The Process
Gasification is a technological process that can convert any carbonaceous (carbon-based) raw material such as coal into fuel gas, also known as synthesis gas (syngas for short). Gasification occurs in a gasifier, generally a high temperature/pressure vessel where oxygen (or air) and steam are directly contacted with the coal or other feed material causing a series of chemical reactions to occur that convert the feed to syngas and ash/slag (mineral residues).
Syngas is so called because of its history as an intermediate in the production of synthetic natural gas. Composed primarily of the colourless, odourless, highly flammable gases carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2), syngas has a variety of uses. The syngas can be further converted (or shifted) to nothing but hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2) by adding steam and reacting over a catalyst in a water-gas-shift reactor
Syngas is so called because of its history as an intermediate in the production of synthetic natural gas. Composed primarily of the colourless, odourless, highly flammable gases carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2), syngas has a variety of uses. The syngas can be further converted (or shifted) to nothing but hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2) by adding steam and reacting over a catalyst in a water-gas-shift reactor
Our Technologies
The chemistry of gasification is quite complex and is accomplished through a series of physical transformations and chemical reactions within the gasifier. In a gasifier, the carbonaceous feedstock undergoes several different processes and/or reactions:
• Dehydration – Any free water content of the feedstock evaporates, leaving dry material and evolving water vapor which may enter into later chemical reactions.
• Pyrolysis – This occurs as the feedstock is exposed to rising temperature in the gasifier. Devolatization and breaking of the weaker chemical bonds occurs, releasing volatile gases such as tar vapours, methane, and hydrogen, along with producing a high molecular weight char which will undergo gasification reactions.
• Combustion – The volatile products and some of the char react with limited oxygen to form carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and in doing so, provide the heat needed for subsequent gasification reactions.
• Gasification – The remaining char reacts with CO2 and steam to produce CO and hydrogen (H2).
• Water-gas-shift and methanation – These are separate reversible gas phase reactions taking place simultaneously based on gasifier conditions. These are minor reactions which play a small role within in the gasifier. Depending on the desired product, the syngas may undergo further water-gas shift and methanation processing downstream from the gasifiers.
Ours is a high purity, high-volume, low-cost approach for operations not less than 10MW.
• Dehydration – Any free water content of the feedstock evaporates, leaving dry material and evolving water vapor which may enter into later chemical reactions.
• Pyrolysis – This occurs as the feedstock is exposed to rising temperature in the gasifier. Devolatization and breaking of the weaker chemical bonds occurs, releasing volatile gases such as tar vapours, methane, and hydrogen, along with producing a high molecular weight char which will undergo gasification reactions.
• Combustion – The volatile products and some of the char react with limited oxygen to form carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and in doing so, provide the heat needed for subsequent gasification reactions.
• Gasification – The remaining char reacts with CO2 and steam to produce CO and hydrogen (H2).
• Water-gas-shift and methanation – These are separate reversible gas phase reactions taking place simultaneously based on gasifier conditions. These are minor reactions which play a small role within in the gasifier. Depending on the desired product, the syngas may undergo further water-gas shift and methanation processing downstream from the gasifiers.
Ours is a high purity, high-volume, low-cost approach for operations not less than 10MW.
Feedstock Type
Our gasifier systems use a wide range of feedstock:
• Municipal solid waste
• Coal & Waste coal
• Biomass/ crop residue
• Natural gas
• Municipal solid waste
• Coal & Waste coal
• Biomass/ crop residue
• Natural gas
