Comparison of Physicochemical Properties and Gasification Reactivity of Soot From Entrained Flow Gasification Processes

Abstract

Soot formation has been a hurdle to the development of entrained flow gasification (EFG) technology, as it damages the apparatus and remains a pollutant. Soot has a poor gasification reactivity in the multiphase flow in furnace. In this study, differences in physicochemical properties and their relationship with gasification reactivity were studied for the soot derived from coal, biomass, and natural gas in entrained flow gasification processes and were compared with a commercial carbon black (CB). A thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) was used to study the gasification reactivity of soot. Transmission electron microscopes (TEM) and Raman further determine that the gasification reactivity is highly dependent on the carbon content, carbon type, and graphitization degree but less dependent on soot microstructure. This study also investigated the potential replacement of commercial N330 as a rubber reinforcement additive with soot as a pollutant. This replacement was based on the similarity of soot microstructure, as determined using fractal dimension as an indicator on a statistical level using TEM. This replacement is highly commercially attractive given the cost of commercial CB, and it opens up a new perspective of re-using soot and other carbon-containing pollutants as a value-added resource.

Keywords: gasifier soot, microstructure, fractal dimension, gasification, pollutant to resources