Biomass-fueled, high-temperature, air-blown gasification systems

Abstract

Several aspects of using an advanced, high-temperature air-blown gasification system for converting biomass wastes into fuel gas are examined. The gasification system, known as MEET (Multi-staged Enthalpy Extraction Technology), has many features that are advantageous for biomass power generation. The lowcost gasifier is extremely compact and flexible, capable of operating efficiently on a wide range of lowcaloric-value biomass fuels. It also has the ability to use fuels that are high in alkali-metal concentrations. The performance of the MEET gasification system is assessed for several common biomass fuels, including sawmill wood wastes, grass, and partially composted cow manure. and incentives. More recently, there has been renewed interest to expand the use of biomass for energy production. This has been stimulated partially by the public concern for the potential threat of climate change due to increased greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. An advanced gasification system is currently being developed that utilizes high-temperature preheated air to convert coal and waste-derived fuels into synthetic fuel gas and value-added byproducts.lS2 Adopting this technology for biomass power plants can significantly increase the conversion efficiency and improve their economic competitiveness in the energy market. This gasifier system has several unique attributes that are advantageous for biomass power generation. The gasifier design is extremely compact and flexible, capable of operating efficiently on a wide range of fuels. Integrated into a power plant, this gasifier will provide clean, economic gaseous fuel for industrial and utility power consumers while increasing resource utilization and decreasing CO2 emission through energy efficiency improvements. Furthermore, combustion-waste products from the gasifier have properties that make them amenable for conversion into useful co-products.A series of demonstrated, independent technologies are combined to form the core of this advanced gasifier system, also known as the MEET (Multi-staged -Enthalpy Extraction Technology) gasification system.A high-temperature rapid devolatilization process is used to enhance the volatile yields from the fuel and to improve the gasification efficiency. A high-temperature pebble bed filter is used to remove the slag and particulates from the synthetic fuel gas. Finally, a novel regenerative air heater is used to supply the hightemperature air for use to achieve rapid pyrolysis in the gasifier. The efficient operation of this gasifier system on coal and waste-derived fuels has been demonstrated in experiments at the 2-kdhr-scale level. Duration and proof-of-concept tests are currently underway at a 5ton/day-scale demonstration facility. Descriptions of the MEET gasification system and the status of technology development are reported in Refs. 1 through 4.

Approaches for adding value to anaerobically digested dairy fiber

“…Thermal gasification has been perhaps the most studied thermochemical process (in terms of the amount of publications) intending to transform dairy manure into value-added byproducts (e.g., fuel gases and liquids), as reported in a number of works [153,154,155,156,157,158,159,160,161,162,163,164,165,166,167,168,169,170,171,172,173,174,175,176,177,178,179]. However, as stated by the Midwest Energy Research Center 23 [180], no operational farm-scale gasification systems have been identified in the United States but research has been conducted only at laboratory or pilot scale.…”

“…The effectiveness of the innovation was proven by gasifying different types of feedstocks, including feedlot manure. Pian and Yoshikawa [171,172], on the other hand, proposed a gasification technology referred to as MEET (Multi-staged Enthalpy Extraction Technology). The process used a high-temperature, rapid devolatilization process -to enhance the volatile yields from the fuel and to improve the gasification efficiency.…”