Air Gasification of Biomass in a Downdraft Fixed Bed:  A Comparative Study of the Inorganic and Organic Products Distribution

This paper deals with the gasification of agricultural residues such as almond shells and wood at high temperature (850 °C) in a small-scale gasification plant coupled with a reciprocated internal combustion engine. Detailed investigation of both organic (tar) and inorganic (NH3, HCN, metals, etc.) products distribution in the process streams are provided. This research aims to assess the existence of certain relations between feedstock composition and the observed products distribution in the steady state. Biomass feedstock is characterized for its elemental composition, its content of metallic species, and lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose fractions. A different feedstock composition was found to be associated with some important variations in the process monitored parameters such as the gasification rate, the tar content, and the char yield in the flue gas. Also a relation was found between the relative amount of ammonia and cyanide species in the flue gas at the operating conditions of the gasifier (oxygen-to-biomass ratio and activated carbon support). Spectroscopic features of the sludgy condensate formed in the upper part of the gasifier during the early stage of the process together with the characterization of char, fly ash, and acidic species in the flue gas shed light on some mechanistic aspects of the gasification process.