Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery with Evolutionary Algorithms

Abstract

Concern for global climate change coupled with high oil prices has generated new interest in renewable energy sources. Many innovative companies are working to commercialize these sources using gasification to convert waste to energy and fuels. Gasification is a thermal conversion process which produces synthetic gas (syngas). With proper cleaning, syngas can be used to fuel an internal combustion engine (ICE) to drive a generator, and produce electricity. Waste heat is recovered from the system to improve the overall plant efficiency. During gasification, various pollutants may be produced depending on the type of gasification process and the make-up of the waste feedstock. The feedstock can vary from biomass, municipal solid waste (MSW), to even medical or hazardous waste. The pollutants involved can include large to sub-micron particulate matter, tars, and acid gases. A key challenge to commercializing gasification is designing a syngas cleaning system that removes pollutants to a level that is tolerated by the ICE (or fuels and chemical production system) and also meets emission standards. This paper will discuss different approaches to tar removal and control strategies for the various pollutants.