Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Gasification of Canola Meal and Factors Affecting Gasification Process

  • Published:
BioEnergy Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Non-catalytic gasification of canola meal for the production of syngas was studied in lab-scale fixed bed gasifier and pilot-scale fluidized bed gasifier. Various experiments were undertaken in order to study the effects of different gasification parameters on gas composition, H2/CO ratio, gas yield, syngas yield, lower heating value (LHV), and carbon efficiency (CE). Fixed-bed experiments were performed to study the effects of operating temperature in the range of 650–850 °C and equivalence ratio in the range of 0.2–0.4. Steam, carbon dioxide (CO2), and oxygen (O2) were used as gasifying agents. The experimental results show that steam gasification delivers a gaseous product with a high H2/CO ratio (2.7) and LHV (193.0 MJ/m3). Oxygen gasification attributed to maximum CE (65.5 %). CO2 gasification contributes to high gas yield (82.8 mol/kg biomass). During fluidized bed gasification study, it was found that using steam as gasifying agent leads to more H2 production as compared to that for O2 and CO2 gasifying agents. Thus, it leads to high H2/CO ratio, syngas yield, and LHV of product gas. Regarding CE for O2 gasification and gas yield for CO2, observations were similar to those for fixed bed system.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

AAFCO:

Association of American Feed Control Officials

CE:

Carbon efficiency

ER:

Equivalence ratio

FBG:

Fluidized bed gasifier

FID:

Flame ionization detector

GC:

Gas chromatography

GY:

Gas yield

HHV:

Higher heating value

HPLC:

High-performance liquid chromatography

ICP-MS:

Inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry

LHV:

Lower heating value

SY:

Syngas yield

SYNGAS:

Synthesis gas

TCD:

Thermal conductivity detector

References

  1. de Lasa H, Salaices E, Mazumder J, Lucky R (2011) Catalytic steam gasification of biomass: catalysts, thermodynamics and kinetics. Chem Rev 111:5404–5433

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Subramani V, Gangwal SK (2008) A review of recent literature to search for an efficient catalytic process for the conversion of syngas to ethanol. Energy Fuel 22:814–839

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Munasinghe PC, Khanal SK (2010) Biomass-derived syngas fermentation into biofuels: opportunities and challenges. Bioresour Technol 101:5013–5022

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Boerrigter H, Rauch R (2006) Review of applications of gases from biomass gasification. ECN Biomassa, Kolen en Milieuonderzoek 20

  5. Kirubakaran V, Sivaramakrishnan V, Nalini R, Sekar T, Premalatha M, Subramanian P (2009) A review on gasification of biomass. Renew Sust Energ Rev 13:179–186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Thakur PU, Chander S, Mathew L, Reino P (2012) Economic feasibility of biomass gasification for power generation in three selected communities of northwestern Ontario, Canada. Energ Policy 44:235–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Franco C, Pinto F, Gulyurtlu I, Cabrita I (2003) The study of reactions influencing the biomass steam gasification process. Fuel 82:835–842

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Devi L, Ptasinski KJ, Janssen Frans JJG (2003) A review of the primary measures for tar elimination in biomass gasification processes. Biomass Bioenergy 24:125–140

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Canola Council of Canada (2013) http://www.canolacouncil.org/markets-stats/industry-overview/. Accessed 1 July 2013

  10. Canola Council (2012) www.canolacouncil.org. Accessed 1 July 2013

  11. ASTM D 3173-87, Standard method for determination of moisture content in biomass. Philadelphia, PA: Am. Society for Testing Materials, International, 2003.

  12. ASTM D 3174-04, Standard method for ash in the analysis sample of coal and coke. Philadelphia, PA: Am. Society for Testing Materials, International, 2004.

  13. ASTM D 3175-07, Standard method for volatile matter in the analysis sample of coal and coke. Philadelphia, PA: Am. Society for Testing Materials, International; 2007.

  14. ASTM D 5865, Standard test method for gross calorific value of coal and coke. Philadelphia, PA: Am. Society for Testing Materials, International, 2004.

  15. Kim P, Johnson A, Edmunds CW, Radosevich M, Vogt F, Rials TG, Labbe N (2011) Surface functionality and carbon structures in lignocellulosic-derived biochars produced by fast pyrolysis. Energy Fuel 25:4693–4703

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. McKendry P (2002) Energy production from biomass (part 3): gasification technologies. Bioresour Technol 83:55–63

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Karimipour S, Gerspacher R, Gupta R, Spiteri RJ (2013) Study of factors affecting syngas quality and their interactions in fluidized bed gasification of lignite coal. Fuel 103:308–320

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Howaniec N, Smolinski A (2011) Steam gasification of energy crops of high cultivation potential in Poland to hydrogen-rich gas. Int J Hydrog Energy 36:2038–2043

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Encinar JM, Gonza’lez JF, Gonza’lez J (2002) Steam gasification of Cynara cardunculus L.: influence of variables. Fuel Process Technol 75:27–43

