Ind. Eng. Chem. Res.

2007, 46, 6831-6839 6831

REVIEWS

A Review on Dual Fluidized-Bed Biomass Gasifiers

Biomass gasification with pure steam in a fluidized bed is a highly endothermal process that has been connected
in several ways to a fluidized-bed combustor to burn the char that is generated in the gasifier. This resulted
in what currently is called dual fluidized-bed (DFB) biomass gasifiers. This review starts by describing the
pioneering DFB biomass gasifiers that were operated during the period of 1975-1990 by Kunii’s group in
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Japan, Battelle-Columbus and FERCO in the United States, TNEE in France, AVSA in Belgium, etc., ...
and Corella and Herguido’s gasifier, which was operated during the period of 1989-1991. A description of
the gasifiers operated today in Europe (TU Wien and Güssing in Austria and ECN in The Netherlands),
Japan (IHI Co., EBARA, AIST-Tsukuba), and the People’s Republic of China (Dalian, Hangzhou, and Beijing)
then is given. Their most-relevant operation data, and the results from these gasifiers (mainly, the gaseous
hydrogen (H2) and tar contents in the raw produced gas), are finally presented briefly.

Introduction similar to that used in FCC units or in the Pyrox process. For
this reason, a renewed interest in these gasification systems has
How an endothermal reactor that is connected to an exother-
reappeared in the last 10 years. This communication reviews
mal reactor can generate an autothermal process is well-known.
the history and the existing plants worldwide of this type of
The best and most well-known example of this system is the
gasification process.
fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) process, which reached its
commercial scale 50 years ago. Other similar examples are The promising gasification process, first, must be named,
Exxon’s fluid and flexicoking processes and the Japanese which is really not easy, because it is not yet fully defined, and
Kunii-Kunugi (K-K) process. This K-K process was further it has received (and is still receiving) different names from
simplified using sand, instead of coke particles, and, under different institutions. It has been called, for example, the
Kunii’s guidance, Tsukishima Machinery Co. developed a new Battelle-Columbus gasification process, EBARA’s Internally
gasification process, called Pyrox, which also reached a com- Circulating Fluidized-bed Gasifier (ICFG), Hayashi’s dual-gas-
mercial scale. Three plants with a capacity of 150 tons of MSW/ flow two-stage (DGF-TS) gasifier, Corella and Herguido’s
day were operated under steady state for 8 years in Funabashi Multisolid and Catalytic Double Fluidized Bed Circulating
City. The product gas there had a heating value of 5 MJ/Nm3. (MSCDFBC) gasifier, Hofbauer et al.’s Fast Internally Circulat-
The heat needed for the highly endothermic gasification with ing Fluidized Bed (FICFB) gasifier, TNEE’s dual fluidized bed,
pure steam may be provided by (i) transfer of the char generated and the Oxygen Donor Process, among other terms. Among all
in the gasifier to the combustor, (ii) combustion of the char these names, the authors select and will hereafter use the name
generated in the gasifier, and then (iii) the use of a circulating “dual (or double) fluidized bed” (DFB) biomass gasifier. The
solid to transfer the heat generated in the combustor to the reason for this choice is that this is the name currently used by
gasifier. Some plants for gasification of biomass with pure steam most workers in the field of biomass gasification.
based on this promising concept started to appear worldwide The FCC acronym comes from fluidized catalytic cracking,
∼25 years ago. They were, in some way, similar to the FCC and it is still in use, although the oil cracking in all FCC units
units. Nevertheless, years later, all those pioneer gasification is performed today in risers or even perhaps in downers, rather
plants disappeared, because of different technical and economi- than in fluidized beds. In the same manner, in a DFB system,
cal problems.
