Gasification reactivity of charcoal with CO2. Part II: Metal catalysis as a function of conversion

The catalytic influence of major metal species found with waste wood (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Zn, Pb, Cu) was studied during the gasification of nitrate salt impregnated charcoal with CO₂ at 800°C in the kinetically controlled regime. In contrast with literature, the respective reaction rate data were analysed over the entire carbon conversion (X) range by using extended kinetic relations to quantify catalyst metal-specific reaction rate contributions not accounted for by the original random pore model of Bhatia and Perlmutter. The kinetic analysis provided valuable insights in the underlying mechanisms. With alkali nitrate impregnated charcoal, it is demonstrated that the often found reaction rate maximum around X∼0.7 may merely reflect increasing catalytic activity resulting from alkali accumulation in the charcoal, superimposed on structural changes in the charcoal micropore domain. Impregnated earth-alkali nitrates revealed substantial activity as well, but only during the early gasification stage (X<0.2), hereby, underlining their sintering propensity in combination with the localised deposition of the earth-alkaline nitrate salt in the former wood cells by the impregnation procedure. Added heavy metal nitrates revealed no activity, apart from lowering the charcoal reactivity over the entire conversion range by ca. 15% compared with the untreated charcoal, suggesting inhibition by covering, hence, blocking of otherwise accessible active charcoal surface sites and/or by deactivation of neighbouring indigenous alkali due to immobilisation at the heavy metal oxide surfaces formed during pyrolysis. The extended kinetic relation reproduced all of our reaction rate data well over the entire gasification stage, hereby, supporting the superposition of micropore domain and catalyst specific effects.     

Gasification of woodchip particles: Experimental and numerical study of char–H2O, char–CO2, and char–O2 reactions

In wood gasification, oxidation of char particles by H₂O, CO₂ or O₂ plays a major role in the performance and efficiency of air gasifiers. These reactions are generally analyzed under carefully design and controlled laboratory conditions, using either micro-samples to focus on the reaction kinetics or large spherical particles, but rarely using the real shape encountered in industrial processes. The objective of this work was to conduct a complete parametric study on char gasification kinetics at particle scale in operating conditions like those of industrial applications. Experimental results from a macro-Thermo Gravimetric reactor are compared to those from a char particle model, which analyzes reactivity versus conversion through the surface function F(X).We first show that particle thickness is a representative dimension of a char particle with respect to its apparent kinetics. Second, considering the three reactions independently, we compared the influence of temperature (800–1050 °C) and reacting gas partial pressure (0.03–0.4 atm) and determined the intrinsic kinetic parameters and surface function F(X). Simulations provided profiles of temperature and gas concentrations within the particle, mainly revealing internal mass diffusion limitation. The experimental data base proposed and the model results improve our understanding of the gasification reaction and support the elaboration of process models.     

Gasification of charcoal using supercritical CO2 at high pressures

A novel one-shell high temperature and high pressure semi-continuous reactor has been developed for the study of the Boudouard reaction at temperatures up to 820 °C and pressures up to 32.5 MPa. Semicontinuous gasification of charcoal using supercritical CO₂ has been achieved at conversions up to 90.8% (w/w) at LSHV between 20 and 30 h⁻¹ after 5–9 h. A gasification model is proposed and validated. Effective rates of gasification (1.32 ± 0.12) × 10⁻⁶ to (6.10 ± 2.03) × 10⁻⁵ s⁻¹ were obtained. The results indicated that this method is technically feasible for the on-line production of high pressures streams of CO/CO₂ in the lab for carrying out further chemistries, avoiding the use of CO high pressure bottles.     

Changes in char reactivity and structure during the gasification of a Victorian brown coal: Comparison between gasification in O2 and CO2

Char reactivity is an important factor influencing the efficiency of a gasification process. As a low-rank fuel, Victorian brown coal with high gasification reactivity is especially suitable for use with gasification-based technologies. In this study, a Victorian brown coal was gasified at 800 °C in a fluidised-bed/fixed-bed reactor. Two different gasifying agents were used, which were 4000 ppm O₂ balanced with argon and pure CO₂. The chars produced at different gasification conversion levels were further analysed with a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA) at 400 °C in air for their reactivities. The structural features of these chars were also characterised with FT-Raman/IR spectroscopy. The contents of alkali and alkaline earth metallic species in these chars were quantified. The reactivities of the chars prepared from the gasification in pure CO₂ at 800 °C were of a much higher magnitude than those obtained for the chars prepared from the gasification in 4000 ppm O₂ also at 800 °C. Even though both atmospheres (i.e. 4000 ppm O₂ and pure CO₂) are oxidising conditions, the results indicate that the reaction mechanisms for the gasification of brown coal char at 800 °C in these two gasifying atmospheres are different. FT-Raman/IR results showed that the char structure has been changed drastically during the gasification process.     

