Highly efficient sulfur and coking resistance catalysts for tar gasification with steam

Ni-on-dolomite catalysts were found to be effective catalysts for coking resistance and promising sulfur tolerance for steam reforming of tar. Experiments were carried out in a fixed bed reactor at 730–850 °C with a short contact time (W/F: 0.55 g h/mol) and under atmospheric pressure. Toluene and naphthalene were selected as the model component of tar. The process variables such as calcination temperature, reaction temperature and the content of nickel had substantial influence on promising sulfur tolerance in catalytic tar removal by Ni/Dolomite catalysts. Results were compared with the Ni/Al₂O₃, Ni/SiO₂ as a representative of commercial catalysts. The novel 15%Ni/Dolomite almost gasified tar component even at 770 °C and the presence of 100 ppm H₂S in the feed. The poisoning effect of H₂S was discovered to be reversible. The suppression of the catalytic activity by adding H₂S was much lower for Ni/Dolomite than Ni/Al₂O₃. The TGA–DTA analysis of used catalysts revealed that Ni/Dolomite exhibited high resistance to coke deposition over those of the Ni/Al₂O₃, Ni/SiO₂.     

Ni基生物质焦油重整催化剂的研究进展

Ni基催化剂对生物质气化过程中生成焦油的催化裂解重整具有较好的催化活性,但在催化反应中存在容易积炭进而失活的现象。如何提高Ni基催化剂的催化活性和抗积炭能力是Ni基催化剂研究中的难点。本文从催化剂的活性组分、载体和助催化剂3个方面入手,详细综述了近几年关于提高Ni基生物质焦油重整催化剂催化活性和抗积炭能力的研究进展,讨论了催化剂的活性组分、载体和助催化剂对催化剂催化活性的影响。指出Ni-Fe、Ni-Co、Ni-Cu催化剂均表现出比Ni基催化剂更好的催化活性,助剂的加入有利于提高吸附剂的抗积炭能力和抗烧结能力;催化剂载体方面,钙钛矿型混合金属氧化物载体、煤焦和生物质焦载体具有较好的研究前景。     

Development of new nickel based catalyst for biomass tar steam reforming producing H2-rich syngas

Mayenite (Ca₁₂Al₁₄O₃₃ or 12CaO.7Al₂O₃) was previously developed and applied as Ni support for biomass tar steam reforming in the absence and presence of H₂S by our group because of its high oxygen restoring property in the structure [C. Li et al., Appl. Catal., B. 2008]. In this study, catalyst Ni/mayenite (mayenite as support) was prepared by impregnation method with nickel nitrate hexahydrate. Experiments were tested in a fixed-bed reactor, toluene as a tar model compound. The influence of the catalyst preparation and operating parameters (reaction temperature, steam to carbon ratio and space time) on catalyst activity and products selectivity were studied, and a long-time evaluation (more than 76 h) also exhibited excellent resistance to coking. These results were compared to these obtained by commercial-like catalysts: Ni/CaO_x/MgO_1−x and our previous NiO/mayenite, showing that Ni/mayenite exhibited excellent property for biomass tar reforming, with higher H₂ yield than that of Ni/CaO_x/MgO_1−x, and higher CO selectivity than that of NiO/mayenite. For kinetic model, the first order reaction used for toluene with activation energy of 80.24 kJ.mol^− 1 was coincident with literature data.     

Catalytic reforming of tar during gasification. Part I. Steam reforming of biomass tar using ilmenite as a catalyst

Ilmenite, a natural iron-containing mineral, has been investigated as an inexpensive catalyst for the steam reforming of volatiles (tar) from the pyrolysis of mallee woody biomass. The results indicate that ilmenite has good activity for the steam reforming of tar into gases due to its highly dispersed iron-containing species. The supply of external steam, in addition to the H₂O and CO₂ produced during the pyrolysis of biomass, plays an important role in minimising the formation of coke on the catalyst surface and thus the catalyst activity. The catalyst deactivation due to coke formation has more adverse effects on the reforming of larger aromatic ring system with steam than that of smaller ones. In addition, the supply of additional oxygen at low concentration changed the outcomes of tar reforming mainly because oxygen activated the smaller aromatic ring systems and polymerised them into larger aromatic ring systems in the gas phase.     