the gasification may not be conducted in a fluidized bed but in
Biomass gasification with pure steam in a fluidized bed may
a riser or another type of reactor. DFBs are composed basically
generate a gasification gas with 60 vol % H2 (dry basis). This
of two interconnected reactors: an endothermal gasifier and an
content may be further increased to 70-75 vol % H2 if a
exothermal combustor. Each reactor, and in particular the
circulating system is used.1 The raw gasification gas can still
biomass gasifier, may be one of the following types: (i)
be improved, using an in-bed CO2-adsorbent2 and additives and/
or catalysts to eliminate most of the tar generated in the pyrolysis bubbling fluidized bed (BFB), (ii) two-in-series BFBs, (iii)
step.3 Thus, a gasification gas that is very rich in H2 and with revolving (EBARA’s concept) bed, (iv) circulating fluidized bed
a very low tar content currently can be obtained, via biomass (CFB), (v) riser with a BFB at the bottom, (vi) moving bed or
gasification with pure steam. This requires the use of a concept downer, or (vii) others.
All these types of reactors are, or have been, used as gasifiers
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Fax: +34-91-394 in DFBs. Therefore, the DFB biomass gasifiers reviewed here
4164. E-mail address: narvaez@quim.ucm.es. are quite different among themselves.
10.1021/ie0705507 CCC: $37.00 © 2007 American Chemical Society
Published on Web 09/11/2007
6832 Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., Vol. 46, No. 21, 2007

Remarks on the Data and Review Presented Below In the United States, Batlelle-Columbus Laboratories (BCL),
in Ohio, developed a DFB biomass gasifier that was similar to
In addition to the authors’ 20-25 years of knowledge on DFB
the Japanese Pyrox system. Several reports or publications can
gasifiers, which has been obtained in many different ways, an
easily be found about that DFB gasifier (see, e.g., ref 10). In
extra effort has been made to collect the data presented in this
1992, that technology was purchased and patented by FERCO11
review. Besides some personal or in situ visits to several DFB
and later reached the demonstration scale in Burlington, VT.
biomass gasifiers, and a detailed lecture and analysis of most
Some results from that plant are shown in Table 1. Although
of the publications on this topic, a comprehensive worldwide
that development and plant was presented and discussed in
survey was also conducted. A questionnaire was sent to those
several international conferences (see, e.g., refs 12-14), the
organizations who have (or have had) a DFB biomass gasifier,
following data, because of their relevance, are mentioned here:
and the questionnaire was addressed to those who were thought
to be responsible for the gasifier. Some owners of plants did (1) The raw gasification gas had a relatively low H2 content
not reply. Hence, the information/ data included here is not as (17.3 vol %).13
complete as the authors would like it to be. (2) The raw gasification gas had a high tar content (23-32
Furthermore, several owners of DFB biomass gasifiers never g tar/Nm3).14
published the real reasons or causes of any failures, stoppage, (3) That demo plant was promising and even quite important
and/or dismantling of their CFB-based gasification plants. to all people working worldwide on biomass gasification in
Probably some errors existed in their conception, design, fluidized beds. Nevertheless, the reasons why it ceased operation
operation, and/or economic circumstances. The fact is that have not been published. The gasification technology would
several people never stated why their gasifiers failed. It is a be assisted if the technical problems, if any, in that plant, were
pity, because many important conclusions could be determined known.
from these failures, and many errors could be avoided in future The two reactors that exist in a DFB may be located in a
designs. Therefore, there are several blind spots and unknown single vessel. There are three known examples of this type of
reasons why some projects failed or were stopped and later DFB biomass gasifier in a single vessel or reactor:
disappeared.
(1) The AVSA Biomass Gasification Process: The AVSA
The authors also wish to note that this review does not intend
Biomass Gasification Process was developed by Masson and
to provide all the data published concerning all the existing DFB
Faniel at Institut Nat’l des Industries Extractives (INIEX) in
biomass gasifiers. Details and results from some DFB gasifiers
Liege, Belgium.15 They used a so-called “communicating fluid
are already being extensively disseminated and, for more details,
bed system”, in which there was a circulation of the solids
the reader is referred to the references cited in this review.
between two fluidized beds located in the same vessel and
The Pioneers: DFB Biomass Gasifiers separated by a common wall. The gasification with steam was
conducted at ∼700 °C and the combustor was operated at ∼850
To the knowledge of these authors, the oldest publication on °C. Unfortunately, the few publications on this work are very
a DFB applied to biomass (refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in this difficult to locate. The reasons why that research was halted
case, which may be considered as a type of biomass) is that of are not known by the authors of this review.
