Gasification

Coal gasification

Coal gasification technology is efficiently used for converting coal to power, chemicals,

fertilizers, and fuels. This gasification process is a clean technology to decompose coal into

its different components in presence of steam and oxygen at high pressure and high

temperature. This leads to the production of synthesis gas, which is mainly a mixture of

carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Coal gasification can be utilized to produce methanol as

alternative energy source. The major applications of coal gasification are in

• Power generation

• Fertilizer

• Methanol synthesis

• Hydrogen

• Hydrocarbons

It provides the only route to convert coal to hydrogen directly. In this process, coal is

combined with oxygen and steam to produce a combustible gas, waste gases, char, and ash.

Coal gasification may be generally represented by reaction

C m Hn + 0.5 m O 2 ↔ mCO + 0.5 n H2

Where, ‘m’ and ‘n’ depends on the composition of coal. The reactions in different stages of

the process are as follows:

i) CO + H2 O ↔ CO2 + H2

ii) C + CO2 ↔ 2 CO

iii) C + H2O ↔ CO + H2

iv) CH4 + H2O ↔ CO + 3H2

The gasification of coal generally consist of four steps:

• Pre treatment of Coal

• Gasification

• Gas cleaning, and

• Gas beneficiation.

The process flow diagram for coal gasification is described in Fig.1.

HYDROGASIFICATION

Direct addition of hydrogen to coal under high pressure forms methane. This reaction is

called hydrogasification and may be written as:

Coal + H2 = CH4 + Carbonaceous matter

Or,

C (s) + 2 H2 (g) = CH4 (g) ∆H°298 = –74.8 kJ/mol

This reaction is exothermic and is thermodynamically favored at low temperatures (T <

670°C), unlike both steam and CO2 gasification reactions. However, at low temperatures, the

reaction rate is inevitably too slow. Therefore, high temperature is always required for kinetic

reasons, which in turn requires high pressure of hydrogn, which is also preferred from

equilibrium considerations. This reaction can be catalyzed by K2CO3, nickel, iron chlorides,

iron sulfates, etc. However, use of catalyst in coal gasification suffers from serious economic

constraints because of the low raw material value, as well as difficulty in recovering and

reusing the catalyst. Therefore, catalytic coal gasification has not been practiced much.
CATALYTIC GASIFICATION

Catalysts are commonly used in the chemical and petroleum industries to increase reaction

rates, sometimes making certain previously unachievable products possible. Acids, through

donated protons (H+), are common reaction catalysts, especially in organic chemistry

(catalysts take part in the reaction but are not consumed). Many metals like platinum, iron, or

nickel, also have catalytic activity. Metal catalysts are used in automobile catalytic converters

to reform carbon monoxide (CO) and nitric oxide pollutants, for example.

CatalystsinGasification

Catalysts can be used to enhance the reactions involved in gasification. Many gasifiers must

operate at high temperatures so that the gasification reactions will proceed at reasonable rates.

Unfortunately, high temperatures can sometimes necessitate special gasifier materials (see

discussion on refractory research and development), extra energy input, and cause efficiency

losses if heat cannot be reclaimed. One particular problem area is the temperature gap

between gasifier and syngas clean-up, which can be several hundred degrees Celsius. Having

to drop the syngas temperature so drastically introduces efficiency losses. Approaches to

combat this include research into warm gas clean-up and the use of catalysts to lower gasifier

operating temperatures.

Alkali metal salts of weak acids (like potassium carbonate [K2 CO 3 ], sodium carbonate

[Na 2 CO 3 ], potassium sulfide [K2 S], and sodium sulfide [Na 2 S]) can catalyze steam

gasification of coal. In the early 1970s, research confirmed that 10-20% by weight

K2 CO 3 could lower acceptable bituminous coal gasifier temperatures from 925°C to 700°C

and that the catalyst could be introduced to the gasifier impregnated on coal or char. The field

of catalysis (study of catalysts and their use) is large and this is just one example. Catalysts

that have been used for years in petroleum refining have found use in gasification as well,
again to lower operating temperatures.Catalysts can also be used to favor or suppress the

formation of certain components in the syngas product. The primary constituents of syngas

are hydrogen (H2 ) and CO, but other products like methane are formed in small amounts.

Catalytic gasification can be used to either promote methane formation (a form of which

is steam hydrogasification), or suppress it.

Disadvantages of catalytic gasification include increased materials costs for the catalyst itself,

as well as diminishing catalyst performance over time. Catalysts can be recycled, but their

performance tends to diminish with age. The relative difficulty in reclaiming and recycling

the catalyst can also be a disadvantage. For example, the K 2 CO3 catalyst described above can

be recovered from spent char with a simple water wash, but some catalysts may not be so

accommodating. In addition to age, catalysts can also be diminished by poisoning. Many

catalysts are sensitive to particular chemical species which bond with the catalyst or alter it in

such a way that it no longer functions. Sulfur, for example, can poison several types of

catalysts including nickel, iron, palladium and platinum.