ABSTRACT
All carbon-based materials (i.e., coal, crude and heavy oil, shale oil, bitumen, tar sand, plastics, biomass, organic waste, etc.) can be converted to carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane in the gasification process by a controlled amount of oxygen and/or steam at temperatures higher than about 700°C. In the real process, at high temperatures, steam gasification predominantly produces hydrogen and carbon dioxide because of the dominance of water–gas shift reaction. Biomass has the potential to accelerate the realization of hydrogen as a major fuel of the future. It is more acceptable than coal because it is renewable and consumes atmospheric carbon dioxide during its growth, thus having a small net CO2 impact compared to fossil fuels. Steam gasification is an endothermic reaction and requires heat to move the reaction in the forward direction. Generally, excess steam is also required to promote the gasification reaction.