the distinguished Prof. D. Kunii,4-6 who, in 1975, had already (2) Kunii’s Process: Two fluidized beds in the same vessel
set up a demo plant in Japan (in the Miyagi Prefecture) for the were also used in 1986 by Kunii et al.40 That system proved
gasification of RDF in a fluidized bed. [This particular, and good operation at a small scale.6 Nevertheless, no further
promising, research motivated J. Corella in 1982 to start working development for practical or commercial applications was
on biomass gasification in a fluidized bed.] attempted.6
Some results from Kunii’s developments are shown in Table
(3) The Process DeVeloped by Italenergie and AGIP: In
1. When the K-K and Pyrox processes were designed by Kunii,
Sulmona, Italy, Italenergie and AGIP set up and operated an
his great concern was the complete sealing of the gasification
interesting pilot or demo DFB-based gasification unit.16,17 It was
and the combustion zones.6 Leakage of both gases is dangerous
and, because it also occurs in the FCC units, it must be avoided. based on two concentric fluidized beds. The fluidized-bed
Deep legs in the K-K and Pyrox Units were then used to gasifier was inside of a fluidized-bed combustor. The heat was
prevent the leakage.6 Unfortunately, much of that work in Japan transferred to the gasification zone through a curious “margarita-
remains unpublished. shaped” common wall. Some results from that DFB biomass
The so-called “Oxygen Donor Process”7 has sometimes been gasifier are shown in Table 1. Several attempts have been made
referred to as another DFB-based pioneering development. to obtain news on the reasons why that demo plant ceased
Nevertheless, it is not known by present authors if it was also operation after a very short time. Nevertheless, no information
applied to the gasification of biomass, because very little was is available on the problems that led to the end of that plant’s
published by the authors of that process. The John Brown/ operations.
Wellman British Company could have used or tested this process In the opinion of these authors, these plants, with the concept
with biomass; however, no published information has been of circulation system within a single reactor, have the following
found on this topic. problems:
In France, LERMAB (University of Nancy 1), the TNEE (a) The common wall (of the two reactors) did not have
Company, and Saint Gobain developed a DFB biomass gas- enough surface to be able to transfer to the gasifier the (very
ifier.8,9 It operated between 1984 and 1985 in “La Cellulose du high) amount of heat required there. Therefore, the heat must
Pin”, at Facture (Dept. 33, France). It had a capacity of 500 kg be mainly transferred by the circulating solid but, with this
wood/h and the exit gas had a lower heating value (LHV) of design, some gas leakage between the two reactors may occur.
16 MJ/Nm3. The gasifier was a BFB fluidized with its own exit The seal between the gasifier and the combustor, and between
gas (pyrolysis gas in this case) and operated at ∼800 °C. The the combustor and the gasifier, might not have been good
combustor was a riser operated at 950 °C. Some data from this enough. There are no nonmechanical (U- or L-type) valves
plant are shown in Table 1, and other details in refs 8 and 9. between the gasifier and the combustor to seal both zones.
Table 1. Pioneering DFB Biomass Gasifiers
Value/Comment
parameter Kunii and co-workers4-6 Lelan and co-workers7,8 Paisley and co-workers11-14 Fonzi and Italenergie S.p.A.16,17
location of the authors Funabashi, Japan Rueil-Malmaison, Nancy, France Burlington, VT Sulmona, Italy
Gasifier
type deep BFB BFB riser BFB
gasification agent steam recycled product gas steam recycled pyrolysis gas + steam
(0.76 Nm3/kg pine barks)
feedstock MSW pine barks (38% water content) several types of biomass wood
capacity (kga.r./h) 6250 500 ∼ 9000 100-300
internal diameter classified 55 120
(at the bottom zone) (cm)
effective (internal) total height (m) classified 4 0.70 (bed)
temperature (°C) 720-750 760 660-820 700-750
pressure (at the top of the gasifier) ambient atmospheric
Regenerator/Combustor
type deep BFB riser riser BFB
internal diameter (cm) classified 50
total height (m) classified 8
temperature (°C) 820-850 980 830-880
pressure (at the top of the ambient atmospheric
regenerator)
sorbent or catalyst or in-bed or sand sand sand “inert material” (R-Al2O3)
in-system circulating material, C
circulation, cycling, or recycle ratio, 40-50 20 ? ?
