Research, gasification

Alternative feedstocks for petrochemicals have been the subject of much research and study over the past several decades, but have not yet become economically attractive. Chemical producers are expected to continue to use fossil fuels for energy and feedstock needs for the next 75 years. The most promising sources which have received the most attention include coal, tar sands, oil shale, and biomass. Near-term advances ia coal-gasification technology offer the greatest potential to replace oil- and gas-based feedstocks ia selected appHcations (10) (see Feedstocks, coal chemicals). 

Research Needsfor Thermal Gasification of Biomass, Compiled by StudsvikAB Thermal Processes, for International Energy Agency, IGT, Chicago, Mar. 1992,... 

C -Chemisty. A great deal of research has been undertaken on the development of PGM catalysts for the manufacture of chemicals and fuels from syngas, a mixture of CO and H2 obtained from coal gasification (see Coal conversion processes). 

R. H. Fisackedy and D. G. Sundstrom, "The Dow Syngas Project— Project Overview and Status Report," presented at the Sixth Electric Power Research Jnstitute Gasification Contractors Conference, Palo Alto, Calif., Oct. 1986. 

Eignite to Methanol An Engineering Evaluation ofWinklerGasification and JCJ Methanol Gasification Route, AP-1392, Electric Power Research Institute,... 

During the late seventies and early eighties, when oil prices rose after the 1973 war, extensive research was done to change coal to liquid hydrocarbons. However, coal-derived hydrocarbons were more expensive than crude oils. Another way to use coal is through gasification to a fuel gas mixture of CO and H2 (medium Btu gas). This gas mixture could be used as a fuel or as a synthesis gas mixture for the production of fuels and chemicals via a Fischer Tropsch synthesis route. This process is... 

Coal is currently economically useful only in plants that are equipped for large-scale handling of solids, and it is used only indirectly as a raw material for chemical synthesis. Accordingly, there has been considerable research on processes for converting coal into gaseous or liquid fuels and chemicals. Only gasification has advanced to commercial status. 

Methods for recycling used plastic materials are reviewed. Emphasis is placed on the research projects into chemical recycling methods for used plastics at the Leuna location. These include development of a process for the thermaL thermooxidative pretreatment of used plastic materials, utilisation of pretreated used plastic materials in the visbreaker by gasification and by hydrogenation and the production of wax oxidates from pretreated used plastics. The results are discussed. 

Biomass gasification offers the potential for producing a fuel gas that can be used for power generation system or synthesis gas applications. The volatile matter contains a considerable amount of tar which is a complex mixture of aromatics. Despite extensive research efforts tar formation which causes the pipe plugging and the reduction of conversion efficiency is still a major problem in biomass gasification systems [1-6]. 

NIOSH. 1980a. Control technology assessment for coal gasification and liquefaction processes, General Electric Co., Corporate Research and Development Center, Coal Gasification Section, Schenectady, New York. Cincinnati, OH U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering. NITS publication no. PB84-181890. 

Clarke L.B., Sloss L.L. Trace Elements - emissions from coal combustion and gasification. London IEA Coal Research, 1992. 

The Advanced Gasification Combustion (AGC) project was developed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and General Electric and Environmental Research Corporation (GE-EER), etc. The AGC process is considered to have three fluidized bed reactors. In reactor 1, coal is partly gasified with steam in the presence of a C02 sorbent. The remaining char together with the C02 sorbent is sent to reactor 2. In reactor 2, char is... 

Although in recent years, extensive research has been conducted toward this process, supercritical gasification of biomass is still in a stage of R D. 

DOE, Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies Program, Multi-year Research, Development and Demonstration Plan. 2003 available at http //wwwl.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/ production/biomass gasification.html (accessed March 2008). 

Baker, E. Mudge, L. Brown, M., Steam gasification of biomass with nickel secondary catalysts. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research 1987, 26, 1335-1339. 

Caballero, M. A. Aznar, M. P. Gil, J. Martin, J. A. Frances, E. Corella, J., Commercial steam reforming catalysts to improve biomass gasification with steam-oxygen mixtures. 1. Hot gas upgrading by the catalytic reactor. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research 1997,36(12), 5227-5239. 

---