Catalytic Gasification and Reforming of Residual Biomass in a Bench Scale System with Low Cost Catalysts

This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of using of different catalysts for reforming tars contained in the syngas of biomass gasifiers. The conversion of the tar content allows to obtain high quality syngas and to maximize the gas fraction. A bench scale equipment consisting of an autothermal fluidized bed gasifier and a downstream packed bed reformer was used. Pine sawdust was selected as the feedstock for gasification. TGA analysis showed that the temperature must be above 350 °C to ensure the ignition of the biomass and maintain the process in an autothermal steady-state. Dolomite and pyrolysis char were used to test of the fluidized bed catalysts. In the reformer, dolomite, pyrolysis char, iron doped activated carbon and spent HDS catalyst were used. All catalysts decreased the CO2 concentration in the product gas and increased H2 , CH4 and CO. When iron doped activated carbon is used, tar contents below 60 g/Nm3 in the product gas could be obtained, reaching less than 1 g/Nm3 . The best value of LHV (lower heating value) was obtained with pyrolysis char as a catalyst (4.8 MJ/Nm3 ). The results demonstrate that catalytic biomass gasification with downstream tar reforming with low-cost catalysts is a promising solution for energy applications.

Pyrolysis Combined with the Dry Reforming of Waste Plastics as a Potential Method for Resource Recovery—A Review of Process Parameters and Catalysts

Emissions of greenhouse gases and growing amounts of waste plastic are serious environmental threats that need urgent attention. The current methods dedicated to waste plastic recycling are still insufficient and it is necessary to search for new technologies for waste plastic management. The pyrolysis-catalytic dry reforming (PCDR) of waste plastic is a promising pro-environmental way employed for the reduction of both CO2 and waste plastic remains. PCDR allows for resource recovery, converting carbon dioxide and waste plastics into synthetic gas. The development and optimization of this technology for the high yield of high-quality synthesis gas generation requires the full understanding of the complex influence of the process parameters on efficiency and selectivity. In this regard, this review summarizes the recent findings in the field. The effect of process parameters as well as the type of catalyst and feedstock are reviewed and discussed.

The production of high-quality biofuel from waste oil

In this work, a novel method was reported to produce biofuels for meeting the specifications.

Progress on Catalyst Development for the Steam Reforming of Biomass and Waste Plastics Pyrolysis Volatiles: A Review

In recent decades, the production of H₂ from biomass, waste plastics, and their mixtures has attracted increasing attention in the literature in order to overcome the environmental problems associated with global warming and CO₂ emissions caused by conventional H₂ production processes. In this regard, the strategy based on pyrolysis and in-line catalytic reforming allows for obtaining high H₂ production from a wide variety of feedstocks. In addition, it provides several advantages compared to other thermochemical routes such as steam gasification, making it suitable for its further industrial implementation. This review analyzes the fundamental aspects involving the process of pyrolysis-reforming of biomass and waste plastics. However, the optimum design of transition metal based reforming catalysts is the bottleneck in the development of the process and final H₂ production. Accordingly, this review focuses especially on the influence the catalytic materials (support, promoters, and active phase), synthesis methods, and pyrolysis-reforming conditions have on the process performance. The results reported in the literature for the steam reforming of the volatiles derived from biomass, plastic wastes, and biomass/plastics mixtures on different metal based catalysts have been compared and analyzed in terms of H₂ production.

High Temperature Pyrolysis of Municipal Plastic Waste Using Me/Ni/ZSM-5 Catalysts: The Effect of Metal/Nickel Ratio

This work is dedicated to the high temperature pyrolysis of municipal plastic waste using Me/Ni/ZSM-5 catalysts. Catalysts were synthetized by wet impregnation. In addition to nickel, synthetic zeolite catalysts contain calcium, ceria, lanthanum, magnesia or manganese. Catalysts were prepared and tested using 0.1, 0.5 and 2.0 Me/Ni ratios. Catalyst morphology was investigated by SEM and surface analysis. Higher concentrations of second metals can block catalyst pore channels due to the more coke formation, which leads to smaller surface area. Furthermore, the chemicals used for the impregnation were among the catalyst grains, especially in case of 2.0 Me/Ni ratios. For pyrolysis, a horizontal tubular furnace reactor was used at 700 °C. The highest hydrogen and syngas yields were observed using ceria- and lanthanum-covered catalysts. The maximum production of syngas and hydrogen (69.8 and 49.2 mmol/g raw material) was found in the presence of Ce/Ni/ZSM-5 catalyst with a 0.5 Me/Ni ratio.

Ni-based catalysts supported on Mg–Al hydrotalcites with different morphologies for CO2 methanation: exploring the effect of metal–support interaction

Ni-based Mg–Al hydrotalcite catalysts with perfect morphologies were proven to be highly active and stable during CO₂ methanation.

H2 and Syngas Production From Catalytic Cracking of Pig Manure and Compost Pyrolysis Vapor Over Ni-Based Catalysts

Catalytic cracking of volatiles derived from wet pig manure (WPM), dried pig manure and their compost was investigated over Ni/Al2O3 and Ni-loaded on lignite char (Ni/C). Non-catalytic pyrolysis of WPM resulted in a carbon conversion of 43.3% and 18.5% in heavy tar and light tar, respectively. No tar was formed when Ni/Al2O3 was introduced for WPM gasifi cation and the gas yield signifi cantly reached to a high value of 64.4 mmol/g at 650oC. When Ni/C was employed, 5.9% of carbon in the light tar was found at 650oC, revealing that the Ni/C is not active enough for cracking of tarry materials. The pyrolysis vapor was cracked completely and gave a H2-rich tar free syngas in high yield. High water amount of WPM promotes steam gasifi cation of char support, causing the deactivation of Ni/C. Such a study may be benefi cial to the development of livestock manure catalytic gasifi cation technology.