C/F (kg C/h)/(kg feedstocka.r./h)
Results
tar content (g/Nm3)b 38 23-32 unavailable
LHV gas (MJ/Nm3)b ∼ 21 15.0 17.3 14.6
carbon conversion (%) 83% in gas [17% of C used 74
for the entire process]
H2 content (vol %)b 14.6-16.5 22.7 22 33.5
remarks commercial operation pilot was operated by TNEE in la the combustor was an annular
for 8 yrs Cellulose du Pin Chemical Pulp Mill, chamber surrounding the gasifier
at Facture, near Bordeaux (they were “two concentric BFBs”)
a a.r. ) as received. b Dry basis.
Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., Vol. 46, No. 21, 2007 6833
6834 Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., Vol. 46, No. 21, 2007

Figure 1. Schematic of Corella and Herguido’s dual fluidized-bed (DFB)-based plant for biomass gasification with pure steam.

(b) The steel wall that separated the gasifier and the had some drawbacks, and that its design and operation were
combustor was under a reducing atmosphere at the gasifier side not good enough. These errors are described here to avoid their
but under an oxidizing atmosphere at the combustor side. repetition in future DFB-based gasification plants:
Therefore, that steel would have operated under a high redox (1) The residence time of the gas in the gasifier was low.
and/or chemical stress. Its lifetime would probably not have The height of the gasifier (and that of combustor too) should
been long enough. have been much higher.
(2) The temperature in the gasifier (∼750 °C) should have
Corella and Herguido’s DFB-Based Gasification Plant been higher.
(3) The relevant recycle ratio was very low (1.0); it also
As shown previously, by 1986, there were several promising should have been much greater.
DFB biomass gasifiers. During that time, Corella and co-workers (4) A better in-bed catalyst should have been used.
were operating a small FCC pilot plant at the Universidad de (5) The aforementioned facts (points 1-4) made the tar
Zaragoza (Spain) and, therefore, had experience with these types content in the (raw) gasification gas relatively high (9 g/Nm3,
of circulating units (see, for example, ref 18). They were on average).
previously gasifying biomass with pure steam in a BFB.19 (6) The temperature in the combustor was low because very
Consequently, they decided to design, set up, and use a DFB- little char was being generated in the gasifier, because of the
based pilot plant for biomass gasification with pure steam. A low (4-10 kg biomassa.r./h) flow rate of the biomass fed to the
cold model of that circulating system was also set up, to learn gasifier. The mass flow rate of the biomass also should have
about its hydrodynamics. That DFB biomass gasifier was been much greater. In addition, to keep the steam-to-biomass
presented at the Fifth EC Conference on Biomass, which was ratio constant, the steam flow rate, which determines the
held in Lisbon, Portugal, in October 1989.20 The gasifier was a superficial gas velocity of the steam in the gasifier, should have
BFB (inner diameter (ID) of 15 cm), and pure steam was used been greater. To keep the gas residence time (or space time in
as the fluidizing/gasifying gas. The combustor was a BFB (ID the gasifier) constant, the height of the gasifier should have been
) 30 cm). A diagram of such a DFB gasification system is higher (which reiterates point 1 previously discussed).
shown in Figure 1. The overall plant was not autothermal: both
fluidized bed reactors had external ovens. Some results from
DFB-Based Gasifiers in Europe Today
that DFB gasifier are shown in Table 2. A novelty of that facility
and research was that, in addition to the biomass, its char, and According to ref 22, by 1994, Hofbauer and his co-workers
the silica sand that was used as the main fluidizing agent, there at TU Wien started to work on a DFB biomass gasifier. Years
was also a fourth solid added to the bed,20 to catalyze the later, that concept reached the demo scale in Güssing (Austria).
