Renewable energy generation by full-scale biomass gasification system using agricultural and forestal residues

This study investigated the application of biomass gasification to generate renewable energy, using three different types of agricultural and forestal residues: rice husk, almond shell, and waste wood. The field work was carried out in a full-scale gasification plant in Jiangxi, China. The heat value of product gas and the environmental pollution impacts of different biomasses under different gasifying temperatures were studied. Under the carbon feed rate in the range of 200-400 kg C/h and similar biomass moisture content, increasing carbon feed rate had positive effect on the concentration of carbon-containing fuel gas components CO and CH4, whereas the concentration of CnHmwas not much affected. Another fuel gas component H2was affected by the moisture content of the biomass as it was generated by hydrolysis. In addition, the mobility of trace elements in biomass during the gasification process was evaluated and correlated with the concentration of gas pollutants produced. Thus, the potential environmental impacts can be preliminarily assessed by the elemental analysis of feedstock and ash residues.