Kinetic Characterization of Tar Reforming on Commercial Ni-Catalyst Pellets Used for In Situ Syngas Cleaning in Biomass Gasification: Experiments and Simulations under Process Conditions

Filtering-catalytic candles, filled with an annular packed-bed of commercial Ni-catalyst pellets (μ600 g), were successfully tested for in situ syngas cleaning in a fluidized-bed biomass steam gasifier [ Fuel Process. Technol. 2019, 191, 44-53, DOI: 10.1016/j.fuproc.2019.03.018 ]. Those tests enabled the macroscopic evaluation of gasification and gas cleaning as a whole, requiring a more specific assessment of the catalyst performance inside the filter candle. To this end, steam reforming tests of tar key compounds (naphthalene and toluene; thiophene in traces to observe sulfur deactivation) were performed with a laboratory-scale packed-bed reactor containing the same catalyst pellets (<7 g). A lumped kinetics was derived, referred to a pseudocomponent representing tars. This was then validated by simulation of the annular catalytic packed bed inside the filter candle, obtaining numerical results in fair agreement with gasifier outputs. As a result, the lab-scale investigation with a small amount of catalyst provides reliable predictions of tar catalytic reforming in industrial-scale filtering-catalytic candles. © 2020 American Chemical Society.