Parametric Gasification Study Comparing Traditional and Blended Feedstocks at Varying Conditions

The sustainability and costliness of traditional biomass feedstocks are of concern for thermochemical biomass conversion processes. To be competitive with oil-derived fuels, it is necessary for biomass feedstocks to be available year-round without interruption. Currently, no conventional feedstock can supply a high-throughput, continuous thermochemical biomass conversion process year-round. Our work focuses on comparing the gasification product slate of blended feedstocks, prepared by Idaho National Laboratory, with conventional woody and herbaceous feedstocks. We gasified all feedstocks in a 10.2 cm i.d. gasifier with a continuous solid feeder, hot char removal, and a dodecane scrubber for vapor condensation and separation. Gas chromatography (GC), non-dispersive infrared spectroscopy (NDIR), and a diode laser were used to speciate and quantify non-condensable gases, hydrogen sulfide, and ammonia in the raw syngas stream. Molecular beam mass spectrometry (MBMS) was used to measure and quantify tar species in the hot vapor product stream (~425°C). We compared the gasification products of all feedstocks at 750°C, 800°C, and 850°C. Our goal for this work is to determine if blended feedstocks can be tuned to take on characteristics of traditional feedstocks. If this is achievable, then less desirable feedstocks such as wood residues and whole wood can be blended with other feedstocks to create an optimal blendstock.