Thermodynamic simulation of syngas production through combined biomass gasification and methane reformation

Abstract

Increasing energy demand, decreasing fossil resources and climate change have necessitated the study of sustainable ways to produce energy and fuels. Natural gas, consisting primarily of methane, is a cleaner alternative compared to other fossil fuels and has become cheaper and more abundant over the last decade. Methane reformation can produce syngas for downstream applications but requires significant heat and CO₂. Biomass gasification has potential to provide the necessary heat and CO₂ through a combined process in which gasifier-derived syngas is used as a reactant in methane reformation. This is studied through thermodynamic simulation and lab-scale experimentation. Simulation showed a 92% increase in gasifier syngas HHV with maximum H₂ : CO ratio of 1.75. Experimentally, the HHV increase was 73% compared to raw gasifier syngas, and the maximum H₂ : CO ratio was 1.48. Overall, combined methane reformation and biomass gasification has high CH₄ and CO₂ conversions and produces syngas with more optimal characteristics for future applications.