Effects of promoters on biomass gasification using nickel/dolomite catalyst

Metallic nickel has been selected as a catalyst for biomass gasification because of its activity in biomass steam gasification and tar reduction. The effects of types of promoters such as platinum, cobalt, and iron on biomass gasification were evaluated. The area of interest was the effects of preparation methods, which were impregnation and coprecipitation. Catalyst preparation by the impregnation method showed superior performance. The conclusion can be drawn from the experiments that the platinum promoter enhanced the reforming reaction, iron promoted a water-gas shift reaction, and the cobalt promoter favored a methanation reaction. Moreover, the addition of noble metal reduced carbon deposition on Ni/dolomite.