Title:
Catalysis-hydrodynamics Coupling in Biomass Gasification for Hydrogen-rich Syngas though Experimental and CFD-based Scale-up
Author(s):
Braga, P., Santos, M.C., Tarelho, L.A.C., Almeida, J.P.S., Silva, V., Eusébio, D., Maniam, K., Paul, S., Castro-Vargas, A.
Document(s):
Paper
Poster
Abstract:
The production of hydrogen-rich syngas from biomass gasification is a promising pathway for sustainable biofuel generation. In bubbling fluidized bed systems, catalytic upgrading is strongly influenced by the coupling between gas–solid interactions, transport phenomena, and reaction kinetics, particularly during scale-up. This study evaluates three in-house developed catalysts (C1–C3) during air gasification of forest biomass in a 2 kWth bubbling fluidized bed reactor operated at 850 °C and an equivalence ratio of 0.25. Catalysts were implemented in a fixed-bed reactor located in the freeboard region. To support process understanding and scale-up, a multiphase Eulerian–Eulerian CFD model incorporating hydrodynamics, heat and mass transfer, and reaction kinetics was validated against experimental results and extrapolated to an 80 kWth reactor. Catalytic upgrading significantly enhanced gas quality, increasing H2 concentration from 7.9 to 16.8 vol.% (N2-free) with catalyst C3, while CO and light hydrocarbons decreased, indicating enhanced reforming and water–gas shift reactions. Process efficiencies also improved, with CGE increasing from 60.2% to 65.3% and CCE from 91.7% to 93.7%. CFD predictions indicate further H2 enhancement at larger scale (18–19 vol.% N2-free), supporting catalytic biomass gasification for sustainable biofuel production.
Keywords:
gasification, catalyst, hydrogen-rich gas, CFD-based scale-up
Topic:
Biomass Conversion for Bioenergy
Subtopic:
Gasification for synthesis gas production
Event:
34th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
4BV.5.23
Pages:
605 - 608
ISBN:
978-88-89407-27-1
Paper DOI:
10.5071/34thEUBCE2026-4BV.5.23
Price:
FREE