elimination of the tar produced in the gasifier. The catalyst used Some results from those gasifiers are shown in Table 2. This
was an “in-equilibrium” (previously discarded by oil refineries) Austrian team published much information. For example, some
FCC commercial catalyst (average particle diameter of 66 µm). hydrodynamic studies on these gasifiers can be found in ref
There were no hydrodynamic problems (no obstructions) in 23. At the 15th European Biomass Conference, which was held
the gasification plant. The overall circulating system operated in Berlin, Germany, May 7-11, 2007, ∼10 different papers
well. Nevertheless, the research with that DFB-based gasifier were directly related to the two DFB gasifiers in Austria;
was stopped in mid-1991, when Corella left the Universidad therefore, no more details are provided here, because they can
de Zaragoza and moved to the Universidad Complutense de be found very easily (see, e.g., refs 3, 23, and 24).
Madrid. Among the interesting data published over the past few years
With the experience gained in biomass gasification after the by Hofbauer and co-workers, we draw your attention to the H2O
operation of that plant was stopped, and after an analysis of (steam) conversion or consumption in the gasifier. This team
the data obtained in that plant, today, it is known that that facility has obtained and published several times (i.e., ref 24) that, at a
Table 2. DFB-Based Biomass Gasifiers in Europe
Value/Comment
parameter Herguido and co-workers20,21 Kaiser et al.23 Hofbauer and Rauch24 van der Drift and co-workers26,27
location of the authors Zaragoza, Spain Güssing, Austria Vienna, Austria Petten, The Netherlands
Gasifier
type BFB BFB BFB riser
gasification agent steam steam steam steam or CO2
feedstock pine sawdust (dp < 2.5 mm) wood chips wood chips, wood pellets wood, grass, sewage sludge
capacity (kga.r./h) 4-10 2,000 20-25 ∼5
internal diameter (at the bottom zone) (cm) 15 220 (freeboard) 30 (freeboard) ∼4
effective (internal) total height (m) 3b 6 4 ∼1
temperature (°C) 750 850 850 800-850
pressure (at the top of the gasifier) 890 mm Hg atmospheric (-5 mbar) atmospheric (-5 mbar) near atmospheric
Regenerator/Combustor
type BFB riser riser BFB
internal diameter (cm) 30 85 10 ∼25
total height (m) 0.9c 9.7 4.25 ∼1.0
temperature (°C) 490 930 930 ∼50 °C above gasifier riser temperature
pressure (at the top of the regenerator) 780 mm Hg, as an average value atmospheric (-5 mbar) atmospheric (-5 mbar) near atmospheric
sorbent or catalyst or in-bed or Commercial “in equilibrium” olivine silica sand, olivine, catalysts generally silica sand, but also tested olivine
in-system circulating material, C FCC catalyst: mean dp ) 66 µm
Circulating catalyst: 3.0 kg
(overloaded in the regenerator unit)
circulation, cycling or recycle ratio, C/F 1.0 (kg C/h)/(kg feedstocka.r./h) 50 kg/kg dry biomass 50 kg/kg dry biomass ∼40 (kg C/h)/(kg feedstocka.r./h)
[9 kg h-1/9 kg h-1]
Results
tar content (g/Nm3)d 9.0 0.5-1 (hydrocarbons larger 0.5-2 (hydrocarbons larger ∼40 (when using silica sand)
than naphthalene) than naphthalene)
LHV gas (MJ/Nm3)d 15.8 12-13 12-13 17
carbon conversion (%) 100%; not useful in this 100%; not useful in this 100
application application
H2 content (vol %)d 30.1 ∼40 ∼40 ∼20
remarks Milena pilot plant will be erected in 2007
(capacity ) 180 kg/h biomass)
a a.r. ) as received. b Bottom bed: 40 cm (9.7 kg) of silica sand. c Fluidized bed: 20-40 cm in height; total catalyst load ) 14.6-23.5 kg. d Dry basis.
Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., Vol. 46, No. 21, 2007 6835
6836 Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., Vol. 46, No. 21, 2007

steam-to-biomass ratio of 0.60-0.80 (kg/h)/(kg/h), the conver- Hayashi et al. at Hokkaido University in Sapporo has recently
sion of the H2O in the gasifier is as low as 10%-15%. This published an interesting theoretical study on DFB gasifiers.33
conversion is still <10% in gasification tests made in Güssing.24 Although their study is directed toward gasification of “low-
H2O conversions of <10% have also been obtained by Xu et rank solid fuels”, several conclusions from that work are also
al.,25 Fiorenza et al.,41 and the authors of this review. Therefore, applicable and useful to DFB biomass gasifiers.
it is a well-proven fact that ∼90% of the H2O leaves the gasifier Finally, the developments by the EBARA Corp. in Japan on
unreacted. Although that unconverted or unused H2O could be the advanced gasification of biomass (mainly directed toward
recycled, this would require condensation of the steam in the RDF and waste) must be cited here (i.e., refs 34 and 35).
produced gasification gas and the further evaporation of the H2O Although the ICFB EBARA’s gasifier may seem quite different
and reheating to the gasifier temperature (∼850 °C). In all these from most of the DFB biomass gasifiers previously reviewed,
steps, some energy is wasted or lost, and, therefore, the thermal the EBARA’s technology share the same concept. Unfortunately,
efficiency of the overall gasification process cannot be high. In most of the EBARA’s reports on this technology are published
the opinion of these authors, this is just one of the major only in Japanese, making it difficult to report relevant data from
drawbacks of the DFB biomass gasifiers, and it will have to be those gasification plants in this review.
solved.
There is recent news26,27 that, at the ECN in The Netherlands,
DFB Biomass Gasifiers in the People’s Republic of China
a DFB-based biomass gasifier has been set up and is now being
tested. It is called “Milena”. Some data from this gasifier are There is some news in regard to the existence of the following
shown in Table 2. According to ref 26, gasification occurs in a DFB-based biomass gasifiers in the People’s Republic of China:
riser and the combustion of the char occurs in an external (1) The Institute of Chemical Metallurgy (which is now called
combustor that surrounds the gasifier. This concept seems the Institute of Process Engineering) of the Chinese Academy
similar to that used years ago by Italenergie in Sulmona, of Sciences in Beijing built and operated at the beginning of
Italy.16,17 the 1990s a DFB gasifier with a capacity of 100 kg/h.42-44 Since
Other laboratories in European countries, such as the ENEA’s these references are in Chinese, these authors cannot give more
research center in Trisaia (Italy), might also have a DFB biomass details on that DFB gasifier.
gasifier. Nevertheless, these authors have not yet published (2) At the Dalian University of Technology, in Dalian, Xu
results from such gasifier(s). For this reason, they cannot be et al. are starting to publish results from their so-called ECCMB
included in this review. DFB laboratory-scale biomass gasification facility.36,37 Its
maximum biomass feed rate is 1 kg/h.36 The same authors wrote
DFB Biomass Gasifiers in Japan in the title of their most recent paper36 that their results were
There are several institutions starting to work with DFB “preliminary”. The main novelty of this facility is that its gasifier
biomass gasifiers in Japan. Perhaps the most well-known activity is a moving (not fluidized!) bed. Some results are shown in
on this approach is that by Xu et al. at IHI Co. in Yokohama, Table 3.
Japan.28,29 The Japanese NEDO financed a three-year technical (3) Fang, Cen, and co-workers, who had been conducting
program from which a small pilot plant, for 3-5 kg/h, was set research at Zhejiang University, in Hangzhou, recently an-
up and used at IHI Co. Its full description can be found in refs nounced that they are operating a 1 MW DFB-based gasification
28 and 29. plant.38 Although it is currently running to gasify coal, not
Different DFB-based concepts have been tested in that plant. biomass, some data in their published results38 are useful for
Some results from that research are shown in Table 3. Two biomass gasification.
relevant results from that work are (i) the high tar content in (4) Some people working at the Institute of Engineering
the gasification gas obtained there and (ii) the very low Thermophysics, at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing,
throughput of its gasifier. The tar content for coffee grounds have recently patented a DFB gasifier.39 No detailed data are
was 24-50 g/Nm3 and, and that for wood biomass was 10 available to date from this gasification plant.
