Enhanced hydrogen production from catalytic biomass gasification with in-situ CO2 capture

In order to cope with the global energy crisis and environmental pollution problems, there are urgent needs for clean energy such as biomass-derived hydrogen. CaO is effective to promote hydrogen production from biomass gasification due to its high capacity of in-situ CO2 capture. In this work, a two-stage fixed bed reactor was used to produce hydrogen by catalytic conversion of biomass with and without in-situ CO2 capture. In addition, three Ni loadings (5 wt%, 10 wt%, and 20 wt%) supported by Al2O3 and sol-gel CaO have been prepared and tested. The BET analysis shows the surface area of the catalysts increases first and then decreases with the increase of Ni loading. Results from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images reveals that NiO particles are well distributed over the porous CaO. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicates the NiO nanocrystalline size is increased with increasing Ni loading on Ni/Al2O3, and the most homogeneous dispersion was shown by 10 wt% Ni/CaO. Around 666 mgCO2/gCaO of CO2 adsorption capacity and 850 min stability were obtained using the sol-gel CaO sorbent. Compared to the reference Ni/Al2O3 catalysts, the resistance of carbon deposition on the Ni/CaO results in a lower coke deposition, which is attributed to the basicity of the catalysts. In addition, the increase of loading promotes the decomposition of biomass-derived oxygenated compounds. Much more hydrogen is obtained using the Ni/CaO catalysts compared with Ni/Al2O3 due to in-situ CO2 capture. However, the sintering and particle agglomeration using the 20 wt% Ni-catalyst might be responsible for the reduction of hydrogen production. The highest H2 concentration of 19.32 vol% at 424 °C was obtained when the 10 wt% Ni/CaO catalyst was used. [Display omitted] •Bifunctional Ni/CaO and Ni/Al2O3 catalysts were studied for biomass gasification.•CNTs are main carbons on the surface of the used Ni/CaO catalyst.•Amorphous carbons are largely found on the used Ni/Al2O3.•10 wt% Ni/CaO produced the highest hydrogen yield.