Methods for gasification of carbonaceous materials

• US 8,999,021 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2010
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jupeng Bio (HK) Limited
• Original Assignee: Ineos USA LLC (Ineos AG)
• Inventors: Sutradhar, Bhagya Chandra, Ko, Ching-Whan
• Primary Examiner(s): Akram, Imran
• Application Number:
  US12/798,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20110250661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,820 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 48/197.R
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/025 containing a partial oxidation step
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/36 using oxygen or mixtures containing oxygen as gasifying agents
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0956 Air or oxygen enriched air
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0959 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0989 Hydrocarbons as additives to gasifying agents to improve caloric properties
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1665 to alcohols, e.g. methanol or ethanol preparation of alcohols in general C07C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1681 with biological plants, e.g. involving bacteria, algae, fungi
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/00 Production of combustible gases containing carbon monoxide from solid carbonaceous fuels destructive distillation processes C10B
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/721 Multistage gasification, e.g. plural parallel or serial gasification stages
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/065 with microorganisms other than yeasts
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/08 produced as by-product or from waste or cellulosic material substrate
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel

Abstract

The present disclosure is generally directed to process of gasification of carbonaceous materials to produce synthesis gas or syngas. The present disclosure provides improved methods of gasification comprising: adding one or more carbonaceous materials, adding a molecular oxygen-containing gas, adding a methane-containing gas and optionally adding water or steam into said gasifier. This disclosure is also directed to process of production of one or more alcohols from said syngas via fermentation or digestion in the presence of at least one microorganism.

Claims

1. A method of gasification of carbonaceous materials in a gasifier to produce a product gas, said method comprising:

adding one or more carbonaceous materials;

adding a molecular oxygen-containing gas;

adding a methane-containing gas; and

optionally adding water or steam into said gasifier;

wherein amount of total oxygen added to said gasifier in pounds per pound of total carbon added to said gasifier comprises greater than 2.0 and less than about 3.0;

wherein the gasifier produces ash comprising ash-carbon and wherein said ash comprises less than about 10% of ash-carbon;

wherein said product gas is produced comprising carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and tar;

wherein said product gas is treated at a temperature of about 1750°

F. to about 3500°

F. in the presence of molecular oxygen to produce a raw syngas comprising carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and syngas-carbon;

wherein said raw-syngas comprises less than about 0.5 pound syngas-carbon per 1000 SCF raw-syngas produced;

wherein said gasifier comprises non-catalytic gasification.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said methane-containing gas comprises:

one or more gases selected from alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, landfill gas, biogas, digester gas, and natural gas.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

selection from one or more said carbonaceous material;

carbonaceous liquid product, industrial carbonaceous liquid recycle, carbonaceous municipal solid waste (MSW), carbonaceous urban waste, carbonaceous agricultural material, carbonaceous forestry material, carbonaceous wood waste, carbonaceous construction material, carbonaceous vegetative material, carbonaceous petrochemical coproducts, carbonaceous coal, plastic, waste plastic, coke oven tar, fibersoft, tires, lignin, black liquor, polymers, waste polymers, polyethylene terephthalate (PETA), polystyrene (PS), sewage sludge, animal waste, crop residues, energy crops, forest processing residues, wood processing residues, livestock waste, poultry waste, food processing residues, fermentative process wastes, carbonaceous industrial waste, alcohol production wastes, ethanol coproducts, spent grains, spent microorganisms or their combinations.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

carbon content of one or more said carbonaceous materials comprising about 0.25 to about 1.0 pound per pound of one or more said carbonaceous materials on a water free basis.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

hydrogen content of one or more said carbonaceous materials comprising about 0.0 to about 0.25 pound per pound of one or more said carbonaceous materials on a water free basis.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

oxygen content of one or more said carbonaceous materials comprising about 0.0 to about 0.5 pound per pound of one or more said carbonaceous materials on a water free basis.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

said gasifier produces ash comprising ash-carbon and wherein said ash comprises less than about 5% of ash-carbon.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein carbon to hydrogen mass ratio in one or more of said carbonaceous material comprises 1 to 20.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein carbon to oxygen mass ratio in one or more of said carbonaceous material comprises 1 to 200.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

subjecting said raw syngas to cooling and cleaning up to produce a clean syngas;

contacting said clean syngas with a biocatalyst in a fermentation container to produce an alcohol product mixture.

11. A method of gasification of carbonaceous materials comprising a gasifier comprising a first reaction zone and a second reaction zone, said method comprising:

adding one or more carbonaceous materials into said first reaction zone of gasifier;

adding a molecular oxygen containing gas, a methane-containing gas and optionally adding water or steam into one or both of said first reaction zone and second reaction zone of said gasifier;

wherein amount of total oxygen added into said first reaction zone of said gasifier in pounds per pound of total carbon added to said gasifier comprises 2.0 to about 3.0;

wherein optionally adding methane-containing gas in the first reaction zone of said gasifier;

wherein said gasifier comprises non-catalytic gasification;

producing raw syngas in said gasifier.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said first reaction zone temperature comprises 650-1450°

F.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said second reaction zone temperature comprises 1750-3500°

F.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

subjecting said raw syngas to cooling and cleaning up to produce a clean syngas;

contacting said clean syngas with a biocatalyst in a fermentation container to produce an alcohol product mixture.

15. A method of gasification of carbonaceous materials in a gasifier comprising a first reaction zone and a second reaction zone to produce a product gas, said method comprising:

adding one or more carbonaceous materials into said first reaction zone of gasifier;

adding a molecular oxygen containing gas, a methane-containing gas and optionally adding water or steam into one or both of said first reaction zone and second reaction zone of said gasifier;

wherein amount of total oxygen added into said first reaction zone of said gasifier in pounds per pound of total carbon added to said gasifier comprises 2.0 to about 3.0;

wherein optionally adding methane-containing gas in the first reaction zone of said gasifier;

wherein said product gas is produced comprising carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and tar;

wherein the gasifier produces ash comprising ash-carbon and wherein said ash comprises less than about 10% of ash-carbon;

wherein said product gas is raw-syngas comprising less than about 0.5 pound syngas-carbon per 1000 SCF raw-syngas produced;

wherein said gasifier comprises non-catalytic gasification.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said first reaction zone temperature comprises 650-1450°

F.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said second reaction zone temperature comprises 1750-3500°

F.