Investigation on The Properties of Syngas Produced from Torrefied Biomass using Downdraft Gasifier

Nor Afzanizam Samiran; Mohammad Nazri Mohd Jaafar; Cheng Tung Chong; Muhammad Roslan Rahim; Mazlan Said; Mohd Kamal Ariffin

Authors

Nor Afzanizam Samiran Jabatan Teknologi Kejuruteraan Mekanikal,Fakulti Teknologi Kejuruteraan,Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, Malaysia
Mohammad Nazri Mohd Jaafar Jabatan Kejuruteraan Aeronautik, Automotif dan Samudera,Sekolah Kejuruteraan Mekanikal, Fakulti Kejuruteraan,Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Cheng Tung Chong China-UK Low Carbon College,Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
Muhammad Roslan Rahim Jabatan Kejuruteraan Aeronautik, Automotif dan Samudera,Sekolah Kejuruteraan Mekanikal, Fakulti Kejuruteraan,Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Mazlan Said Jabatan Kejuruteraan Aeronautik, Automotif dan Samudera, Sekolah Kejuruteraan Mekanikal, Fakulti Kejuruteraan,Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Mohd Kamal Ariffin Jabatan Kejuruteraan Aeronautik, Automotif dan Samudera, Sekolah Kejuruteraan Mekanikal, Fakulti Kejuruteraan,Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Keywords:

Downdraft gasifier, palm kernels, empty fruit bunches, rubber seed pericarps, low heat values

Abstract

Downdraft gasifier is one of the few techniques of gasification that can produce gas capable of generating mechanical and electrical power. The materials used for gasification come from biomass at a reasonable cost as the system used is ideal for small scale applications. The unique features of low tar production in gas produced by downdraft gasifier enable their use in engine and gas turbine systems without the need for major cleaning processes. For the purpose of improving the quality of the produced gas, the torrefaction process is required to lower the moisture of the biomass and increase the heating value. Current research investigates the quality of syngas produced using a downdraft gasifier. This gasification process compares the quality of syngas producedfrom several raw materials such as palm kernels (PKS), empty fruit bunches (EFB) and rubber seed pericarps (RSP). The results show that the torrefied PKS and EFB are more suitable for use with downdraft gasifier because the quality of the syngas and the LHV values obtained are better than those using the torrefied RSP.