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A review of catalysts for the gasification of biomass char, with some reference to coal

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  • Nzihou, Ange
  • Stanmore, Brian
  • Sharrock, Patrick

Abstract

The best catalysts for promoting char gasification are Group I metals, particularly lithium and potassium, although other metals are active to a lesser extent. The most prevalent metal naturally in biomass char is potassium, which is not only inherently active, but volatilises to become finely distributed throughout the char mass. The formation of an active carbon/potassium complex is frequently proposed. Calcium is the other most common active metal found in biomass, but is far less effective and less volatile. In a gasification system the metals remain as carbonate due to the action of carbon dioxide. The alkali metals can react with silica to form silicates, which prevents catalytic action. Transition metals can also participate in catalysis of gasification; iron accelerates gasification and nickel prevents carbon deposition, which helps in conditioning biomass-derived syngas. Volatile iron pentacarbonyl has been identified as a promoter of the char gasification step, with catalytic activity related to the finely dispersed low-valency metal atoms generated during the thermo-decomposition of biomass.

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  • Nzihou, Ange & Stanmore, Brian & Sharrock, Patrick, 2013. "A review of catalysts for the gasification of biomass char, with some reference to coal," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 305-317.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:58:y:2013:i:c:p:305-317
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2013.05.057
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    15. Elsaddik, Majd & Nzihou, Ange & Delmas, Michel & Delmas, Guo-Hua, 2023. "Steam gasification of cellulose pulp char: Insights on experimental and kinetic study with a focus on the role of Silicon," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).
    16. Link, Siim & Tran, Khanh-Quang & Bach, Quang-Vu & Yrjas, Patrik & Lindberg, Daniel & Arvelakis, Stelios & Rosin, Argo, 2018. "Catalytic effect of oil shale ash on CO2 gasification of leached wheat straw and reed chars," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 906-913.
    17. Hervy, Maxime & Weiss-Hortala, Elsa & Pham Minh, Doan & Dib, Hadi & Villot, Audrey & Gérente, Claire & Berhanu, Sarah & Chesnaud, Anthony & Thorel, Alain & Le Coq, Laurence & Nzihou, Ange, 2019. "Reactivity and deactivation mechanisms of pyrolysis chars from bio-waste during catalytic cracking of tar," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(C), pages 487-499.
    18. Guizani, Chamseddine & Jeguirim, Mejdi & Gadiou, Roger & Escudero Sanz, Fransisco Javier & Salvador, Sylvain, 2016. "Biomass char gasification by H2O, CO2 and their mixture: Evolution of chemical, textural and structural properties of the chars," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 133-145.
    19. Lajili, M. & Guizani, C. & Escudero Sanz, F.J. & Jeguirim, M., 2018. "Fast pyrolysis and steam gasification of pellets prepared from olive oil mill residues," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 61-68.
    20. Shahbaz, Muhammad & Al-Ansari, Tareq & Inayat, Muddasser & Sulaiman, Shaharin A. & Parthasarathy, Prakash & McKay, Gordon, 2020. "A critical review on the influence of process parameters in catalytic co-gasification: Current performance and challenges for a future prospectus," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    21. Rizkiana, Jenny & Guan, Guoqing & Widayatno, Wahyu Bambang & Hao, Xiaogang & Wang, Zhongde & Zhang, Zhonglin & Abudula, Abuliti, 2015. "Oil production from mild pyrolysis of low-rank coal in molten salts media," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 944-950.
    22. Xie, Yingpu & Zeng, Kuo & Flamant, Gilles & Yang, Haiping & Liu, Nian & He, Xiao & Yang, Xinyi & Nzihou, Ange & Chen, Hanping, 2019. "Solar pyrolysis of cotton stalk in molten salt for bio-fuel production," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 1124-1132.

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