Differences in reactivity of pulverised coal in air (O2/N2) and oxy-fuel (O2/CO2) conditions

The reactivity of four pulverised Australian coals were measured under simulated air (O₂/N₂) and oxy-fuel (O₂/CO₂) environments using a drop tube furnace (DTF) maintained at 1673 K and a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA) run under non-isothermal (heating) conditions at temperatures up to 1473 K. The oxygen concentration, covering a wide and practical range, was varied in mixtures of O₂/N₂ and O₂/CO₂ in the range of 3 to 21 vol.% and 5 to 30 vol.%, respectively. The apparent volatile yield measured in CO₂ in the DTF was greater than in N₂ for all the coals studied. Pyrolysis experiments in the TGA also revealed an additional mass loss in a CO₂ atmosphere, not observed in a N₂ atmosphere, at relatively high temperatures. The coal burnout measured in the DTF at several O₂ concentrations revealed significantly higher burnouts for two coals and similar burnouts for the other two coals in oxy-fuel conditions. TGA experiments with char also revealed higher reactivity at high temperatures and low O₂ concentration. The results are consistent with a char–CO₂ reaction during the volatile yield experiments, but additional experiments are necessary to resolve the mechanisms determining the differences in coal burnout.     

Adsorption of CO2 from dry gases on MCM-41 silica at ambient temperature and high pressure. 2: Adsorption of CO2/N2, CO2/CH4 and CO2/H2 binary mixtures

Adsorption equilibrium capacity of CO₂, CH₄, N₂, H₂ and O₂ on periodic mesoporous MCM-41 silica was measured gravimetrically at room temperature and pressure up to 25 bar. The ideal adsorption solution theory (IAST) was validated and used for the prediction of CO₂/N₂, CO₂/CH₄, CO₂/H₂ binary mixture adsorption equilibria on MCM-41 using single components adsorption data. In all cases, MCM-41 showed preferential CO₂ adsorption in comparison to the other gases, in agreement with CO₂/N₂, CO₂/CH₄, CO₂/H₂ selectivity determined using IAST. In comparison to well known benchmark CO₂ adsorbents like activated carbons, zeolites and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), MCM-41 showed good CO₂ separation performances from CO₂/N₂, CO₂/CH₄ and CO₂/H₂ binary mixtures at high pressure, via pressure swing adsorption by utilizing a medium pressure desorption process (PSA-H/M). The working CO₂ capacity of MCM-41 in the aforementioned binary mixtures using PSA-H/M is generally higher than 13X zeolite and comparable to different activated carbons.     

Improvement of CO2 adsorption on ZIF-8 crystals modified by enhancing basicity of surface

The imidazolate framework ZIF-8 samples were modified separately by using ammonia impregnation and thermal treatment in atmosphere of N₂ or H₂ in order to improve its adsorption property toward CO₂, and the modified samples A-ZIF-8, N-ZIF-8 and H-ZIF-8 were correspondingly available. The modified ZIF-8 samples were characterized, and the surface chemical properties of the ZIF-8 samples were determined separately by FTIR, CO₂-TPD, NH₃-TPD and H₂O-TPD. The isotherms of CO₂ on the modified ZIF-8 samples were measured. Results showed that after surface modification, the total amounts of basicity of the modified samples significantly increased, and followed the order: A-ZIF-8>H-ZIF-8>N-ZIF-8>O-ZIF-8. The uptakes of CO₂ increased proportionally with the basic groups on the surfaces of the ZIF-8 samples due to CO₂ being an acidic molecule. As a consequence of that, the CO₂ adsorption capacity of the samples followed the order: A-ZIF-8>H-ZIF-8>N-ZIF-8>O-ZIF-8. The amount adsorbed of CO₂ on the modified ZIF-8 sample by ammonia impregnation is the highest, having an increase.     

