ASSESSING THE APPLICABILITY OF CIRCULATING FLUIDIZED BED GASIFICATION OF FIVE PROMISING BIOMASSES FOR ENERGY PRODUCTION WITHIN A BIOREFINARY: FOCUS ON AGGLOMERATION ISSUES

摘要

Five promising biomass fuels, namely Mischanthus, Cardoon, Jatropha Cake, Sunflower Cake, andWillow were gasified in a 100 kWth atmospheric circulating fluidised bed gasifier (CFBG) using quartz and olivineas bed inventory materials and air as gasification medium. The fuels used were collected across Europe and spandifferent biomass sources i.e. woody materials, residual cakes from first generation biodiesel production, as well aslignocellulosic material. These materials represent potential fuel mixes of a future biorefinary. The gasificationtechnology could provide both syngas for advanced syntheses but also fuel gas to run boilers and power producingengines to cover the energetic demands of the biorefinary. The work was accomplished within the Eurobioref projectwith the main aim to assess the quality of the gasification of each fuel at different temperatures (between 770oC and900oC) and to determine the maximum temperatures before creating agglomeration and defluidization problems inthe fluidized bed. A guideline for the applicability of air gasification using the CFBG techniques is produced andpresented. All tested fuels proved a good to fairly good resistance to ash problems apart from Cardoon. Agglomeratesfrom these tests were analyzed with SEM/EDS and revealed coatings and necks between bed particles due to ashderived potassium silicate melt.