4.5%, and adsorption temperature of 120 °C.

Flexible Power and Biomass-To-Methanol Plants With Different Gasification Technologies

The competitiveness of biofuels may be increased by integrating biomass gasification plants with electrolysis units, which generate hydrogen to be combined with carbon-rich syngas. This option allows increasing the yield of the final product by retaining a higher amount of biogenic carbon and improving the resilience of the energy sector by favoring electric grid services and sector coupling. This article illustrates a techno-economic comparative analysis of three flexible power and biomass to methanol plants based on different gasification technologies: direct gasification, indirect gasification, and sorption-enhanced gasification. The design and operational criteria of each plant are conceived to operate both without green hydrogen addition (baseline mode) and with hydrogen addition (enhanced mode), following an intermittent use of the electrolysis system, which is turned on when the electricity price allows an economically viable hydrogen production. The methanol production plants include a gasification section, syngas cleaning, conditioning and compression section, methanol synthesis and purification, and heat recovery steam cycle to be flexibly operated. Due to the high oxygen demand in the gasifier, the direct gasification-based plant obtains a great advantage to be operated between a minimum load to satisfy the oxygen demand at high electricity prices and a maximum load to maximize methanol production at low electricity prices. This allows avoiding large oxygen storages with significant benefits for Capex and safety issues. The analysis reports specific fixed-capital investments between 1823 and 2048 €/kW of methanol output in the enhanced operation and LCOFs between 29.7 and 31.7 €/GJLHV. Economic advantages may be derived from a decrease in the electrolysis capital investment, especially for the direct gasification-based plants, which employ the greatest sized electrolyzer. Methanol breakeven selling prices range between 545 and 582 €/t with the 2019 reference Denmark electricity price curve and between 484 and 535 €/t with an assumed modified electricity price curve of a future energy mix with increased penetration of intermittent renewables.

Indirect gasification of residual biomass coupled with sorption-enhanced water-gas shift: A cost-effective platform for negative CO2 emissions and climate-positive hydrogen

Indirect gasification of residual biomass coupled with sorption-enhanced water-gas shift: A cost-effective platform for negative CO2 emissions and climate-positive hydrogen

Fate of lead, copper, zinc and antimony during chemical looping gasification of automotive shredder residue

Gasification experiments in this study were performed in a 2–4 MW indirect gasifier coupled to a semi-commercial CFB combustor at Chalmers University of Technology. Experiments were carried out during 13 days with automotive shredder residue (ASR), giving a unique opportunity to investigate the bed material under realistic conditions and with long residence times. The metal rich ash was accumulated in the bed, gaining some oxygen carrying capabilities, creating a chemical looping gasification (CLG) process. This study aims to expand the knowledge about the chemistry of zinc, copper, lead and antimony during CLG of ASR. Several experimental methods have been utilized, such as XRD, SEM-EDX and XPS along with detailed thermodynamic calculations to study chemical transformations that can occur in the system. Thermodynamic calculations showed that the reduction potential affect the phase distribution of these elements, where highly reduction conditions result in heavy metals dissolving in the slag phase. Copper and zinc ferrites, lead silicates and antimony oxides were identified at the particle surfaces in the bottom ash. The formation of an iron rich ash layer plays an important role, especially for copper and zinc speciation. The main pathways in the complex CLG system have been discussed in detail.

Parametric Study on the Adjustability of the Syngas Composition by Sorption-Enhanced Gasification in a Dual-Fluidized Bed Pilot Plant

Finding a way for mitigating climate change is one of the main challenges of our generation. Sorption-enhanced gasification (SEG) is a process by which syngas as an important intermediate for the synthesis of e.g., dimethyl ether (DME), bio-synthetic natural gas (SNG) and Fischer–Tropsch (FT) products or hydrogen can be produced by using biomass as feedstock. It can, therefore, contribute to a replacement for fossil fuels to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. SEG is an indirect gasification process that is operated in a dual-fluidized bed (DFB) reactor. By the use of a CO2-active sorbent as bed material, CO2 that is produced during gasification is directly captured. The resulting enhancement of the water–gas shift reaction enables the production of a syngas with high hydrogen content and adjustable H2/CO/CO2-ratio. Tests were conducted in a 200 kW DFB pilot-scale facility under industrially relevant conditions to analyze the influence of gasification temperature, steam to carbon (S/C) ratio and weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) on the syngas production, using wood pellets as feedstock and limestone as bed material. Results revealed a strong dependency of the syngas composition on the gasification temperature in terms of permanent gases, light hydrocarbons and tars. Also, S/C ratio and WHSV are parameters that can contribute to adjusting the syngas properties in such a way that it is optimized for a specific downstream synthesis process.

