Abstract

Naiyawat Sukthang¹, Pansa Liplap¹_, Weerachai Arjharn¹ and Thipsuphin Hinsui²

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/ojc/330425

Gasification of biomass has been widely used for energy production. However, biomass feedstock must be low in moisture (< 20 % w.b.), inevitably requiring drying process which is both energy and time consuming. This paper shows the potential of high-moisture biomass gasifying using plasma arc as an external heat supply. It was found that high-moisture biomass can be used as feedstock in the plasma-assisted gasification process. The plasma arc maintained gasifier temperature high enough for reactions involved. The efficiency of the plasma-assisted gasification system operated with high-moisture biomass was more or less the same with that of conventional gasification operated with low-moisture biomass. When the drying energy was taken into account, the efficiency of the plasma gasification system is 15% higher than that of conventional gasification system. Overall, the plasma-assisted gasification system can be operated with high-moisture biomass efficiently and reduces the processes and energy for biomass preparation.

Plasma-assisted gasification; fixed-bed downdraft gasifier; energy production; high-moisture biomass

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