Catalytic steam reforming of tar for enhancing hydrogen production from biomass gasification:a review

Presently,the global search for alternative renewable energy sources is rising due to the depletion of fossil fuel and rising greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions.Among alternatives,hydrogen(H2)produced from biomass gasification is considered a green energy sector,due to its environmentally friendly,sustainable,and renewable characteristics.However,tar formation along with syngas is a severe impediment to biomass conversion efficiency,which results in process-related problems.Typically,tar consists of various hydrocarbons(HCs),which are also sources for syngas.Hence,catalytic steam reforming is an effective technique to address tar formation and improve H2 production from biomass gasification.Of the various classes in existence,supported metal catalysts are considered the most promising.This paper focuses on the current researching status,prospects,and challenges of steam reforming of gasified biomass tar.Besides,it includes recent developments in tar compositional analysis,supported metal catalysts,along with the reactions and process conditions for catalytic steam reforming.Moreover,it discusses alternatives such as dry and autothermal reforming of tar.

Study on characterization of bio-oil derived from sugarcane bagasse(Saccharum barberi)for application as biofuel

Lignocellulosic biomass especially,sugarcane bagasse Saccharum barberi sp.,appears to be a more suitable material for partial substi-tution of transport fuel(diesel)than Saccharum officinarum sp.,due to its structural similarity to transport fuel(diesel).Besides that,less research has been implemented on this type of species.Bio-oil can be implemented as biodiesel by processing it further using chemical reactions such as hydrodeoxygenation and cracking with zeolite catalyst.Hence,the purpose of this study is to determine the compatibility of pyrolytic bio-oil produced from Saccharum barberi sp.in comparison with S.officinarum sp.for use as transport fuel(diesel)in automotive applications.This purpose can be accomplished by comparing the oil’s bio-physiochemical properties for both species.The experiment is conducted on a bench-scale on which bio-oil of Saccharum barberi sp.is secured from the catalytic pyrolysis process at a temperature of 500°C and heating rate of 50°C/min with the addition of ZSM-Zeolite catalyst.Thermogravimetric analysis of Saccharum barberi sp.reveals that cellulose is more reactive than lignin,evidenced by the high percentage of weight loss at tem-peratures ranging from 251°C to 390°C.The high contents of carbon(40.7%)and hydrogen(6.50%),as well as slight traces of sulphur(0.08%)and nitrogen(0.85%),in bio-oil(Saccharum barberi sp.)indicate that it is conceivable to be partially used for replacement in biofuel production.Overall physiochemical properties reveal that Saccharum barberi sp.shows more potential than S.officinarum sp.Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis reveals that bio-oil consists of high amounts of aromatic hydrocarbon(26.2%),phenol(14.8%)and furfural(13.0%)in comparison to S.officinarum sp.