Connecting gasification with syngas fermentation: Comparison of the performance of lignin and beech wood

The integration of gasification with syngas fermentation is still in an early stage of development, where many questions exist concerning the syngas quality required. The challenge is to define the gasification conditions that will provide a H2:CO:CO2 ratio suitable for syngas fermentation, as well as to identify and remove the compounds that can inhibit the performance of the microorganisms. The right balance between the gasification conditions and a line up with minimal gas cleaning needs to be assessed to improve the economic feasibility of the process. In this work a first attempt to combine the two processes is presented, with the aim to provide an insight of the indirect gasification, the gas cleaning applied, the effect of the main impurities and the performance of syngas fermentation. A lignin rich feedstock was gasified with steam in an indirect gasifier, at TNO (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research). The gas, after removal of some components that could hinder the performance of the fermentation (tar compounds, BTX, unsaturated hydrocarbons and sulphur compounds), consisted of CO, H2, CO2, CH4, C2H6 and traces of other hydrocarbons. The influence of the obtained syngas quality and composition was evaluated in the fermentation process using Clostridium ljungdahlii, at KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology). For comparison, product gas from beech wood gasification was also evaluated in the fermentation process under the same conditions.

“Potential carbon efficiency” as a new index to track the performance of biofuels production processes

In a carbon constrained economy which targets a massive reduction of the CO2 emissions, biogenic carbon is bound to be a scarce resource with high economic value. In such scenario, the carbon efficiency may become the key performance index to represent the revenues of the biomass-to-X conversion plants.In this work, the potential carbon efficiency (PCE) indicator is defined to quantify the achievable carbon efficiency (i.e. the amount of carbon contained in the final product with respect to the available input carbon), of a stream or of a process unit. Compared to the conventional carbon efficiency (CE), that is affected only by the separation/addition of carbon-containing species, the PCE allows quantifying the potential variation of the achievable carbon efficiency in process units where no carbon separation occurs, but where a limiting element is added (e.g. hydrogen through steam addition) or oxygen content is increased (e.g. oxygen injection in a reformer).The difference between the CE and the PCE along a biomass conversion process is typically due to the excess of oxygen atoms in the syngas, which is removed as CO2 in the syngas conditioning unit. Therefore, the difference between CE and PCE shows the potential gain in carbon efficiency that can be obtained by the addition of H2 from an electrolysis process.In this paper, the PCE and the CE have been calculated along the process units of different biomass-to-X plants. The selected case studies allow comparing different gasification technologies (direct gasification, indirect gasification and sorption enhanced gasification) in plants for the production of methanol and synthetic natural gas, showing how CE and PCE are influenced by process units such as the gasification technology, syngas reforming, syngas conditioning and hydrogen addition.

Optimised production of tailored syngas from municipal solid waste (MSW) by sorption-enhanced gasification

Sorption-enhanced gasification (SEG) is a promising indirect gasification route for the production of synthetic fuels since it allows the H2, CO and CO2 content of the resulting syngas to be adjusted. This SEG process has been successfully demonstrated at pilot scale for lignocellulosic biomass and other agricultural and forest waste products, mainly focusing on H2-rich gas production. Within this work, the potential application of the SEG process to a material derived from municipal solid waste (MSW) as feedstock is experimentally demonstrated in a 30 kWth bubbling fluidised-bed (BFB) gasifier. The influence of the sorbent-to-biomass ratio, steam excess and gasification temperature has been carefully analysed in order to understand their effect on SEG performance. Moreover, main conditions able to affect the resulting syngas composition, specifically in terms of H2, CO and CO2 content, have been indicated. Gasification temperature turned out to be the variable that most influenced syngas composition due to the limiting mechanisms associated with the carbonation of the CaO used as bed material. This operating variable also determined biomass conversion, together with solids residence time in the gasifier, resulting in a wide variation of fixed carbon conversion under the studied conditions. Finally, tar yield and composition were evaluated as a function of temperature and the sorbent-to-biomass ratio used, resulting in tar contents as low as 7 g/Nm3 (dry gas), consisting mainly of 1-ring aromatic compounds.

