SBIR Phase I: High Efficiency Gasification of Wood for Integrated Production of Hydrogen, Power, Wood Pellets and Activated Carbon

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will integrate activated carbon production and high efficiency power generation. High-temperature steam and nitrogen-containing exhaust gas from a hydrogen-fueled engine will be used to drive the conversion of biomass to syngas and activated carbon in a single reactor. Reactor conditions will be studied to optimize the yield and composition of both carbon and syngas. The business context for this proposal is deployment at a wood pellet mill where heat and power from the gasifier are utilized to reduce the cost of pellet production. The carbon will be studied as an additive to pellets to increase the energy density and improve stability, two qualities which will address barriers to industrial markets for pellets. The product carbon will also be assessed for the treatment of acid mine drainage by the adsorption of metals. The broader commercial and environmental impacts of this research are due to the potential to increase the use of biomass, such as forest thinnings, to displace fossil fuels by high efficiency conversion through combined heat and power. By reducing the cost of producing wood pellets and increasing their value and reliability, pellet fuels can displace coal. The efficient and wide spread production of bio-carbon has application in the protection of water and soils as well as enhanced carbon sequestration. The widely distributed plants that will result if this initiative is successful can have a significant economic impact by creating jobs in clean energy and water quality.