CONVERSION ROOT OF BIOMASS

FUELS
Thermochemical conversion Biochemical conversion

Extraction
Digestio Fermentatio
Combustio Gasificatio Pyrolysis
n n
n n

Steam Gas Gas Oil Charcoal Biogas

Steam Methanol / Upgrading Upgrading Distillation

Esterification
Turbine Gas turbine/cc hydrogen Combustion
Engine synthesis gasification/
engine, etc
Fuel cell
Hydrogen/ Diesel Ethanol Bio-diesel
methanol

Heat Electricity Liquid fuels

Thermochemical conversions
 Organic matter can be converted into
gaseous and liquid fuels by Thermochemical
Reactions. These are carried out at various
temperatures, pressures, with supply of
reactants etc. The processes give liquid and
gaseous fuels, residues, by products etc.
 This is called thermochemical conversion.
The various conversion
processes
 Biomass gasification
 combustion
 Fast pyrolisis
 Lipid Extraction
 Thermochemical Liquefaction
 Black Liquor Gasification
 Vitrification
 Hydrothermal Upgrading Process
 Fischer-Tropsch Process
GASIFICATIO
N
Gasification
 Gasification is a thermo-chemical process by which,
biomass containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen is
reacted with restricted amount of air/ oxygen, and/or
steam to yield a mixture of gases with the following
composition.
 Gas MJ % Contribution
◦ CO 12.6 20.5 [2.58]
◦ Hydrogen 12.8 17 [2.18]
◦ Methane 39.8 2 [0.79]
◦ Ethane 70.4 0.1 [0.07]
◦ Ethylene 64 0.1 [0.06]
◦ Nitrogen 49.2 [0]
◦ CO2 11.2 [0]
◦ Heating Value 5.68
DRYING
Biomass fuel consists of moisture ranging from 5
to 35%.
At the temperature above 100 o C, the water is
removed and converted into steam.
In the drying stage, fuels do not experience any
kind of decomposition

PYROLYSIS
Pyrolysis is the thermal decomposition of biomass
fuel in the absence of oxygen
It involves release of three kinds of products: solid,
liquid and gases
 OXIDATION
• Air is introduced in the oxidation zone
contains oxygen, water vapours and inert
gases such as nitrogen and argon.
• These inert gases are considered to be non-
reactive with the fuel constituents.
• Oxidation takes place at 700-2000oC
temperature.
• Heterogeneous reaction takes place
between oxygen in the air and solid
carbonized fuel, producing carbon
monoxide.
• Positive and negative symbol indicate the
release and supply of heat energy during
the process respectively.
C + O2 → CO 2 + 406 MJ/kmol

 Hydrogen in fuel reacts with oxygen in the

air blast, producing steam.
H2+ ½ O2 → H 2 O + 242 MJ/kmol
Reduction
• In reduction zone, a number of high
temperature chemical reactions take place
in the absence of oxygen. The principal
reactions that take place in reduction are
mentioned below:

Boudouard reaction
CO 2 + C → 2CO - 172.6 MJ/kmol
Water-gas reaction
C + H2 O → CO + H 2 - 131.4 MJ/kmol
Water shift reaction
CO 2 + H 2 → CO + H 2 O + 41.2 MJ/kmol
 Methane production reaction
C + 2H 2 → CH 4 + 75 MJ/kmol
 Hence, the temperature of gas goes down

during this stage.

 If complete gasification takes place, all the

carbon is burned or reduced to carbon

monoxide, a combustible gas and some
other mineral matter is vaporized.
 The remains are ash and some char

(unburned carbon)
GASIFIER DESIGNS
◦ Counter current gasifier (Updraft)
◦ Co-current gasifier (Down and cross draft)
◦ Fluidized beds - Bubbling or Circulating

 UPDRAFT GASIFIER

 DOWN DRAFT GASIFIER

 CROSS DRAFT GASIFIER

 FLUDIZED BED GASIFIER

UP DRAFT GASIFIER
 An up draft gasifier is characterised by a
counter current flow of fuel and air or gas
in the reactor. The producer gas exits from
the top of the gasifier.
 FEATURES OF UPDRAFT GASIFIER
 The biomass enters the top of the reaction chamber
while steam and air or oxygen enter from below a
grate

