Characteristics of gas from the fluidized bed gasification of refuse paper and plastic fuel (RPF) and wood biomass

• Published in: Waste management (Elmsford) Vol. 87; pp. 173 - 182
• Main Authors: Win, Myo Min, Asari, Misuzu, Hayakawa, Ryo, Hosoda, Hiroyuki, Yano, Junya, Sakai, Shin-ichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 15.03.2019
• Subjects: Biomass; Fluidized bed gasification; Gases; Japan; Lower heating value; Plastics; Raw product gas quality; Refuse paper and plastic fuel; Tar; Wood; Wood pellets; Japan; Tar; Wood pellets; SRF; Lower heating value; RPF; FBG; ICE; ER; Fluidized bed gasification; Refuse paper and plastic fuel; MSW; PDF; C/O ratio; RDF; C/H ratio; LHV; Raw product gas quality; GE; PET
• ISSN: 0956-053X; 1879-2456
• DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2019.02.002

•Concentrations of product gases CO, H2, and hydrocarbons varied by feedstock.•Concentrations of CH4 and tar were similar for different feedstocks.•Higher ER showed lower tar concentration. It ranged 2.5–14.0 g/Nm3-dry.•ER of 0.4 was an optimal gasification condition for a GE power generation. Energy recovery from small and medium scale waste thermal treatment facilities in the municipalities of Japan is challenging, owing to low power generation efficiency and high economic demands. Gas Engine (GE) generation is considered an efficient resource utilization method in these facilities. In this study, new and consistent feedstock, Refuse Paper and Plastic Fuel (RPF), and wood pellets were tested in an air-blown Fluidized Bed Gasifier (FBG) for syngas utilization in a GE. With temperatures ranging from 700 to 940 °C and varying Equivalence Ratios (ER) of 0.3–0.5, some of the most important product gas characteristics were analyzed, including the Lower Heating Value (LHV) and tar concentration levels. Gas composition results revealed that the concentration tendencies varied for the product gases CO, H2, and hydrocarbons, depending on the feedstock type, whereas the same tendencies were observed for CH4 and tar concentrations. Through the ER range, the LHV of product gas for RPF and wood pellets was 3.4–5.9 MJ/Nm3. Tar concentrations decreased to 2.5–14.0 g/Nm3-dry as the ER was raised. The optimal ER for LHV performance in GE generation was approximately 0.4 for RPF and wood pellets, and remaining tar concentrations were about 5.0 g/Nm3-dry at the gasifier exit.