Steam gasification of lignite and solid recovered fuel (SRF) in a bench scale fluidized bed gasifier

The reduction of CO₂ emissions and solid waste disposal are critical issues with high importance for the environmental protection. Gasification is a promising process for sustainable energy production, because it can produce a versatile gaseous fuel starting from a wide range of organic feedstocks, and with reduced greenhouse gas emissions compared to combustion. Lignite is an abundant carbonaceous resource in Europe and in this work, gasification tests were carried out with lignite and a lignite and Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) mixture, to evaluate the quality of gas produced from co-gasification of waste materials, in view of the final uses of the gas. Experimental gasification tests were carried out in a bench scale fluidized bed gasifier at different operating temperatures; the results were evaluated in terms of gas composition, tar content and conversion rates. In addition, characterization analyses were carried out on materials before and after the tests, and pressure fluctuation signals were analysed in order to evaluate the fluidization quality of the bed inventory.