Thesis Archive
A Kinetic Study on the Catalytic Carbon Dioxide Gasification of Pine Cone and Lignite Char Blends using Potassium Carbonate and Calcium Carbonate
BALDE, Franz Ellison F.
LINTAG, Joshua Romel P.
Abstract:
In the design and operation of efficient energy conversion equipment like gasifiers, kinetic data and parameters of the raw feed are essential. One common feed in gasifiers is coal which is a carbonaceous material; however, using it alone as the primary source of energy conversion can cause environmental issues and economical concerns because of its high import cost to the country. Blending coal with biomass, which is an agricultural waste, can efficiently burn the coal and reduces harmful emissions into the environment. Additionally, it aids in the reduction of agricultural waste in the country. In this study, different types of Indonesian lignite coal and Philippine pinecone (PC) blends are studied using a thermogravimetric analyzer to obtain their kinetic data. The gasification of these blends is done at different temperatures of 700°C, 800°C, and 900°C and with different catalysts, potassium carbonate (K2CO3) and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) both using 1% loading. This was done to investigate the effects of coal-biomass blend composition, gasification temperature and catalyst effect on kinetic behavior. The conversion-time data obtained from the thermogravimetric analyzer were fitted using five different gas-solid reaction models namely, volumetric or homogeneous model (VM), shrinking core model (SCM), random pore model (RPM), modified volumetric model (MVM), and extended modified volumetric model (EMVM). The order of applicability of the models are as follows: EMVM>MVM>RPM>VM>SCM. The catalyst that proved more effective was K2CO3 because of its homogeneity to the samples compared to CaCO3. Among the different blends, the blend 80% P + 20% L proved to have faster reaction rate than 50% P + 50% L.
Adviser:
BUNGAY, Vergel C.