Hydrogen-rich gas from catalytic steam gasification of eucalyptus using nickel-loaded Thai brown coal char catalyst

Hydrogen gas production from eucalyptus by catalytic steam gasification was carried out in an atmospheric pressure of two-stage fixed bed. The gasifier was operated with the temperature range of 500-650 degrees C and steam partial pressure of 16, 30 and 45 kPa; nickel-loaded Thai brown coal char was used as a catalyst. The yields and compositions of the gasification products depend on the operating conditions, especially, the reaction temperature and the steam. The yield of H-2 increased at elevated temperatures, from 26.94 to 46.68%, while that of CO dramatically decreased, from 70.21 to 37.71 mol%. The highest H-2 yield, 46.68%, was obtained at the final gasifying temperature of 650 degrees C. Eucalyptus catalytic steam gasification indicated that the maximum H-2/CO ratio reached 1.24 at the gasification temperature of 650 degrees C and the steam partial pressure of 30 kPa. It can be concluded that eucalyptus is appropriate for synthesis gas production from eucalyptus volatiles by catalytic steam gasification while using nickel-loaded brown coal char as a catalyst. Copyright (C) 2014, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.