A Comparison of Producer Gas, Biochar, and Activated Carbon from Two Distributed Scale Thermochemical Conversion Systems Used to Process Forest Biomass

Nathaniel Anderson, J. Greg Jones, Deborah Page-Dumroese, Daniel McCollum, Stephen Baker, Daniel Loeffler and Woodam Chung
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Nathaniel Anderson: Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 200 East Broadway, Missoula, MT 59807, USA
J. Greg Jones: Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 200 East Broadway, Missoula, MT 59807, USA
Deborah Page-Dumroese: Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Moscow, ID 83843, USA
Daniel McCollum: Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
Stephen Baker: Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, USDA Forest Service, Missoula, MT 59808, USA
Daniel Loeffler: College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
Woodam Chung: College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA

Energies, 2013, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-20

Abstract: Thermochemical biomass conversion systems have the potential to produce heat, power, fuels and other products from forest biomass at distributed scales that meet the needs of some forest industry facilities. However, many of these systems have not been deployed in this sector and the products they produce from forest biomass have not been adequately described or characterized with regards to chemical properties, possible uses, and markets. This paper characterizes the producer gas, biochar, and activated carbon of a 700 kg h ?1 prototype gasification system and a 225 kg h ?1 pyrolysis system used to process coniferous sawmill and forest residues. Producer gas from sawmill residues processed with the gasifier had higher energy content than gas from forest residues, with averages of 12.4 MJ m ?3 and 9.8 MJ m ?3 , respectively. Gases from the pyrolysis system averaged 1.3 MJ m ?3 for mill residues and 2.5 MJ m ?3 for forest residues. Biochars produced have similar particle size distributions and bulk density, but vary in pH and carbon content. Biochars from both systems were successfully activated using steam activation, with resulting BET surface area in the range of commercial activated carbon. Results are discussed in the context of co-locating these systems with forest industry operations.

Keywords: pyrolysis; gasification; biomass; biochar; activated carbon; synthesis gas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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