Novel Process for the Management and Mitigation of Tar and Oil Byproducts from Solid Waste Gasification

A large variety of solid waste streams are available for conversiont to useful energy, including solid municipa waste (MSW), woody by-products, myriads of farm and agriculture by-products, waste tires, and low-quality fuel sources. All such feedstocks can be converted to useful clean energy using gasification technology. Keeping these materials out of a landfill is both economically and environmentally sound, especialy with the increasing costs of landfilling and more stringent solid waste disposal regulations. The gasification of coal and petroleum coke into useful energy can be done using "entrained-flow gasification" - a proven technology for efficient and clean conversion into "synthesis gas" (syngas). However, entrained-flow gasifiers are gnerally not suitalbe for smaller-scale operations or for use with coarse feedstock (i.e., MSW and biomass). Emery is developing and optimizing a gasification process that can accommodate the wide variations in fuel composition and physical characteristics. Emery's technology aims to destroy the tars and oil byproducts that are typically produced in fixed-bed and flluidized-bed gasifiers, while avoiding the higher operating costs associated with slagging gasifiers. The purpose of this Phase I SBIR grant is to demonstrate and optimize Emery's key process components for mitigating tar and oil species. A prototype device will be fabricated and tested. Testing will include parametric variation of design and operating conditions. Proof of concept and initial performance testing will tested under the SBIR Phase I award. Following successful Phase I results, the technology will be reaedy to be installed in Emery's larger existing gasifier system(s) for practical demonstraton (under Phase II) to support commercialization of the procedss and commercializaiton of Emery gasifier systems.