Fluidized Bed Gasification and Chemical Exergy Analysis of pelletized Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches

- Bemgba Bevan Nyakuma -

9th Regional Conference on Chemical Engineering (RCChE 2016)Inspiring ASEAN Sustainability Through Chemical Engineering Innovation

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Arshad Ahmad, Anwar Johari, Tuan Amran Tuan Abdullah, Olagoke Oladokun and Habib Alkali

Co-authors

• Introduction

• Experimental

• Results

• Conclusion

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Contents

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Introduction

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• Malaysia 2nd Largest producer & exporter of Palm Oil• 5 Million hectares,• 75 million tons of Fresh Fruit

Bunches (FFB),• 400 palm oils mills.

• Crude Palm Oil (CPO) >>• Feedstock/Raw material for

food, confectionary, biodiesel

• Palm Oil Industry Foreign exchange, National Pride

Introduction

www.palmoilhealth.org

http://bit.ly/2gaTMeA

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• CPO production generates large quantities of waste >> • 1 kg CPO >> 4 kg of Solid

Waste, 12.4 kg of CO2

• Classification of Oil Palm Wastes;• Liquid (POME),• Solid Biomass Waste

• Solid Wastes >>Oil Mill and Plantation

www.mpoc.org.my

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Solid Waste >> Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB), Palm Kernel Shell (PKS),Mesocarp Fibre (MCF), Palm Fronds, Palm Kernel Cake, Trunks

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• 200 Million Metric tons of wastes generated between year 2010 – 2015

• Current conversion technologies – open air burning, incineration, land filling, boiler fuel

• Inefficient, outdated, hazardous, unsustainable and expensive

• Increased GHGs, Loss of Biodiversity and Environmental challenges; eutrophication, leaching

http://bit.ly/2fgR4Fc

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http://bit.ly/2fgR4Fchttp://bit.ly/2fI22Ep

http://bit.ly/2fgSBLshttp://bit.ly/2g8mL53

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• National Biomass Strategy 2020 est. in 2013 >> NBS-2020.

• 20 million tonnes of OPW by 2020 into higher-value products and national income GNI by RM 30 billion

• NBS2020 >> meet its renewable energy target and reduce GHG emissions

Introduction

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Pre-Treatment & Valorisation of Oil Palm EFB Largest stock with low Value, High moisture, High Alkali, & Low Bulk Density

Introduction

Thermochemical – Gasification of OPWs into Bio-Syngas,

Biofuels, Biochar or Biocoal for power generation

Fresh Oil Palm Fruit Bunches

Pelletized Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OPEFB)

Oil Palm Empty fruit Bunches (OPEFB)

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Study Objective

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To examine the chemical fuel properties and exergy analysis of pelletized OPEFB.

To explore the valorisation of pelletized OPEFB through fluidized bed gasification for clean energy.

To exploit the solid fuel properties of pelletized fuel and reactor dynamics of fluidized bed gasifiers for efficient OPEFB valorisation.

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Experimental

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Experimental

Acquisition of pelletized OPEFB (Felda Semenchu Oil Palm Mill in Johor.

Pulverization and Characterization(Ultimate, proximate and calorific Analysis)

Chemical Exergy Analysis (Elemental analysis and heating values)

Fluidized Bed Gasification pellets (Temp: 600 – 800 C; Equiv. Ratio: 0.20 – 0.25

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Experimental

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Results

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Results > Solid Fuel Properties of pelletized OPEFB

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Results > Solid Fuel Properties of pelletized OPEFB

• OPEFB Briquettes proportions of chemical elements for energy, fuels & power applications.

• Low nitrogen and sulphur >> fuel is environmentally friendly with low NOx and SOx potential.

• High Heating Values higher than the minimum energy content (14 MJ/kg) for bioenergy applications.

• Exergy values ranged from 17.17 - 18.17 MJ/kg • maximum amount of work obtainable per kg is below 20 MJ/kg

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Results > OPEFB Gasification: Syngas Yield

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Results > OPEFB Gasification: Syngas Yield

• Gasification of OPEFB Briquettes yielded;• H2 (2.02-10.17 mol. %); CO (2.22-6.27 mol. %);

• CH4 (1.06-3.10 mol. %); CO2 (10.88-27.29 mol. %);

• C2H4 (1.00-2.34 mol. %); C2H6 (0.38-1.18 mol. %).

• Highest H2 yield was at 600 °C whereas Lowest was at 800 °C both at ER = 0.20.

• Due to the limitation of heat and mass transfer typically observed for conversion of large particle diameters.

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Results > OPEFB Gasification: Performance

• HHV ranged from 1.15–3.05 MJ/m3; CGE was 6.54–17.34 % and CCE was 43.37–78.16 %,

• Large size fuel limited by heat, mass transfer and evolution of biosyngas and fuel gases during gasification.

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Conclusion

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Conclusions

• Fluidized bed gasification of OPEFB Briquettes, fuel and chemical exergy characterization were examined,

• Gasification yielded biochar and biosyngas of HHV > 2.5 MJ/m3

(minimum HHV for energy production in Gas Engines),

• Low Cold Gas Efficiency (CGE) whereas Carbon Conversion Efficiency (CCE) was high >> 75 %,

• No Bed agglomeration and defluidization during gasification,

• Gasification of pelletized OPEFB practical for renewable energy & sustainable fuels for the future.

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The EndTerima kasih(Thank you)

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Acknowledgement

The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia through the Research University

Grants; Q.J130000.2509.07H12 and Q.J130000.2509.13H95.