Catalytic reforming of tar during gasification. Part II. Char as a catalyst or as a catalyst support for tar reforming

Char, char-supported catalysts and ilmenite were investigated for the steam reforming of biomass tar derived from the pyrolysis of mallee wood in situ. Special attention was given to the reforming of aromatic ring systems in tar. The results indicated that the char-supported iron/nickel catalysts exhibited much higher activity for the reforming of tar than the char itself. Ilmenite and the char-supported iron catalyst contained similar active phase but showed different tar reforming activities. Kinetic compensation effects demonstrated that the reaction pathways on the char-supported catalysts were similar but were different from those on ilmenite. The proprieties of support could play important roles for the activities of the catalysts and the reaction pathways on the catalysts. Char would not only disperse the catalysts but also interact with the catalysts to enhance their activity for the steam reforming of tar.     

Zirconia: Selective oxidation catalyst for removal of tar and ammonia from biomass gasification gas

Catalysts containing zirconia and alumina were tested for their activity in the selective oxidation of tar and ammonia in biomass gasification gas. Their performance was compared with that of nickel and dolomite catalysts. Synthetic gasification gas with toluene as tar model compound was used as feed. In the presence of oxygen, zirconia and alumina-doped zirconia gave high toluene and ammonia conversions even below 600 °C. They were the most active catalysts for toluene oxidation below 700 °C and for ammonia oxidation below 650 °C. At higher temperatures than these, the impregnated ZrO₂/Al₂O₃ catalysts performed better: oxidation selectivity was improved and toluene and ammonia conversions were higher. The presence of both zirconia and alumina in the catalyst promoted toluene and ammonia conversions at low temperatures: zirconia enhanced the oxidation activity, while alumina improved the oxidation selectivity. The presence of H₂S had little effect on the activity of alumina-doped zirconia.     

Steam reforming of tar from a biomass gasification process over Ni/olivine catalyst using toluene as a model compound

A Ni/olivine catalyst, previously developed for biomass gasification and tar removal during fluidized bed steam gasification of biomass, was tested in a fixed bed reactor in toluene steam reforming as a tar destruction model reaction. The influence of the catalyst preparation parameters (nickel precursor, calcination temperature and nickel content) and operating parameters (reaction temperature, steam to carbon S/C ratio and space-time) on activity and selectivity was examined showing a high toluene conversion and a low carbon formation compared to olivine alone. The steam reforming of toluene was found to be of zero order for water and first order for toluene. Activation energy required for Ni/olivine was determined to be about 196 kJ mol⁻¹ in accordance with literature. Catalyst activity and stability and its resistance against carbon formation were discussed on the basis of X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and temperature programmed oxidation (TPO) results. Characterization before test (XRD, temperature programmed reduction (TPR), Mössbauer spectroscopy) have shown the presence of NiO–MgO solid solution, formed on the surface of olivine support, which explains the efficiency of the catalyst calcined at 1100 °C. After test, Ni–Fe alloys were observed (TEM, Mössbauer spectroscopy). It was suggested that magnesium oxide enhanced steam adsorption, facilitating the gasification of surface carbon and that Ni–Fe alloys prevented carbon deposition by dilution effect.     

Development of cobalt catalysts for the steam reforming of naphthalene as a model compound of tar derived from biomass gasification

The catalytic performances of Co/MgO catalysts for the steam reforming of naphthalene were investigated. The results of characterizations (TPR, XRD, CO adsorption, and CO-TPD) showed that large-sized Co metal particles were formed over the catalysts pre-calcined at 873 K with high Co loading via reduction of Co₃O₄ and MgCo₂O₄ phases. A few Co metal particles were obtained over the catalysts pre-calcined at 1173 K with all Co loading values after reduction.The catalytic performances data showed that 12 wt.% Co/MgO catalyst pre-calcined at 873 K exhibited the best catalytic performance (conv., 23%, 3 h) for the steam reforming of naphthalene among the catalysts tested in this study, due to the existence of Co metal and the low amounts of coke deposition. On the other hand, the data also revealed that the reaction of steam reforming of naphthalene proceeds over all Co-loaded catalyst pre-calcined at 1173 K initially; however, the deposition of the polymer of C_nH_m radicals and the oxidation of catalysts by H₂O led to the decrease of activity.It should be noted that 12 wt.% Co/MgO catalyst pre-calcined at 873 K showed high and stable activity under the low steam/carbon mole ratio (0.6), with H₂ and CO₂ as main products. These two excellent advantages serve to increase the overall biomass gasification system energy efficiency and allow using the product gas for fuel cell system. Thus, Co catalyst is a promising system for the steam reforming of naphthalene derived from biomass gasification as a second fixed catalytic bed.     

