Gasification of pine sawdust: Effect of temperature, oxygen rate and vapor

The study of biomass gasification has gained great interest in recent decades, representing an attractive process for the production of energy and heat and the production of hydrogen and second-generation biofuels. The objective of this work is to characterize the composition of the producer gas, as well as its energy potential. Experiments are carried out in a fixed bed gasifier on a pilot plant scale, and bulk sawdust from pine wood is used as gasification raw material. The influence of process temperature (650-900 oC), oxygen rate (0.3-0.6) and steam / sawdust ratio on the gasification of pine sawdust are investigated. Results of this study show that the hydrogen content, both hydrogen and carbon conversion, the calorific value and the efficiency of the cold gas increase by increasing temperature and decreasing oxygen rate. The use of steam in the gasification process increases thermal efficiency and hydrogen content of the producer gas.