NH3 abatement in fluidized bed co-gasification of RDF and coal

Abstract

Gasification of wastes may come out as an alternative technology to produce a gas with many potential applications, from direct burning in a boiler or motor to the production of synthetic chemicals and hydrogen. High tar production and high operational costs are preventing gasification wider dissemination. Besides these problems, the presence of NH3 in the syngas may have a negative impact as it can be converted into nitrogen oxides if the gas is further burnt. To reduce NH3 formation it is required a full understanding of how operational parameters contribute to the formation/reduction of this pollutant. A full study on the effect of fuel composition, temperature and equivalence ratio on the formation of NH 3 is given. Experimental results are compared to theoretical ones obtained with FactSage software. It is also analyzed the effect of feedstock mineral matter in NH3 release during gasification. To accomplish a significant decrease in the release of NH3, different catalysts and sorbents were tested with the aim of achieving high energy conversions and low environmental impact.