Gasification
noun
gas·i·fi·ca·tion
\ˌga-sə-fə-ˈkā-shən\
- is the transformation/conversion of a matter in a solid state to a gaseous state.
- is a manufacturing process that converts materials that contains carbon. Like biomass, coal, and petroleum coke.
- is an exothermic reaction between a high carbon fuel and a carefully
controlled and limited supply of oxidizer, in which the fuel yields
useful elemental and compound gases that can be made into other
products.
- Gasification converts any carbon-containing material into a
synthesis gas (syngas).
History
First known use in year 1812. It was mainly used from the mid-1800’s through the early-1900’s to produce “town gas” from coal for heating and lighting purposes. It was also used in blast furnace but the bigger role was played in the production of synthetic chemicals where it has been in use since the 1920s.Uses
Gasification is used on a
commercial scale
worldwide for more than 50 years in the refining, fertilizer, and
chemical
industries, and for more than 35 years in the electric power industry.
Gasification can compete effectively in high-price energy environments
to
provide power and products.
Applications
Gasification can produce more than one product at a time, such as electricity and chemicals, methanol and ammonia or electricity and fertilizers. The inherent flexibility of gasification to run different feedstocks, to produce a variety of products, and to co-produce products, makes it unique among manufacturing technologies. It can also be used in cooking and other heating purposes, such us in oven, kilns, dryers, cookstoves and furnaces. Synthetic gas can run engines to produce electricity, charge batteries, replace fossil fuel, used in agricultural and industrial applications.Direct Combustion vs Gasification:
Direct Combustion
is an exothermic (heat releasing) reaction between a high carbon fuel
and an oxidizer (a substance that supports combustion, usually oxygen)
in which the fuel is burned to produce heat as an energy source.
Carbon fuel + Oxygen → Heat + Water + Carbon Dioxide
Gasification
is an exothermic reaction between a high carbon fuel and a carefully
controlled and limited supply of oxidizer, in which the fuel yields
useful elemental and compound gases that can be made into other
products.
Carbon fuel + Oxygen → Hydrogen + Carbon Monoxide (plus trace Water and Carbon Dioxide)
Economic benefits of gasification
Environmental beneficts of gasification
Carbon dioxide - Gasification plants captures carbon dioxide much more easily and efficiently compared to coal power plants. Carbon dioxide can be sold for Enhanced oil Recovery (EOR) in other countries and other uses. Carbon dioxide can be captured using commercially available technologies before it would otherwise be vented to the atmosphere.
Solid Generations -
All carbon in the fuel is converted to synthetic gas. The fuel material
separates from the gaseous products, and the by-product which is ash
and other inert materials can be used for construction materials and
building applications.
Converting Waste to Energy - Gasification can convert municipal waste into electricity and
other useful products—reducing the need for landfill space, decreasing
methane emissions from the decomposition of organic materials in the
landfill, and reducing the risk of groundwater contamination for
landfills.
Advantages of Gasification
- Feedstock flexibility
- Product flexibility
- Near-zero emissions
- High efficiency
- Energy security
- Complex multi-stage process
- Up-front processing of feedstock
- Syngas must be cleaned/purified
- Initial setup is expensive
