Gas cleaning with molten tin for hydrogen sulfide and tar in producer gas generated from biomass gasification

• Published in: Energy (Oxford) Vol. 130; pp. 318 - 326
• Main Authors: Moon, Jihong, Jo, Woojin, Jeong, Soohwa, Bang, Byungryeul, Choi, Youngtai, Hwang, Jungho, Lee, Uendo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2017; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Biomass; Biomass gasification; Cleaning; Feasibility studies; Gas chromatography; Gasification; Hot gas cleaning; Hydrogen; Hydrogen sulfide; Molten tin; Pellets; Producer gas; Quality control; Tar; Thermodynamic efficiency; Tin; Molten tin; Hydrogen sulfide; Biomass gasification; Tar; Hot gas cleaning
• ISSN: 0360-5442; 1873-6785
• DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2017.04.121

Hot gas cleaning of producer gas generated from a gasification process has many advantages in terms of thermal efficiency, gas-quality improvement, compact gas-cleaning devices, and economic feasibility. In this study, the characteristics of molten tin as a working fluid for hot gas cleaning were examined. To evaluate the hot gas cleaning performance of molten tin, the producer gas generated from the gasification of empty fruit bunch pellets was tested with a molten-tin-based gas cleaning system connected to the downstream of the gasifier. Gas chromatographic analysis of the producer gas shows that the removal efficiencies of hydrogen sulfide and non-condensable tar were about 97% and 80%, respectively, in a molten tin bed maintained at 400 °C. The results suggest that molten tin could be used as a multifunctional gas-cleaning medium for the simultaneous removal of tar and hydrogen sulfide from the producer gas. •Molten tin is used for gas cleaning of producer gas generated from biomass.•Efficiency of molten tin is gauged in terms of hydrogen sulfide and tar removal.•Removal efficiencies for hydrogen sulfide and tar were 97% and 80%, respectively.•As a multifunctional medium, molten tin is able to remove contaminants at once.