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Pilot-Scale Unit for Supercritical Water Gasification of Organic Matter

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Abstract

This study describes the construction of an experimental continuous pilot-scale facility for supercritical water gasification of organic matter. The continuous pilot plant (flow rate 1 kg/min) is described in technical detail. The typical course of the heating-up phase of the supercritical loop is discussed, including observed temperature—specific comportment near/beyond the critical point (380–400 °C). This specific comportment made it very difficult to switch the loop on to the supercritical conditions. Heat recuperation in the loop equipped with a 12 m tube in the tube heat exchanger reached 67–73%. Finally, the gasification experiments with model compounds confirmed both TOC decrease in water and gas production (hydrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, higher hydrocarbons). Carbon conversion efficiency reached a maximum of 24% (547 °C, 24.5 MPa, 12 s residence time) in the case of propan-2-ol with initial concentration of 41.8 g/L with the addition of 5 g/L of potassium carbonate.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic [Grant No. TA03011105].

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  1. Dekonta Ltd., Dřetovice 109, 273 42, Stehelčeves, Czech Republic

    Marek Šváb

  2. University of Chemistry and Technology, Technická 5, 166 28, Prague, Czech Republic

    Eliška Purkarová

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  1. Marek Šváb
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Correspondence to Marek Šváb.

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Šváb, M., Purkarová, E. Pilot-Scale Unit for Supercritical Water Gasification of Organic Matter. Waste Biomass Valor 12, 4113–4121 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-020-01266-0

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