The CO2-gasification and kinetics of Shenmu maceral chars with and without catalyst

The CO₂ gasification of maceral chars was performed using CAHN TG-151 pressurized thermobalance under different conditions. The effect of mineral in macerals and catalyst on the gasification reactivity of maceral chars and the gasification kinetics were systematically investigated. The results showed that the apparent gasification rate of maceral chars depends on the temperature, pressure, BET surface area of chars and the gasification extent. With increasing temperature and pressure, the gasification rate of maceral chars all increase. After demineralization, the gasification reactivity of maceral chars all decrease. The gasification reactivity of maceral chars greatly increases with loading catalyst. And the loading method of catalyst has great effect on the gasification reactivity. The maceral chars loaded with catalyst by ultrasonic treatment have higher gasification reactivity than that by impregnation. The comparison of gasification reactivity of maceral charas demineralized maceral chars and maceral chars with and without catalyst showed that vitrinite chars always have higher gasification reactivity than inertinite chars. The kinetic results by distributed activation energy model showed that inertinite char has higher activation energy than vitrinite char, and the addition of catalyst greatly minimizes the activation energy and enhances the gasification rate.     

Kinetics of CO and H2 oxidation over CuO-CeO2 catalyst in H2 mixtures with CO2 and H2O

The kinetics of CO and H₂ oxidation over a CuO-CeO₂ catalyst were simultaneously investigated under reaction conditions of preferential CO oxidation (PROX) in hydrogen-rich mixtures with CO₂ and H₂O. An integral packed-bed tubular reactor was used to produce kinetic data for power-law kinetics for both CO and H₂ oxidations. The experimental results showed that the CO oxidation rate was essentially independent of H₂ and O₂ concentrations, while the H₂ oxidation rate was practically independent of CO and O₂ concentrations. In the CO oxidation, the reaction orders were 0.91, −0.37 and −0.62 with respect to the partial pressure of CO, CO₂ and H₂O, respectively. In the H₂ oxidation, the orders were 1.0, −0.48 and −0.69 with respect to the partial pressure of H₂, CO₂ and H₂O, respectively. The activation energies of the CO oxidation and the H₂ oxidation were 94.4 and 142 kJ/mol, respectively. The rate expressions of both oxidations were able to predict the performance of the PROX reactor with accuracy. The independence between the CO and the H₂ oxidation suggested different sites for CO and H₂ adsorption on the CuO-CeO₂ catalyst. Based on the results, we proposed a new reaction model for the preferential CO oxidation. The model assumes that CO adsorbs selectively on the Cu⁺ sites; H₂ dissociates and adsorbs on the Cu⁰ sites; the adsorbed species migrates to the interface between the copper components and the ceria support, and reacts there with the oxygen supplied by the ceria support; and the oxygen deficiency on the support is replenished by the oxygen in the reaction mixture.     

Char gasification in mixtures of CO2 and H2O: Competition and inhibition

Our understanding of char gasification reaction kinetics at high pressures is generally limited to analyses of data generated using pure reactants, or reactants diluted with inert gases. This paper presents data generated for the reaction of coal chars with mixtures of CO₂ and H₂O at high pressures, to determine how existing pure-gas rate data can be applied to more realistic gasification systems. The data presented here show that the rate of reaction in a mixture of CO₂ and H₂O is not the sum of the two pure-gas reaction rates; rather, it is a complex combination of the two that appears to be dependant on the blocking of reaction sites by the relatively slow C–CO₂ reaction. Analysis of the results using a Langmuir–Hinshelwood (LH) style of rate equation with the assumption that both reactions compete for the same active surface, produces a model that explains the experimental data. This model allows reaction rates in mixtures of CO₂ and H₂O to be estimated based on existing, measured pure-gas reactivity data or from ‘first principles’ using knowledge of the rate constants for the LH equation.     

Characterization of self-standing Ti-containing porous silica thin films and their reactivity for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 with H2O

Self-standing porous silica thin films with different pore structures were synthesized by a solvent evaporation method and used as photocatalysts for the photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ with H₂O at 323 K. UV irradiation of these Ti-containing porous silica thin films in the presence of CO₂ and H₂O led to the formation of CH₄ and CH₃OH as well as CO and O₂ as minor products. Such thin films having hexagonal pore structure exhibited higher photocatalytic reactivity than the Ti-MCM-41 powder catalyst even with the same pore structure. From FTIR investigations, it was found that these Ti-containing porous silica thin films had different concentrations of surface OH groups and showed different adsorption properties for the H₂O molecules toward the catalyst surface. Furthermore, the concentration of the surface OH groups was found to play a role in the selectivity for the formation of CH₃OH.     

