Conversion of Wet Biomass to Hydrogen by Unmixed Reforming

Wet biomass is a potentially valuable energy resource but it cannot be shipped economically. If wet biomass could be converted to hydrogen, the hydrogen could be used in fuel cells to provide electricity and space heating to farms and other rural facilities. However, the only presently available technology for this conversion, steam reforming, is not economical for small installations. This project will adapt a new technology, unmixed reforming, for the economical conversion of wet biomass at small facilities. In Phase I, an existing fluid bed reactor system was used for a bench scale demonstration of the technology. Wet saw dust and wet switch grass were converted to 95+% pure hydrogen at a rate sufficient to power a fuel cell with a 1.4 kilowatt output. An analysis of process thermodynamics showed that a water content of up to 50% in the feed had no adverse effect on the process. A cost analysis showed that this technology compared very favorably with other technologies now under development. In Phase II, a prototype that can produce hydrogen from biomass at a very attractive price will be built and demonstrated.