Waste Management Research: Projects
Biomass Gas Cleanup Using a Therminator
Client/Agency
U.S. Department of Energy
Description
We are working with the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a technology that converts plants and agricultural waste into clean, sustainable energy or chemicals. The project aims to improve the gasification process -- through which waste vegetation or biomass (e.g., wood waste, corn husks, and animal waste) is converted into synthetic gas and subsequently into liquid fuels, electric power, hydrogen, steam, and other useful chemicals -- by effectively removing by-product contaminants such as tar, ammonia, and sulfur. Reliable removal of these contaminants, especially tar, from the synthesis gas (syngas) produced by biomass gasification is the main technological barrier to widespread application of the process.
Our researchers working in cooperation with other researchers are developing and demonstrating the therminator process, which consists of a fluidized-bed reactor with a novel trifunctional material that effectively decomposes tar into valuable fuel and removes ammonia and sulfur contaminants. Because this system can accept particle-laden syngas, the particle filter can be installed downstream of the therminator block. The key to the development of the therminator is the development of an attrition-resistant and active trifunctional catalyst to remove tar, ammonia, and sulfur. The project consists of development and scale up of the triple function catalyst; design, construction, and commissioning of a skid-mounted bench-scale therminator; the transport and installation of the therminator at a pressurized fluidized-bed biomass gasification pilot plant; and the slip-stream demonstration of the therminator over three 100-hour tests using actual biomass gasification syngas.
The project team is also using engineering evaluations and commercial assessments to guide the research and development effort, thus speeding up the commercialization process for this sustainability-enhancing technology. We are also developing new catalysts and processes that can efficiently convert biomass-derived syngas into fuels and value-added chemicals, such as premium zero-sulfur diesel fuel and alcohols.
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