Wastepaper gasification with CO2 or steam using catalysts of molten carbonates

In this paper, wastepaper gasification with carbon dioxide or steam has been investigated in the presence of molten carbonate catalysts. The reactions of wastepaper with steam or carbon dioxide have been compared. Hydrogen was the main product on the condition of steam used as reactant gas, but in the case where carbon dioxide was used, the amount of carbon monoxide generated from wastepaper gasification greatly increased via the Boudouard reaction. Different ratios of mixtures of lithium, sodium and potassium carbonates as the catalysts have been tested; the lithium carbonate was found to play a critical role. The reaction rate of carbon conversion was approximately first order for low carbon conversions. Both the rate constants and the activation energies have been calculated at different temperatures (923–1023 K). In additions, the flexibility of this technique was examined with three different types of wastepaper. The results suggest that this process can promote effective use of wastepaper and recovery of carbon dioxide. At 1023 K, a high value of cold gas efficiency of about 95% was acquired.     

Supercritical CO2 extraction of dittany oil: Experiments and modelling

The extraction of oil from dittany (Origanum dictamnus) using supercritical carbon dioxide was investigated. The experiments were performed in a bench scale apparatus at the pressures of 100 and 150 bar and at the temperatures of 40 and 60 °C. The effect of the solvent flow rate and the mean particle diameter of dittany on the extraction yield was also investigated at 100 bar and 40 °C. It is shown that the extraction yield increases with pressure, while the increase of temperature and mean particle diameter leads to the opposite effect. Different flow rates of SCCO₂ lead to similar extraction yields. Finally, the overall extraction curves are well correlated by a mass balance model of plug flow, in which the intraparticle diffusion resistance has the controlling role.     

Kinetics of methane oxidation on Pt catalysts in the presence of H2S and SO2

The kinetic parameters of the lean oxidation of CH₄ over alumina and ceria-alumina supported platinum catalysts in the presence of H₂S and SO₂ were derived in a stagnation point flow reactor at atmospheric pressure and at temperatures up to . A novel methodology similar to that of plug-flow reactors was devised to calculate the best-fit values for frequency factors and activation energies for the proposed heterogeneous gas-solid reactions of oxidation. Doping the N₂-diluted CH₄/air reactant flow with H₂S or SO₂ concentrations between 30 and had a significant promotional effect on the methane combustion rate. Al₂O₃ and CeO₂/Al₂O₃ were shown to be inert with respect to the oxidation of CH₄ to CO₂, and also in the oxidation of SO₂ to SO₃ in air. Pt catalysed the oxidation of CH₄, SO₂ and that of H₂S. A temperature window of conversion of SO₂ to SO₃ on the Pt-supported catalysts was found experimentally, and could be of practical use in combustion exhaust clean-up techniques. The repeated use of the foil resulted in a slight ageing effect for Pt/Al₂O₃. The presence of ceria in the washcoat helped prevent the loss of activity in CH₄ oxidation by mitigating the extent of sintering of the Pt particles upon ageing. One-step and two-step chemical reaction mechanisms are proposed for the CH₄ and the SO₂ lean oxidations, respectively.     

Supercritical CO2 extraction of Helichrysum italicum: Influence of CO2 density and moisture content of plant material

Kinetics and selectivity of supercritical carbon dioxide (SC CO₂) extraction of Helichrysum italicum flowers were analyzed at pressures in the range of 10-20 MPa and temperatures of 40 °C and 60 °C (density of SC CO₂ from 290 to 841 kg/m³) and also at 10 MPa and 40 °C using flowers with different moisture contents (10.5% and 28.4%). Increased moisture content of H. italicum flowers resulted in enchased solubility of solute enabling decrease of SC CO₂ consumption necessary for achieving desired extraction yield. The most abundant compounds in the supercritical extracts are sesquiterpenes and waxes while monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes are the main constituents of essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation. The optimal set of working parameters with respect to extraction yield, SC CO₂ consumption and chemical composition of extract were defined related to moisture content of raw material and SC CO₂ density.     

Kinetic studies of char gasification by steam and CO2 in the presence of H2 and CO

Char-CO₂ gasification reactions in the presence of CO and char-steam gasification reactions in the presence of H₂ were studied at the atmospheric condition using a thermogravimetric apparatus (TGA) at various reactant partial pressures and within a temperature range of 1123 K-1223 K. The char was prepared from a lignite coal. The partial pressure of H₂ and CO varied from 0.05 to 0.3 atm. The experimental results showed that Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) kinetic equation was applicable to describe the inhibition effects of CO and H₂. The kinetic parameters in L-H equations were obtained. Interactions of char gasification by steam and CO₂ in the presence of H₂ and CO were discussed. It was found that the kinetic parameters determined from pure or binary gas mixtures can be used to predict multi-component gasification rates. The results confirmed that the char-steam and char-CO₂ reactions proceed on separate active sites rather than common active sites.     

