Gasification of Oil Palm EFB Briquettes in a Bubbling Fluidized Bed Gasifier for Bio-Syngas Production

- Bemgba Bevan Nyakuma -

4th Conference On Emerging Energy And Process Technology (CONCEPT 2015), A’Famosa Resort, Alor Gajah, Melaka, Malaysia.

Arshad Ahmad, Anwar Johari, Tuan A. T. Abdullah, Olagoke Oladokun

• Introduction

• Aim of Study

• Experimental

• Results

• Conclusion

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Outline…

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Introduction

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• Malaysia > 2nd largest producer & exporter of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) > 400 palm oils mills & 4.5 million hectares

• Agriculture accounts for 12 % GNI, Palm oil >> 8 % or over RM 80 billion annually

• CPO production >> Solid Biomass (Lignocellulosic) waste • 83 million dry tonnes; 100 million by 2020

• Solid Waste >> Palm Fronds (OPF), Palm Kernel (OPK), Palm Fibre (OPMF), Largest >> Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB)

Introduction

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• Current conversion technologies – open air burning, incineration, landfilling, Organic fertilizers

• Wood products, bioenergy, bioethanol and bio-based green chemicals

• Methods inefficient, outdated, & unsustainable

• Address challenges of OPW accumulation.

Introduction

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• National Biomass Strategy 2020 est. in 2013 to focus on valorisation of oil palm biomass (OPB).

• 20 million tonnes (25 %) of OPB by 2020 for higher-value products

• Increase national income GNI by RM 30 billion

• NBS2020 >> meet renewable energy (5 %) target

• Reduce GHG emissions & Create 66,000 jobs

Introduction

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• Valorization of OPW into clean energy, biofuels, power generation

• Thermochemical – Pyrolysis, Gasification, Torrefaction, Co-firing >> Bio-Syngas, Liq. biofuels, Biochar, Biocoal

• Biochemical – Anaerobic Digestion (AD), Fermentation >> Biogas, Bio-Methane

Introduction

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Numerous challenges impede progress…

• Biomass properties – • high moisture, inhomogeneous sized,

high alkali content, & low energy density

• Efficiency of Conversion technologies• Biomass Combustion in Boilers, Incineration

Introduction

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• High moisture >> • low conversion efficiency, corrosion,

op. problems, leaks, fugitive emissions

• High alkali content >>• fouling, agglomeration & sintering

• Inhomogeneous nature >>• handling, storage & logistics

• Low energy density >>• conversion efficiency, product gas yield

Introduction

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• Pre-Conditioning• Drying, Mechanical Fractionation >> reduce

moisture, bulky nature

• Pre-treatment Techniques • Pelletization, Torrefaction >> improve heating

value, energy density, logistics

• Efficient Conversion Techniques• Gasification, Pyrolysis, >> product yield,

composition, energy density

Solutions

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Aim of Study

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Aim of Study

• Pre-Treatment & pelletization of OPW >> Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches into Briquettes (OPEFB-B)

• Estimate Alkali Index >> predict fouling, agglomeration potential

• Gasification of OPEFB-B in Bubbling Fluidized Bed Gasifier (BFBG)

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GasificationSolutions

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SolutionsAir Gasification of OPEFB-B

Typical products of biomass Gasification >>

• Gas (Bio-Syngas, CO2, CH4, CnH2n)

• Solid char – High CV Biochar

• Liquid Tar -

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Experimental

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Experimental

• Biomass Characterization of OPEFB-B >>• Ultimate, Proximate, Calorific, Thermal Analysis

• Alkali Content (Na, Mg, Ca, K) Index >> • Xray Fluorescence (XRF) predict fouling,

agglomeration potential of OPEFB-B

• Air Gasification of OPEFB-B >>• Using Bubbling Fluidized Bed Gasifier (BFBG)

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Experimental

• Gasification of OPEFB-B in Bubbling Fluidized Bed Gasifier (BFBG)

• In-house 4.5 kW allothermal gasifier

• Through put (Feedrate) of 0.9 kg/hr

• Temperature of 600 – 800 °C & Atm. pressure

• Equivalence ratio; λ=0.25

• Air & Silica sand >> Gasification Agent & Medium

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Results

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ResultsCharacterization of OPEFB-B

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ResultsCharacterization of OPEFB-B (Thermal Analysis)

A B C

• High Thermal Conversion • Carbon Conversion >> 80 %

• High Residual Mass with increase in HR• Selectivity of products

• Conversion is 3 stages : drying, pyrolysis, char aggregation

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ResultsAlkali Index - Xray Fluorescence (XRF) predict fouling, agglomeration potential of OPEFB-B

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ResultsAlkali Index - Xray Fluorescence (XRF) agglomeration potential of OPEFB-B

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Results Air Gasification of OPEFB-B

Gas (Bio-Syngas, CO2, CH4, CnH2n)

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Results Gas (Bio-Syngas, CO2, CH4, CnH2n)

• OPEFB-B Gasification >> significant Bio-syngas

• Bio-syngas HHV >> 5 MJ/Nm3.

• Gas composition >> H2, CO, CO2, CH4 , HCs

• No Bed Agglomeration >>

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Results Air Gasification of OPEFB-B

Solid char – High CV Biochar• High Char yield

• HHV of OPEFB-B = 17.57 MJ/kg

• HHV of BioChar = 24.55 MJ/kg

• Gasification can yields gas & solid fuels for applications.

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Conclusion

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Conclusion

• Pre-Treatment & Pelletization of OPEFB-B >> Significantly better solid biomass fuel with low MC, Uniform shape for easy storage, handling, & transport

• Characterization >> Conversion btw 50-1000 °C (TGA) yields > 80 % conversion, High HR >> high char (residual mass)

• OPEFB-B >> High Agglomeration potential BUT No bed agglomeration was observed

• OPEFB-B Gasification >> Good yield of Bio-Syngas, high HHV char, but low gas HHV…

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Terima kasih(Thank you)

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The authors acknowledge the Ministry of Education (MOE) Malaysia for the Long Research Grant Scheme (LRGS) VOT: 4L817.

The authors are grateful to S. L. Wong, and Muhamad Faizal B. A. Halim of Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam for the TG

measurements.

Acknowledgement