H2-rich gas production from co-gasification of biomass/plastics blends: A modeling approach

East Asia experiencing massive population growth, which will certainly challenge traditional waste management systems. In recent years, gasification has attracted much attention since it converts carbon-based residues into valuable gas and requires cheaper gas cleaning equipment compared to available technologies. This study presents an ASPEN plus model for simulation of steam co-gasification of polyethylene (PE) and pine (PI) using various temperatures (740-830 degrees C), steam/waste ratio, S/W (0.5-0.8) and PE content in the feedstock mixture (0-60 %). The predicted results were compared with the experimental data available in the literature, and a good agreement was achieved. In general, an increase in gasifier temperature and S/W led to higher H2 production and lower tar content in the syngas resulting from co-gasification process. Regarding tar conversion, increasing the gasifier temperature played a more important role compared to adding steam to the gasifier. H2 content and H2 yield gradually increased from 33.01 to 47.81 % and 48.09-57.76 g/kg, respectively, when PE increased from 0 to 60 %, which may be due to a greater amount of hydrogen present in PE. Over a PE content range from 0 to 60 %, tar concentration had a nearly linear increase, which can be attributed to lower oxygen content available in the mixture.

Automated summary

East Asia is facing a significant population growth, posing challenges to traditional waste management systems. Gasification has gained attention for its ability to convert carbon-based residues into valuable gas at a lower cost compared to other technologies. This study used an ASPEN plus model to simulate the steam co-gasification of polyethylene (PE) and pine (PI) at various temperatures, steam/waste ratios, and PE contents. The results were compared with experimental data, showing good agreement. Increasing the gasifier temperature and steam/waste ratio led to higher hydrogen production and lower tar content in the syngas. The addition of PE increased hydrogen content and yield, while also increasing tar concentration.