Solid fuels in chemical-looping combustion using a NiO-based oxygen carrier

The feasibility of using three different solid fuels in chemical-looping combustion (CLC) has been investigated using NiO as oxygen carrier. A laboratory fluidized-bed reactor system for solid fuel was used, simulating a chemical-looping combustion system by exposing the sample to alternating reducing and oxidizing conditions. In each reducing phase 0.2g of fuel was added to the reactor containing 20g oxygen carrier. The experiments were performed at 970 degrees C. Compared to previously published results with other oxygen carriers the reactivity of the used Ni-particles was considerably lower for the high-sulphur fuel and higher for the low-sulphur fuel. Much more unconverted CO was released and the fuel conversion was much slower for high-sulphur fuel such as petroleum coke, suggesting that the nickel-based oxygen carrier was deactivated by the presence of sulphur. The NiO particles also showed good reactivity with methane and a syngas mixture of 50% H-2 and 50% CO. For all experiments the oxygen carrier showed good fluidizing properties without any signs of agglomeration. (C) 2009 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.