Co-gasification of a lignite/waste-tyre mixture in a moving bed

The thermal treatment of waste-tyre by co-gasification with lignite was investigated on a commercial scale during the Lurgi gasification process. The experiments proved that this material can be treated in a mixture with lignite in the process of oxygen-steam pressure co-gasification in a moving bed, because a waste-tyre admixture improves the net calorific value of the raw gas obtained by 3% in comparison with that from the gasification of lignite alone. Further, it was found that the H(2)S and CH(3)SH contents in the raw gas are lower in the case of co-gasification than those from the gasification of lignite alone. Considering the very low reactivity of the char from waste-tyre and the resultant unburned carbon in the ash, the optimal content of the waste-tyre admixture in the gasified feed should not exceed 10 wt.%, whereas short-term increases of up to 20 wt.% will not cause any technological problems or significant economic losses. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.