Chemical Equilibrium Computations for Gasification of Biomass to Produce Methanol

Gasification of biomass into synthesis gas is the first step in producing methanol from biomass. Catalytic conversion of the gas produced by the gasifier into methanol is strongly affected by the composition of the product gas. It is thus important to know what the gas composition would be under different gasification conditions and to be able to identify those conditions that would be optimal for methanol production. A computer program is developed to determine the equilibrium composition of biomass gasification products under various conditions. The theoretical influence of temperature, pressure, moisture, and equivalence ratio on gasification is analyzed. The equilibrium computations are used to define appropriate gasification conditions for methanol production and related gasification parameters. By judiciously adjusting certain gasification parameters, it appears that one can optimize the gas generated from biomass for subsequent synthesis into methanol. Energy balances and theoretical methanol yields are examined. Theoretical computations are compared with published experimental data.