Towards the development of syngas/biomethane electrolytic production, using liquefied biomass and heterogeneous catalyst

Abstract

This paper presents results on the research currently being carried out with the objective of developing new electrochemistry-based processes to produce renewable synthetic fuels from liquefied biomass. In the current research line, the gas mixtures obtained from the typical electrolysis are not separated into their components but rather are introduced into a reactor together with liquefied biomass, at atmospheric pressure and different temperatures, under acidified zeolite Y catalyst, to obtain synthesis gas. This gaseous mixture has several applications, like the production of synthetic 2nd generation biofuel (e. g., biomethane, biomethanol, bio-dimethyl ether, formic acid, etc.). The behaviour of operational parameters such as biomass content, temperature and the use of different amounts of acidified zeolite HY catalyst were investigated. In the performed tests, it was found that, in addition to the synthesis gas (hydrogen, oxygen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide), methane was also obtained. Therefore, this research is quite promising, and the most favourable results were obtained by carrying out the biomass test at 300 ◦C, together with 4% of acidified zeolite Y catalyst, which gives a methane volumetric concentration equal to 35%.