g/Nm3.28,29 The throughput, relative to the cross-sectional area
of gasifier used, was29 DFB Biomass Gasifiers in the United States and Canada
3.6 kg biomass/h No DFB-based gasifiers for biomass are known to be
2
) 121 kg biomass fed/(h m2)
0.0296 m operating in the United States and Canada. Nevertheless, some
similar DFB-based concepts or approaches are being developed
These two facts would mean that these results must be to gasify coal.
considered as preliminary results and that the design and/or
operation of such a pilot plant still must be improved. Because Conclusions and Final Remarks
refs 28 and 29 are very easily available, the reader is kindly
directed to those papers, and to other references included therein, The authors have serious doubts about the feasibility of dual
for more details on the work by Xu et al. fluidized-bed (DFB) biomass gasifiers, because of the following
Suzuki and Namioka, who were working at the AIST Institute two absolutely contradictory facts. On the one hand, it may be
in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, and at Tokyo Institute of Technology in concluded that most, if not all, of the former (before 1995) DFB
Yokohama, Kanagawa (both of which are located in Japan), biomass gasifiers, for one reason or another, were stopped and
have recently published two papers on his CFB gasifier dismantled. On the other hand, the DFB-based biomass gasifier
connected to a BFB combustor.30,31 Their work seems to be in in Güssing (Austria) is running well. So, one may continue
its first stages of research. Matsuoka at AIST privately informed asking one’s self: who is right? Will this technology be feasible?
these authors that he is also performing gasification tests in his After an in-depth and detailed evaluation and analysis of all
own DFB;32 however, the results from those tests, so far, are the available data on all DFB biomass gasifiers, the following
unpublished. conclusions were reached:
Table 3. DFB Biomass Gasifiers in Japan and in the People’s Republic of China
Value/Comment
parameter Xu et al.28,29 Suzuki and co-workers30,31 and Matsuoka32 Wei and co-workers36,37 Fang et al.38
location of the authors Yokohama, Japan Ibaraki, Japan Dalian, PRC Hangzhou, PRC
Gasifier
type BFB (LVFB) riser downdraft moving-bed BFB
gasification agent steam steam steam steam, fuel (recycle) gas
feedstock dried coffee grounds cedar, oak sawdust pine sawdust coal
capacity (kga.r./h) 2.8-5.0 0.1 1.0 200
internal diameter (at the bottom zone) (cm) 8 × 37 2 2.8 30
throughput (kg/(h m2)) 121
effective (internal) total height (m) 0.98 + 0.70 2 0.1-0.5 7.2
temperature (°C) 792 600 ∼800 650-800 750
pressure (at the top of the gasifier) atmospheric atmospheric 0.1 MPa -1000 Pa to 1000 Pa
Regenerator/Combustor
type riser (HVFB) BFB riser CFB
internal diameter (cm) 5.27 12 2.8 85
total height (m) 6.4 1.5 3.0 11.2
temperature (°C) 810 900-950 850-900 950
pressure (at the top of the regenerator) atmospheric atmospheric 1.012 MPa -100 Pa to 100 Pa
sorbent or catalyst or in-bed or in-system sand γ-alumina olivine, limestone/olivine limestone
circulating material, C (50/50)
circulation, cycling or recycle ratio, ? 55 5-30 10-20
C/F [(kg C/h)/(kg feedstocka.r./h)]
Results
tar content (g/Nm3)b 24-30 0.7c-3.1
LHV gas (MJ/Nm3)b 15.8 (HHV) 16 (at 973 K) 10.2c-13.4 14.9
carbon conversion (%) 70 35 (at 973 K) 60.8-82.0c 30
H2 content (vol %)b 11.5 45.1 38.1-53.3c 45.1
63.3-73.6d
remarks tests were made with a very external heating (laboratory-scale setup)
low gasifier throughput
(121 kg/(h m2))
a a.r. ) as received. b Dry basis. c At 800 °C; bed height ) 0.5 m. d At 800 °C; bed height ) 0.3 m.
Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., Vol. 46, No. 21, 2007 6837
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