(592a) Biomass Cofiring with Precombustion Carbon Capture Baseline Testing at Und Eerc

The University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) performed testing to establish a baseline of precombustion carbon capture performance when combined with coal- and biomass-derived syngas. Goals of the project were to generate high-pressure syngas from a matrix of coal types and biomass types and to vary the concentrations of the fuels. Carbon dioxide was separated at pressure from the syngas stream using a physical solvent. Solvent performance and contaminant accumulation within the acid gas separation system (AGSS) were examined. The work was supported through U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory funding.

The EERC conducted tests using the high-pressure fluid-bed gasifier. The test also utilized warm-gas cleanup equipment comprising a hot-gas filter vessel, presulfided sour shift catalyst, sulfur sorbents, a quench system, and an AGSS using a physical solvent based on dimethyl ether of polyethylene glycol. The test plan included 15 weeks of testing using three different ranks of coal (North Dakota lignite, Powder River Basin subbituminous, and western bituminous) as baselines and then blended with wood and corn stover at 25% and 50%. Each week of testing was targeted toward a specific coal or coal–biomass blend. Operational data, observations, key findings, and recommendations will be presented.