Biomass Program Thermochemical R&D
Fuel Chemistry and Bed Performance in a Benefits Black Liquor Steam Reformer • Improve economics of black liquor gasification and pulping In the pulp and paper industry, that may be encountered in mills wood chips are cooked with a commercial demonstration systems. mixture of sodium hydroxide and The end goal is to evaluate proposed Applications sodium sulfide or sulfite to process modifications that promise to dissolve the lignin in the wood. improve performance and economics The knowledge gained through this After the fibers are separated from of low-temperature BLG systems. research will accelerate the the slurry for processing to paper, commercialization of the MTCI system the spent pulping liquor (black and other low-temperature BL liquor) is concentrated and gasification systems. combusted to recover the Project Partners chemicals and generate steam for the pulp mill. Black liquor Brigham Young University gasification (BLG) is an alternative Georgia-Pacific Corporation method of recovering the pulping Manufacturing and Technology chemicals and offers reduced Conversion International, Inc. capital investment and a higher National Energy Technology Laboratory efficiency for generating Reaction Engineering International electricity. Fluidized bed bl ack liquor gasificati on test University of Utah system BLG processes can be divided into Project Period low-temperature and high- R&D Pathway temperature processes. While low- FY 2003 – FY 2006 temperature processes are less This project is composed of five tasks: susceptible to corrosion than high- For more information contact: (1) construction of a fluidized bed temperature processes, they must BLG test system; (2) investigation of Larry Rath maintain the right temperature to bed performance; (3) evaluation of minimize tar formation and avoid National Energy Technology product gas quality; (4) black liquor agglomeration of the bed material. Laboratory conversion analysis and modeling; and [email protected] (5) MTCI process modeling. The objective of this research is to EERE Information Center address critical issues that inhibit 1-877-EERE-INF (1-877-337-3463) successful commercialization of www.eere.enegy.gov low-temperature BLG systems, including the steam reforming Visit the Web site for the Office of the technology developed by Biomass Program (OBP) at Manufacturing and Technology www.eere.energy.gov/biomass Conversion International, Inc. (MTCI). Researchers will conduct experiments to replicate conditions April 2006
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