A method for hydrogen-enriched syngas production from biomass via induction heating

Abstract

We propose a method for production of syngas with different H₂ to CO ratios from biomass via induction heating in a quartz reactor. To transfer heat to the biomass, iron filings or steel balls were added and evenly distributed in the biomass bed. In the case when iron filings were used, the molar ratio of H₂ to CO was 2.3:1, while the use of steel balls reduced this ratio to 1:1.4, resulting in a 22 mol.% increase in gas yield. An extra layer of iron filings located in the induction heating area above the mixture of biomass and steel balls facilitated partial decomposition of the heavy tar, increasing the yield of gaseous products by another 20.7 mol.% with the molar ratio of H₂ to CO reaching 1.6:1. Secondary reactions of volatile compounds on the surface of iron filings resulted in the formation of p-xylene and o-xylene. The composition of gaseous and liquid pyrolysis products was investigated by GC and GC–MS.