Comprehensive Simulation of an Intensified Process for H₂ Production from Steam Gasification of Biomass

For producing pure hydrogen from biomass gasification with steam as the gasifying agent, an intensified process is proposed. In the process, a bubbling fluidized bed gasifier is used for the steam gasification of biomass, a steam reformer is used for upgrading the biosyngas, and an H 2 -membrane water-gas-shift (HMWGS) reactor is used for converting the carbon monoxide and separating the hydrogen. Pure hydrogen is the product of the process. High-purity CO 2 can be produced and taken as a coproduct. To better simulate the proposed process, models for the steam-blown fluidized bed gasifier and catalytic steam reformer have been developed. The simulation results have been compared with the experimental data, and good agreement has been obtained. The analysis of the proposed process is carried out in terms of the amount of pure hydrogen per kilogram of biomass and the overall thermodynamic efficiency of the process. Factors affecting the pure hydrogen production and thermodynamic efficiency have been studied and discussed.