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Evaluation of wood chip gasification to produce reburrn fuel for coal-fired boilers: AWMA
Citation:
YELVERTON, W., C. LEE, AND R. E. HALL. Evaluation of wood chip gasification to produce reburrn fuel for coal-fired boilers: AWMA. In Proceedings, Joint Conference for International Thermal Treatment Technologies and Hazardous Waste Combustors, Cincinnati, OH, May 18, 2009. AWMA, Pittsburgh, PA, xxx, (2009).
Impact/Purpose:
conference paper
Description:
Gasification or reburn testing with biomass and other wastes is of interest to both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Italian Ministry of the Environment & Territory (IMET). Gasification systems that use wastes as feedstock should provide a clean, efficient source of synthesis gas that has the combined benefit of producing energy or feedstock chemicals in an efficient manner while reducing the volume of wastes and minimizing their environmental impact, including reduction of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO). EPA has performed reburn tests with natural gas, oil, and pulverized coal in the past and both parties are interested in biomass and waste fuels due to the low cost of the fuel source and the impact on our landfills. EPA has a 4-million Btu/hr pilot-scale combustor that is capable of firing a variety of fuels. EPA will perform tests on this facility to evaluate the gasification of biomass to generate syngas for reburn to control NOx emissions while also displacing fossil fuels and reducing the associated CO2 emissions. With funding provided by IMET, Solar Heat and Power of Italy has worked with INETI of Portugal to design a pilot-scale gasification unit and syngas line that will deliver raw syngas to EPA s combustor. The project will examine the feasibility of using syngas from gasification of wood as a reburn and attempt to optimize the gasification or reburn process for reducing emissions from coal-fired industrial and utility boilers. The objective of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of using wood chips as a feedstock (C02 neutral) in a gasifier to provide a NOx reducing reburn fuel for coal-fired boilers. A NOx reduction of 50 to 65% or greater is anticipated in existing boilers.