生物质气化焦油裂解用颗粒催化剂的再生性能

为开发适用于生物质气化焦油裂解的多孔白云石颗粒催化剂,以乙酸为生物质气化焦油的模型化合物,讨论了积炭对多孔白云石颗粒催化能力以及再生性能的影响。结果表明,在积炭率0～4.4%时,多孔白云石颗粒的催化能力随积炭率呈线性下降。当积炭率从0增加到4.4%时,颗粒的孔隙率从0.74 cm³·g^-1减小到0.48 cm³·g^-1,乙酸裂解率从99.3%降至32.3%。采用900 ℃和2 h焙烧法对积炭多孔白云石颗粒进行再生处理后,多孔白云石颗粒的强度基本不变,孔隙率增至0.55 cm³·g^-1。在再生多孔白云石颗粒上,乙酸裂解率达到99.5%。多孔白云石颗粒催化剂具有良好的再生性。     

Development of Ni catalysts for tar removal by steam gasification of biomass

Catalytic performance of Ni/CeO₂/Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared by a co-impregnation and a sequential impregnation method in steam gasification of real biomass (cedar wood) was investigated. Especially, Ni/CeO₂/Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared by the co-impregnation method exhibited higher performance than Ni/Al₂O₃ and Ni/CeO₂/Al₂O₃ prepared by the sequential impregnation method, and the catalysts gave lower yields of coke and tar, and higher yields of gaseous products. The Ni/CeO₂/Al₂O₃ catalysts were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, temperature-programmed reduction with H₂, transmission electron microscopy and extended X-ray absorption fine structure, and the results suggested that the interaction between Ni and CeO₂ became stronger by the co-impregnation method than that by sequential method. Judging from both results of catalytic performance and catalyst characterization, it is found that the intimate interaction between Ni and CeO₂ can play very important role on the steam gasification of biomass.     

Development of Ni catalysts for tar removal by steam gasification of biomass

Catalytic performance of Ni/CeO₂/Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared by a co-impregnation and a sequential impregnation method in steam gasification of real biomass (cedar wood) was investigated. Especially, Ni/CeO₂/Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared by the co-impregnation method exhibited higher performance than Ni/Al₂O₃ and Ni/CeO₂/Al₂O₃ prepared by the sequential impregnation method, and the catalysts gave lower yields of coke and tar, and higher yields of gaseous products. The Ni/CeO₂/Al₂O₃ catalysts were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, temperature-programmed reduction with H₂, transmission electron microscopy and extended X-ray absorption fine structure, and the results suggested that the interaction between Ni and CeO₂ became stronger by the co-impregnation method than that by sequential method. Judging from both results of catalytic performance and catalyst characterization, it is found that the intimate interaction between Ni and CeO₂ can play very important role on the steam gasification of biomass.     

Metallic iron as a tar breakdown catalyst related to atmospheric,fluidised bed gasification of biomass

Tar formation is a major drawback when biomass is converted in a gasifier to obtain gas aimed for utilisation in power production plants or for production of chemicals. Catalytic cracking is an efficient method to diminish the tar content in the gas mixture. In this study, the capability of metallic iron and iron oxides to catalytically crack tars has been experimentally examined. To obtain metallic iron, small grains of hematite (Fe₂O₃) were placed in a secondary reactor downstream the gasifier and reduced in situ prior to catalytic operation. The fuel used in the atmospheric fluidised bed gasifier was Swedish birch with a moisture content of approximately 7 wt%.The influence of temperature in the range 700–900 °C and λ values (i.e. equivalence ratio, ER) between 0 and 0.20 have been investigated. In essence, the results show that raising the temperature in the catalytic bed to approximately 900 °C yields almost 100% tar breakdown. Moreover, increasing the λ value also improves the overall tar cracking activity. The iron oxides did not demonstrate any catalytic activity.     