Microscopic investigation of layer growth during olivine bed material aging during indirect gasification of biomass

Olivine bed material used in an aging experiment for indirect gasification in the Chalmers 2–4-MWth DFB gasifier was investigated with the aim to determine the mechanism of layer formation around the particles upon exposure to gasification conditions. The collected samples were exposed for 1, 2 and 4 days. The development of ash layer around the bed material particles was studied with different analysis methods. Formation of Ca3Mg(SiO4)2 and MgO was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Cross-sections of the bed material samples were prepared using Broad Ion Beam (BIB) milling and were further analyzed with Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The analysis of the produced cross-sections revealed the formation of a Mg-rich surface layer on top of the Ca-rich ash layer. Minor amounts of K were also found near the sample surface. Based on the results from the characterization techniques, a reaction mechanism involving the transition of Mg2SiO4 with CaO to MgO and Ca3Mg(SiO4)2 was suggested which was confirmed by equilibrium calculations. This mechanism was supported by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis where diffraction patterns corresponding to MgO were found. TEM-EDS line-scan revealed the presence of ash components in the ash layer such as P and Ti at locations coinciding with high levels of Ca which indicates the formation of Ca3(PO4)2 and CaTiO3. The results presented provide detailed information on the composition of the ash layer which can be used to fully understand the mechanism responsible for the formation of catalytically active ash layers.

Development of Biomass Gasification Technology with Fluidized-Bed Reactors for Enhancing Hydrogen Generation: Part I, Hydrodynamic Characterization of Dual Fluidized-Bed Gasifiers

Various means for enhancing hydrogen content in the syngas from gasification of solid biomass in fluidized-bed reactors were investigated in this study. Steam or oxygen-rich gas can be supplied as gasification medium, to improve the syngas characteristics. Alternatively, a so-called “indirect gasification technology” realizes the thermo-chemical conversion processes in dual reactors, respectively, for combustion and gasification, where gaseous streams in between are separated while solid materials are circulated through. Hence, with air as oxidant for combustion this system features the advantage of producing nearly nitrogen-free syngas. Baseline experiments were firstly carried out to identify performance features; then, parametric studies were conducted and positive trends for enhancing hydrogen generation via biomass gasification were revealed. Moreover, hydrodynamic characteristics in dual reactors were comprehensively envisaged in the cold-flow models to facilitate subsequent investigation into thermo-chemical processes. The experimental results indicated that the circulation mass of the bed material driven by the operating air exceeded the design value, which gave a comfortable safety factor of the engineering design. In addition, the average pressure distribution measured by the cyclic operation of the system was similar to that of the published literature. Based on the experimental results of the cold model, the suggestions of the operating tests in the hot model were addressed. Further efforts will be pursued to establish databases for clean energy and carbon abatement technologies.

Emissions of dioxins and furans during steam gasification of Automotive Shredder residue; experiences from the Chalmers 2–4-MW indirect gasifier

Emissions of dioxins and furans during the gasification of Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR) were investigated. The experimental work was carried out in a Dual Fluidized Bed (DFB) system, which consists of a 2–4-MWth gasifier that is fluidized with steam, and an interconnected fluidized bed combustor that is fluidized with air. Two different ASR fractions with higher and lower contents of plastic were tested. Measurements were carried out in the flue gas stream exiting the combustion side of the DFB, as well as in the raw gas stream exiting the gasifier side. A calcium (lime) coat was applied to the flue gas filter to ensure compliance with the emissions regulations regarding the retention of HCl and dioxins. The results showed lower emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDF) in the flue gas when the raw gas derived from the ASR gasification was combusted, as compared to the direct combustion of ASR. The level of polychlorinated compounds in the flue gas before the lime-coated filter was 0.11 ng/m3N dry gas (I-TEQ) when gasification was used as a pre-step, as compared to 0.27 ng/m3N dry gas (I-TEQ) when the ASR was directly combusted. The raw gas produced by gasification contained very low levels of PCDD/PCDF, whereby the toxicity per kg of ASR was 0.17 ng/kgASR, as compared to 3.44 ng/kgASR after passage through the combustion and cooling sections and 0.34 ng/kgASR at the outlet after the lime-coated filter. A higher content of plastic in the ASR led to an increase in the levels of dioxins and furans in the raw gas, with the highest yield seen for highly chlorinated compounds, while higher temperature in the gasifier is shown to be beneficial in reducing dioxin formation.

