Online Characterization of Syngas Particulates Using Aerosol Mass Spectrometry in Entrained-Flow Biomass Gasification

Entrained flow gasification is a promising technique where biomass is converted to a synthesis gas (syngas) under fuel-rich conditions. In contrast to combustion, where the fuel is converted to heat, CO2, and H2O, the syngas from gasification is rich in energetic gases such as CO and H-2. These compounds (CO and H-2) represent the building blocks for further catalytic synthesis to chemicals or biofuels. Impurities in the syngas, such as particulates, need to be reduced to different levels depending on the syngas application. The objective of this work was to evaluate the amount of particulates; the particle size distribution and the particle composition from entrained flow gasification of pine stem wood at different operating conditions of the gasifier. For this purpose, online time resolved measurements were performed with a soot particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SP-AMS) and a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). The main advantage of SP-AMS compared to other techniques is that the particle composition (soot, PAH, organics, and ash forming elements) can be obtained with high time resolution and thus studied as a direct effect of the gasifier-operating conditions. The results suggest that syngas particulates were essentially composed of soot at these tested process temperatures in the reactor (1200-1400 degrees C). Furthermore, the AMS analysis showed a clear correlation between the amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and soot in the raw syngas. Minimization of soot and PAH yields from entrained flow gasification of wood proved to be possible by further increasing the O-2 addition. Copyright 2014 American Association for Aerosol Research