Steam reforming of naphthalene as model biomass tar over iron-aluminum and iron-zirconium oxide catalyst catalysts

In this study the catalytic properties of iron-based mixed metal oxides such as iron-alumina (Fe-Al) and iron-zirconia (Fe-Zr) were investigated at 850 °C in a fixed bed reactor for the steam reforming of naphthalene as a model biomass tar compound. The effects of addition of copper species (CuO) to the iron-based mixed metal oxide catalysts were also examined. For Fe-Al catalysts, the catalytic activities for naphthalene conversion increased with increasing Fe content except for 100Fe-0Al. The catalytic activities of Fe-Al and Fe-Zr were comparable at steady state conditions. Compound oxides were formed in the cases of Fe-Al, but not in Fe-Zr. A strong peak in the vicinity of 2θ = 45° for metallic iron was observed after catalytic experiments in the XRD patterns of all catalysts, which could be related to the active sites of the catalysts. The addition of CuO increased the activities and stability of the Fe-Al catalysts. The reasons for catalytic activity enhancement due to CuO addition can be explained as follows: copper dispersed evenly in the compound oxides facilitate the reduction of iron oxides to metallic iron and prevent the catalytic deactivation due to decrease in surface area of the catalysts during the reaction.     

Catalytic application of metallic iron from the dyeing sludge ash for benzene steam reforming reaction in tar emitted from biomass gasification

Because it is the most promising method for reforming tar in a gasification system, a catalytic steam reforming reaction of tar using a dyeing sludge ash catalyst that contains mostly iron oxide has been modeled using benzene to investigate whether a steam reforming catalyst produced from waste is viable. The catalytic activity of the ash catalyst is similar to that of the commercially available iron-chrome-based catalyst for the same equivalent total amount of Fe₂O₃. The activity over the ash catalyst has been examined in terms of the weight hour space velocity (WHSV) and the reaction temperature to develop a model for the reaction kinetics. Using a power law model, the reaction order coefficients of the benzene and steam were estimated to be 0.43 and 0, respectively. The activation energy required for the ash catalyst was approximately 187.6 kJ mol^?1. In addition, the reductive properties of the iron oxide in the ash catalyst were also examined via XRD and H₂-TPR analyses.     

新型催化裂化烟气硫转移剂的研究开发

采用溶胶法制备FP-DS硫转移剂,考察了固溶体尖晶石的结构、焙烧温度、水热老化和过渡金属的引入对硫转移剂的影响,以及降低磨损指数的各种方法。结果表明,FP-DS硫转移剂能有效降低再生烟气中SO₂含量,对SO₂的吸附率在60%以上,解吸效果接近100%,磨损指数在3.5%·h^-1以下。该助剂的使用对催化裂化产品的分布和质量无明显影响。     

Comparison of Co/MgO and Ni/MgO catalysts for the steam reforming of naphthalene as a model compound of tar derived from biomass gasification

The catalytic performances of 12 wt.% Co/MgO catalyst pre-calcined at 873 K and of Ni catalysts for the steam reforming of naphthalene were investigated. The results of characterizations (TPR, XRD, and CO adsorption) for Ni catalysts showed that Ni metal particles were formed over the catalysts pre-calcined at 873 K with high Ni loading via reduction of NiO–MgO phases. A few Ni metal particles were obtained over the catalysts pre-calcined at 1173 K with all Ni loading values.The catalytic performance data showed that Co/MgO catalyst had higher activity (conv., 23%, 3 h) than any kinds of Ni/MgO catalysts tested in this study, under lower steam/carbon mole ratio (0.6) and higher concentration of fed naphthalene (3.5 mol%) than those used in the other works. The steam reforming of naphthalene proceeded when there was a stoichiometric ratio between the carbon atoms of naphthalene and H₂O over Co catalyst; however, the activation of excess H₂O happened over the Ni catalyst and this phenomenon can lead to having lower activity than Co catalyst. We concluded that these observations should be attributed to different catalytic performances between Co/MgO and Ni/MgO catalysts.     