 The fuel flows downward and up-flowing hot gases

pyrolyze it. some of the resulting charcoal residue
falls to the grate, where it burns, producing heat and
giving off carbon dioxide and water vapor

 The CO2 and H2O react with other charcoal particles,

producing carbon monoxide and hydrogen gases
 The gases exit from the top and ashes fall
through the grate

 The updraft design is relatively simple and can

handle biomass fuels with high ash and
moisture content

 The gas contains 10-20 percent volatile oils

making the gas unsuitable for use in engines or
gas turbines
UPDRAFT GASIFICATION DESIGN ANALYSIS

•Simple design
•Not sensitive to fuel
selection if it is a no-low
tar fuel
•Has a long start time
•Delay in response
•Best used for large, long
use applications
 Downdraft Gasifier
 In the updraft gasifier, gas leaves the

gasifier with high tar vapor which may

seriously interfere the operation of internal
combustion engine.

 This problem is minimized in the Downdraft

gasifier. In this type, air or oxygen is
introduced into downward flowing packed
bed or solid fuels and gas is drawn off at the
bottom.
 A lower overall efficiency and
difficulties in handling higher
moisture and ash content are
common problems in small
downdraft gas producers.

 The time (20-30 minutes) needed

to ignite and bring plant to
working temperature with good
gas quality is shorter than
Updraft gasifier. This gasifier is
preferred to Updraft gasifier for
internal combustion engines
DOWN DRAFT GASIFIER
Cross Draft Gasifier
 This gasifier can operate with wide variety of
fuels compared to an up draft or a down draft
gasifier.

 Highgas exit temperature, higher gas velocity at

the gas exit.

 Poor CO2 reduction are certain characteristics of

this type of gasifier.

 Crossdraft gasifiers, although they have certain

advantages over updraft and downdraft gasifiers
Fig. Reaction zones in a cross draft gasifier
 The load following ability of cross draft
gasifier is quite good due to concentrated
partial zones which operate at temperature
up to 2000oC.
 Start up time (5 -10 minutes) is much

faster than that of downdraft and updraft

units
 Splitting of the gasifier into strictly separate

zones is not realistic, but nevertheless

conceptually essential.
 Gasification stages are drying, pyrolysis,

oxidation and reduction occur at the same

time in different parts of gasifier.
OPERATING PARAMETERS FOR
GASIFIERS
◦ Fuel moisture
◦ Equivalence ratio
◦ Temperature
◦ Reactor pressure
◦ Shape and size of the fuel
Operation
A fluidized bed reactor (FBR) is a type of reactor device
that can be used to carry out a
variety of multiphase chemical reactions

 In this type of reactor, a

fluid (gas or liquid) is passed
through a granular solid material
(usually a catalyst possibly
shaped as tiny spheres) at high
enough velocities to suspend
the solid and cause it to behave
as though it were a fluid.
Operation
 In a fluidized bed gasifier, the bed material can
either be sand or char, or some combination.
 In the fluidized bed gasifier air is blown

through a bed of solid particles at a sufficient

velocity to keep these in a state of suspension.
 The bed is originally externally heated and the

feedstock is introduced as soon as a

sufficiently high temperature is reached.
 The fluidizing gas is distributed through

nozzles at the bottom and biomass can be fed

in at the upper part of the bed as well as the
lower part.
Applications
 FBR’s developed for the oil and petrochemical industries.
Here catalysts were used to reduce petroleum to simpler
compounds through a process known as cracking.
 Fluidized bed reactors are still used to produce gasoline and
other fuels, along with many other chemicals.
 Many industrially produced polymers are made using FBR
technology, such as rubber, vinyl chloride, polyethylene, and
styrenes.
 FBR’s are also used for
coal gasification, nuclear power plants, and water and waste
treatment plants.
fuels (wood, peat and coal) including agriculture “waste" such as
straw, corn Stover and manure
municipal waste such as garbage.
liquid wastes such as used engine oil, non-recyclable plastics,
junk mail & old shoes, garbage for generation of heat.
 GADGETS
DEVELOPED
IN TNAU
TNAU SINGLE POT CHULA
TNAU DOUBLE POT CHULA
BIOMASS GAS STOVE