Modeling and Simulation of the Gasification of Euterpe oleracea Waste: Optimization of Hydrogen Production and Energy...

Hydrogen production has been transitioning toward sustainable methods due to the increasing demand for carbon emission reduction. Biomass gasification has emerged as a promising alternative, converting organic waste into syngas that is rich in hydrogen and carbon monoxide under high-temperature conditions. This study focuses on the thermodynamic modeling and simulation of the gasification process using açaí seed residue as feedstock. The process model was implemented in Aspen Plus, considering key operating variables such as temperature, steam-to-biomass (S/B) ratio, and equivalence ratio (ER). Additionally, an operability analysis was conducted to optimize the gas composition, energy demand, and cold gas efficiency (CGE). Results indicated that a higher S/B ratio enhances hydrogen production due to the water-gas shift reaction, whereas an increased air supply improves energy efficiency but reduces hydrogen content in the output. The operability-based optimization revealed that the hydrogen concentration in syngas can reach up to 58.6% when no energy demand restrictions are applied, but at a high energy cost (444 MJ h^-1). Conversely, the operability index increased from 13% to 30.2% by applying an energy self-sufficiency constraint (heat duty < 0), making the process more sustainable while maintaining CGE between 78.6% and 98.1%. These findings highlight the trade-off between syngas quality and energy efficiency, which should be considered in industrial applications depending on hydrogen purity requirements and economic feasibility.