A Technical and Environmental Evaluation of Six Routes for Industrial Hydrogen Production from Empty Palm Fruit Bunches.

Currently, the production of alternative fuels from renewable sources such as biomass has been increased in order to meet energy policies and reduce the environmental impacts of fossil fuels. This work is focused on hydrogen production from oil palm empty fruit bunches using different biomass gasification methods (direct gasification, indirect gasification, and supercritical water gasification) and purification technologies (selexol-based absorption and pressure swing adsorption). Six routes were selected based on these technologies and simulated using Aspen Plus software. Possible operating process improvements were suggested based on parametric sensitivity analysis by studying the effect of several variables on hydrogen production: gasification temperature, gasifying agent-to-biomass ratio, steam-to-carbon monoxide ratio, temperature of a high-temperature step reactor, and pressure in a hydrogen purification unit. The methodology of waste reduction algorithm was performed to assess the environmental impacts of each route. Results showed that hydrogen production was improved by increasing the gasification reaction temperature to 900 °C, oxygen-to-biomass ratio to 1.5, and pressure of purification stage to 10 atm for all routes. However, routes 1 and 2 presented a slight increase up to 0.7% in hydrogen yield using 1.5 mol O2/mol biomass. The environmental assessment revealed that routes 3 and 4 exhibited the lowest toxicological and atmospheric environmental impacts because of the use of char generated in the gasification reaction for energy production. These results indicated that route 4 exhibited the best performance for producing hydrogen from an environmental viewpoint.

Layer Formation on Feldspar Bed Particles during Indirect Gasification of Wood. 2. Na-Feldspar

Selecting a suitable bed material for the thermochemical conversion of a specific feedstock in a fluidized bed system requires identification of the characteristics of potential bed materials. An essential part of these characteristics is the interaction of the bed material with feedstock ash in a fluidized bed, which leads to layer formation and morphology changes. For this purpose, the interaction of feldspar bed material with the main ash-forming elements in wood ash (Ca, K, Mg, Si) in an indirect gasification system was analyzed using SEM-EDS, XRD, and thermodynamic modeling. In part 1 of this work (DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.9b01291), the layer formation on K-feldspar dominated by Ca reaction and ash deposition was investigated. The aim of this second part of the work was to determine the time-dependent layer formation on Na-feldspar and compare the results with the findings for K-feldspar. Interaction of Na-feldspar with ash-derived elements resulted in different layers on Na-feldspar: K reaction layers, where K replaced Na and Si shares decreased; Ca reaction layers, where Ca enriched and reacted with the Na-feldspar; and ash deposition layers, where wood ash elements accumulated on the surface. Ca reaction layers were formed first and became continuous on the surface before K reaction layers and ash deposition layers were detected. Cracks and crack layer formation in the Na-feldspar particles were found after several days of operation. The layer compositions and growth rates indicate that the diffusion of Ca and K plays an essential role in the formation of Ca reaction and K reaction layers. The reaction with Ca and the crack formation coincide with the interaction previously found for quartz and K-feldspar. In contrast to K-feldspar, Na-feldspar showed high potential for reaction with K. The findings indicate that the reaction of Na- feldspar with ash-derived K makes Na-feldspar a less stable bed material than K-feldspar during the thermochemical conversion of K-rich feedstocks in a fluidized bed system.

Layer Formation on Feldspar Bed Particles during Indirect Gasification of Wood. 1. K-Feldspar

Layer Formation on Feldspar Bed Particles during Indirect Gasification of Wood. 1. K-Feldspar