Standardization of the Boehm titration. Part I. CO2 expulsion and endpoint determination

The various steps required in the Boehm titration (CO₂ removal, agitation method, endpoint determination, etc.) are carried out in different ways by different research groups, making a comparison of the results between these groups difficult. Herein, the methods of CO₂ expulsion and endpoint determination for the Boehm titration were standardized. Blank samples of the three Boehm reaction bases, NaHCO₃, Na₂CO₃ and NaOH, were examined for complete CO₂ expulsion through sparging with an inert gas (N₂ or Ar), heating, or utilizing a N₂-filled glove box. Boehm titrations using NaOH as the reaction base were studied through direct titration and back-titration. It was found that to minimize errors both the NaOH titrant and HCl should be standardized prior to titration and that a back-titration is preferable for all three reaction bases. Additionally, the titration should be performed immediately after degassing for 2 h with N₂ or Ar, and degassing should continue during the titration. This is found to be particularly true of the NaOH reaction base, where the effects of dissolved CO₂ are the most noticeable and persistent. With sufficient CO₂ removal, there is no significant difference between pH electrode or colour indication endpoint determination, and either is satisfactory.     

Study on coal chars combustion under O2/CO2 atmosphere with fractal random pore model

When predicting the variation of pore structure during O₂/CO₂ combustion of coal chars using the random pore model (RPM), it is impossible to calculate exactly the structure parameter ψ from the pore characteristics. The values of structure parameter ψ, which were calculated based on its fractal feature at various carbon conversions, should be almost constant. However, this investigation exhibited a drastic increase of ψ at the end of combustion reaction. In this work, structure parameter ψ of the RPM was modified according to the experimental analysis and a new model, fractal random pore model (FRPM), was constructed. Compared with other models such as RPM, discrete random pore model (DRPM), the Struis model (Model I) and the Liu model (Model II), it was found that fractal random pore model was more accurate to describe coal chars combustion, especially at higher conversions. Using the FRPM, O₂/CO₂ isotherm combustion of coal chars were analyzed at different temperatures.     

CO2 and steam gasification of a grapefruit skin char

A kinetic study on the gasification of carbonised grapefruit (Citrus Aurantium) skin with CO₂ and with steam is presented. The chars from this agricultural waste show a comparatively high reactivity, which can be mostly attributed to the catalytic effect of the inorganic matter. The ash content of the carbonised substrate used in this work falls around 15% (db) potassium being the main metallic constituent. The reactivity for both, CO₂ and steam gasification, increases at increasing conversion and also does the reactivity per unit surface area, consistently with the aforementioned catalytic effect. Lowering the ash content of the char by acid washing leads to a decrease of reactivity thus confirming the catalytic activity of the inorganic matter present in the starting material. Saturation of this catalytic effect was not detected within the conversion range investigated covering in most cases up to 0.85-0.9. Apparent activation energy values within the range of 200-250 kJ/mol have been obtained for CO₂ gasification whereas the values obtained for steam gasification fall mostly between 130 and 170 kJ/mol. These values become comparable with the reported in the literature for other carbonaceous raw materials including chars from biomass residues and coals under chemical control conditions.     

Influences of carbon structure on the reactivities of lignite char reacting with CO2 and NO

Raw and demineralized lignite samples were pyrolyzed from 773 to 1673 K to generate chars. The chars were characterized with Raman spectroscopy for the structure evolution. The reactivities of the chars reacting with CO₂ and NO were measured with thermogravimetric analysis. The derived reactivity indexes were correlated with the treatment temperature and the Raman structural parameters to demonstrate the applicability of Raman spectroscopy for evaluation of the reactivities of char CO₂ gasification and char-NO reaction. It was found that char microstructure evolution with the treatment temperature could be represented by Raman band area ratios. I_D1/I_G and I_G/I_ALL represented the evolution of the ordered carbon structure while the combination of I_D3/(I_G + I_D2 + I_D3) reflected the evolution of the amorphous carbon structure of the lignite chars with increasing the treatment temperature from 773 to 1673 K. Reactivity indexes of the demineralized chars reacting with both CO₂ and NO were found to increase with increasing the treatment temperature, implying that the structure ordering did result in the losses of the reactivities. Higher reactivities of the non-demineralized chars indicated the catalytic role of inorganic matter in the reactions with both gases. I_D1/I_G and I_G/I_ALL had good linear correlations with the reactivities particularly of the demineralized chars if considering the structure evolution behaviors at lower and higher temperatures, respectively. I_D3/(I_G + I_D2 + I_D3) was found to have fairly good linear correlations with the reactivity indexes of the lignite chars generated over the whole temperature range.