Gasification studies of onakawana lignite

Onakawana lignite was gasified in air, steam and an air + steam mixture in a fixed bed reactor. The extent of devolatilization was determined by pyrolysis in nitrogen. The composition of products, expressed in terms of H₂/CO ratio, was temperature dependent. The ratio decreased with increasing temperature. During steam gasification the ratio decreased from 4.6 to 2.6 when temperature increased from 700° to 990°C. The addition of air to steam resulted in a marked decrease of this ratio. Steam gasification reactivity of chars prepared from Onakawana lignite at 500°C and 800°C were studied in the temperature range of 650°C to 1000°C. The carbon conversion results were fitted into equations describing the continuous and shrinking core models. The char prepared at 500°C was much more reactive than the one prepared at 800°C. Product distribution expressed as the H₂/CO ratio, was favourable in the temperature range. For comparison, the Kentucky #9 coal and chars derived from this coal were used as referee materials. The reactivity of these chars was markedly lower than that of chars derived from Onakawana lignite.