Simulation of rice straw gasification in bubbling bed reactor using ASPEN PLUS

Abstract

: The global dependence on fossil fuels and the environmental effects of them are some of the factors that urge research on using biomass sources. Gasification is a process which converts carbonaceous materials into syngas. In this study, a bubbling bed gasification model is developed for the gasification of rice straw as a feedstock by using ASPEN PLUS. Thermodynamic equilibrium model which is based on the minimization of the Gibbs free energy of the system was used. The results of gasification in bubbling bed gasifier were verified by using data from literature. The gasifier temperature and steam flow rate are the most important parameters that influence the chemical composition of the syngas for the rice straw gasification in bubbling bed gasifier. Increasing steam-to-biomass ratio enhances H2, CH4 and CO production, while decreases CO2. Furthermore, results showed that the developed bubbling bed gasifier model can be robust model, if gasifier temperature is selected within the 500– 1000 °C temperature range.