High energy syngas production by waste tyres steam gasification in a rotary kiln pilot plant. Experimental and numerical investigations

• Published in: Fuel (Guildford) Vol. 89; no. 10; pp. 2721 - 2728
• Main Authors: Donatelli, A., Iovane, P., Molino, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Carbon dioxide; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Exact sciences and technology; Fuels; Gasification; Kilns; Pilot plants; Rotary kiln; Rotary kilns; Steam gasification; Syngas; Tires; Tyres; Waste tyres; Wastes; Waste tyres; Rotary kiln; Steam gasification; Syngas; Pilot plant; Experimental test; Experimental study; Water vapor; Synthesis gas; Tyre; Numerical analysis; Calorific value; Heating; Gasification; Performance
• ISSN: 0016-2361; 1873-7153
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fuel.2010.03.040

This paper presents experimental and numerical results on steam gasification of waste tyres in a rotary kiln pilot plant. Both the process performance and the gas features have been evaluated varying the feeding ratio (FR), defined as the steam/tyres mass ratio. First, several experimental tests have been performed. Then, the obtained experimental results have been used to verify the consistency of a numerical model developed with the aid of the commercial code ChemCAD®. Once done, the effect of increasing the FR on the gas energy content has been evaluated. Numerical results showed that the gas energy content increases as the FR increases as well, achieving a maximum value for FR = 0.33 that produced a gas which composition N 2 free is (H 2 = 52.7% vol, CO = 18.1% vol, CO 2 = 7.0% vol, CH 4 = 22.2% vol) in correspondence of which the lower heating value (LHV) is equal to 29.5 MJ kg gas −1. Higher FR values do not produce a further increase of the gas energy content, rather require a greater amount of input energy for heating the steam from the atmospheric to the process temperature.