Evaluation of different oxygen carriers for biomass tar reforming (I): Carbon deposition in experiments with toluene

In this work, an innovative method for gas conditioning in biomass gasification is analyzed. The objective is to remove tar by selectively reforming the unwanted hydrocarbons in the product gas with a chemical looping reformer (CLR), while minimizing the carbon formation during the process. Toluene, in a concentration of 600-2000 ppmv, was chosen as a tar model compound. Experiments were performed in a TGA apparatus and a fixed bed reactor. Four oxygen carriers (60% NiO/MgAl₂O₄ (Ni60), 40% NiO/NiAl₂O₄ (Ni40), 40% Mn₃O₄/Mg-ZrO₂ (Mn40) and FeTiO₃ (Fe)) were tested under alternating reducing/oxidizing cycles. Several variables affecting the reducing cycle were analyzed: temperature, time for the reduction step and H₂O/C₇H₈ molar ratio. Ni40 and Mn40 presented interesting characteristics for CLR of biomass tar. Both showed stable reactivity to C₇H₈ after a few cycles. Ni40 showed a high tendency to carbon deposition compared to Mn40, specially at high temperatures. Carbon deposition could be controlled by decreasing the temperature and the time for the reduction step. The addition of water also reduced the amount of carbon deposited, which was completely avoided working with a H₂O/C₇H₈ molar ratio of 26.4.     

Recent advances in catalysts for hot-gas removal of tar and NH3 from biomass gasification

Biomass gasification produces a low to medium-BTU product gas (or syngas) containing primarily CO₂, H₂, CO, CH₄ and (C₂ + C₃), as well as some contaminants such as tars, NH₃, H₂S and SO₂. In order to achieve better efficiencies of the syngas applications, these contaminants must be removed before the syngas is used for internal combustion, gas engines, and in particular for fuel cells and methanol synthesis. Compared with the wet scrubbing technology, hot-gas cleanup technology to remove tar, ammonia and other contaminants at the “hot” state is more advantageous with respect to energy efficiencies. This paper provides an overview on recent advances in catalysts for hot-gas removal of tar and ammonia from biomass gasification. The review focuses on the recent development and applications of dolomite catalysts, iron-based catalysts, nickel and other metal supported catalysts, and the novel carbon-supported catalysts for hot-gas tar removal and ammonia decomposition. The barriers in applications of hot-gas cleanup processes and catalysts for full-scale biomass gasification, and areas for future research, are also discussed.     

Probing deactivation by coking in catalyst pellets for dry reforming of methane using a pore network model

Dry reforming of methane(DRM) is an attractive technology for utilizing the greenhouse gases(CO₂ and CH₄) to produce syngas. However, the catalyst pellets for DRM are heavily plagued by deactivation by coking, which prevents this technology from commercialization. In this work, a pore network model is developed to probe the catalyst deactivation by coking in a Ni/Al₂O₃ catalyst pellet for DRM. The reaction conditions can significantly change the coking...     

Evaluation of different oxygen carriers for biomass tar reforming (II): Carbon deposition in experiments with methane and other gases

This work is a continuation of a previous paper by the authors [1] which analyzed the suitability of the Chemical Looping technology in biomass tar reforming. Four different oxygen carriers were tested with toluene as tar model compound: 60% NiO/MgAl₂O₄ (Ni60), 40% NiO/NiAl₂O₄ (Ni40), 40% Mn₃O₄/Mg-ZrO₂ (Mn40) and FeTiO₃ (Fe) and their tendency to carbon deposition was analyzed in the temperature range 873-1073 K. In the present paper, the reactivity of these carriers to other compounds in the gasification gas is studied, also with special emphasis on the tendency to carbon deposition. Experiments were carried out in a TGA apparatus and a fixed bed reactor. Ni-based carriers showed a tendency to form carbon in the reaction with CH₄, especially Ni60. The addition of water in H₂O/CH₄ molar ratios of 0.4-2.3 could decrease the carbon deposited, but not in the case of Ni60. Mn-based sample reacted with CH₄ almost completely and with low tendency to carbon deposition, while the Fe-based sample showed low reactivity. Ni40 showed more reactivity to CO than Mn40, although in both cases carbon was deposited, especially at 873 K. When H₂ was present, it reacted rapidly with both carriers, decreasing the amount of carbon deposited. The presence of CO₂ could also decrease the carbon deposited on Ni40 at 1073 K. According to both these and the previous results [1], it can be concluded that Mn40 is the most adequate for minimization of carbon deposition in Chemical Looping Reforming (CLR).