Co-production of hydrogen-rich gas and porous carbon by partial gasification of coal char

An industrial coal char from coal pyrolysis was used for simultaneous preparation of hydrogen-rich gas and porous carbon by catalytic steam gasification. The effects of K2CO3 as a catalyst under varying steam flow rates, reaction temperatures, mass ratios of CC:K2CO3 and reaction times were investigated on hydrogen output and textural properties of the produced porous carbons. The suitability of CaO and the packing pattern were also examined for CO2 capture, thereby promoting hydrogen content in the outlet gas. The results show that in a single operating system and process, stable and consistent hydrogen-rich gas and porous carbon can be simultaneously produced by partial or incomplete gasification. At the optimized gasification conditions, hydrogen output can be up to 3.2-3.5 mmol/(minaEuro cent g(CC)). H-2 and CO2 were the dominant species sharing around 65% and 30% of the produced gas (dry basis), respectively, while only small CO and CH4 fractions were observed. The surface area and total pore volume of the produced porous carbon can reach up to 812 m(2)/g and 0.473 cm(3)/g, respectively. The maximum hydrogen content of 95 vol.% (dry basis) can be achieved at the initial stage with some additional CaO by using either homogeneous or heterogeneous configuration.