Overview
ABSTRACT
Biomass valorization is at the heart of the questions concerning energetic resources in the twenty-first century. Regarding humid biomass, gasification in supercritical water is an interesting valorization process as it allows for the production of a valuable energetic gas due to its non-fossil origin. Gasification in supercritical water concerns more specifically very humid biomass. The influence of the principal operating conditions on the nature and conversion yield of this process are detailed and the most important laboratory pilots are presented.
Read this article from a comprehensive knowledge base, updated and supplemented with articles reviewed by scientific committees.
Read the articleAUTHORS
-
Olivier BOUTIN: Graduate of the École nationale supérieure des industries chimiques, Ph.D. in Process Engineering - Professor, Aix-Marseille University, France
-
Jean-Christophe RUIZ: Research Engineer at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA Marcoule) - Project Manager for Supercritical Fluid Technology at the Supercritical Processes and Decontamination Laboratory, Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France
INTRODUCTION
The use of biomass is at the heart of the debate over energy resources in the 21st century. It is one of the major issues at stake. The term “biomass” encompasses a wide range of meanings, from high-quality biomass intended for food, such as grains, to biomass comparable to waste, such as beet pulp or sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants. Particularly in the case of wet biomass, an interesting utilization process is supercritical water gasification. This process eliminates the need for a drying step and, under appropriate pressure and temperature conditions, produces a so-called “low-carbon” energy gas that may contain hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, and/or light hydrocarbons. The interest in this process therefore stems from the broader challenge of accessing non-fossil energy sources as well as the issue of greenhouse gases, as the use of biomass fits into a short carbon cycle, thereby creating a virtuous circular approach. Supercritical water gasification is particularly suited to very wet biomass (over 70% moisture content), which therefore does not need to be dried beforehand. Reaction temperatures are relatively low (maximum of 700 °C), compared to conventional or dry gasification processes (typically 900 °C). This limits the production of polluting gases, such as dioxins or NO x . Similarly, the aqueous solvation medium helps limit the formation of solids and tars. The target gases are primarily hydrogen, but also a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide (a mixture for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis) or methane production. The influence of key operating conditions on the nature and conversion yields will be detailed in this article (pressure, temperature, initial biomass concentration, and the presence or absence of catalysts). The most significant laboratory-scale pilot plants (up to 100 kg/h −1 ) will be presented, along with the first industrial developments set to begin operation in 2025.
Exclusive to subscribers. 97% yet to be discovered!
Already subscribed? Log in!
Biomass gasification in supercritical water
Article included in this offer
"Bioprocesses and bioproductions"
(
154 articles
)
Updated and enriched with articles validated by our scientific committees
A set of exclusive tools to complement the resources
Bibliography
Exclusive to subscribers. 97% yet to be discovered!
Already subscribed? Log in!