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Dellavedova M, Derudi M, Biesuz R, Lunghi A, Rota R (2012) On the gasification of biomass: data analysis and regressions. Process Saf Environ 90:246–254

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Senapati PK, Behera S (2012) Experimental investigation on an entrained flow type biomass gasification system using coconut coir dust as powdery biomass feedstock. Bioresour Technol 117:99–106

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Xiang W, Zhao C, Pang K (2009) Experimental investigation of natural coke steam gasification in a bench-scale fluidized bed: Influences of temperature and oxygen flow rate. Energy Fuel 23:805–810

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Huang J, Fang Y, Chen H, Wang Y (2003) Coal gasification characteristic in a pressurized fluidized bed. Energy Fuel 17:1474–1479

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Kim YJ, Lee JM, Kim SD (1997) Coal gasification characteristics in an internally circulating fluidized bed with draught tube. Fuel 76:1067–1073

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Gil J, Aznar MP, Caballero MA, France’s E, Corella J (1997) Biomass gasification in fluidized bed at pilot scale with steam–oxygen mixtures. Product distribution for very different operating conditions. Energy Fuel 11(6):1109–1118

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Yuan S, Zhou Z, Li J, Chen X, Wang F (2010) HCN and NH3 released from biomass and soybean cake under rapid pyrolysis. Energy Fuel 24:6166–6171

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Spivey JJ, Egbebi A (2007) Heterogeneous catalytic synthesis of ethanol from biomass-derived syngas. Chem Soc Rev 36:1514–1528

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Lv P, Yuan Z, Ma L, Wu C, Chen Y, Zhu J (2007) Hydrogen-rich gas production from biomass air and oxygen/steam gasification in a downdraft gasifier. Renew Energy 32:2173–2185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Brown RC (2003) Biorenewable resources: engineering new products from agriculture. Iowa State Press, Ames

    Google Scholar 

  30. Minkova V, Marinov SP, Zanzi R, Bjornbom E, Budinova T, Stefanova M, Lakov L (2000) Thermochemical treatment of biomass in a low of steam or in a mixture of steam and carbon dioxide. Fuel Process Technol 62:45–52

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Garcia L, Salvador ML, Arauzo J, Bilbao R (2001) CO2 as a gasifying agent for gas production from pine sawdust at low temperature using Ni/Al coprecipitated catalyst. Fuel Process Technol 69:157–174

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Xie Q, Kong S, Liu Y, Zeng H (2012) Syngas production by two-stage method of biomass catalytic pyrolysis and gasification. Bioresour Technol 110:603–609

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Lv PM, Xiong ZH, Chang J, Wu CZ, Chen Y, Zhu JX (2004) An experimental study on biomass air–steam gasification in a fluidized bed. Bioresour Technol 95:95–101

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Turn S, Kinoshita C, Zhang Z, Ishimura D, Zhou J (1998) An experimental investigation of hydrogen production from biomass gasification. Int J Hydrogen Energy 23:641–648

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Bolan NS, Duraisamy VP (2003) Role of inorganic and organic soil amendments on immobilisation and phytoavailability of heavy metals: a review involving specific case studies. Aust J Soil Res 41:533–555

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Guell BM, Sandquist J, Sorum L (2013) Gasification of biomass to second generation biofuels: a review. J Energy Resour Technol 135:014001–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Cao Y, Gao Z, Jin J, Zhou H, Cohron M, Zhao H, Liu H, Pan W (2008) Synthesis gas production with an adjustable H2/CO ratio through the coal gasification process: effects of coal ranks and methane addition. Energy Fuel 22:1720–1730

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Sánchez AL, Lépinette A, Bollig M, Liñán A, Lázaro B (2000) The reduced kinetic description of lean pre-mixed combustion. Combust Flame 123(4):436–464

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Dayananda BS, Sreepathi LK (2013) An experimental study on gasification of chicken litter. Int Res J Environ Sci 2(1):63–67

    Google Scholar 

  40. Alauddin Z, Lahijani P, Mohammadi M, Mohamed A (2010) Gasification of lignocellulosic biomass in fluidized beds for renewable energy development: a review. Renew Sust Energ Rev 14:2852–2862

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Authors acknowledge the financial support of the Agriculture Development Fund (ADF), Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture (Canada), Saskatchewan Canola Development Council (SCDC, Canada), and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). For providing canola meal samples, Milligan BioTech Inc. (SK, Canada) is also acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A9, Canada

    Ashwini Tilay, Ramin Azargohar, Regan Gerspacher & Ajay Dalai

  2. Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada

    Janusz Kozinski

Authors
  1. Ashwini Tilay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ramin Azargohar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Regan Gerspacher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ajay Dalai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Janusz Kozinski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ajay Dalai.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM 1

(PDF 441 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tilay, A., Azargohar, R., Gerspacher, R. et al. Gasification of Canola Meal and Factors Affecting Gasification Process. Bioenerg. Res. 7, 1131–1143 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-014-9437-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-014-9437-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation