1.

Analysis of carbon footprint and energy performance of biohydrogen production through

When different types of plant materials (like sugarcane leaves or coconut shells) are heated up
in a special way, they turn into a gas mixture. This gas mixture is called syngas and can be used as a fuel.
The interesting part is that the composition of this syngas changes depending on what type of plant
material you start with. For example, if you start with sugarcane leaves, you end up with more hydrogen
in your syngas compared to starting with rice straw. Similarly, the amount of carbon monoxide and
carbon dioxide in the syngas also changes based on the starting material. For instance, coconut husk and
sugarcane leaves give you more carbon monoxide, while rice straw and rice husk result in more carbon
dioxide. The study also mentions that when there’s less carbon dioxide around during this process, more
carbon monoxide is produced. This could be important because carbon monoxide is a key component of
syngas, which can be used as a fuel or to make other useful products.
 The table 2 in this part of the current page shows the results of a process called gasification,
which is used to convert biomass (organic material from plants or animals) into a gas mixture known as
syngas. The composition of this syngas can vary depending on the type of biomass used. In simple terms,
the table 2 is comparing the following aspects of gasification using different types of biomass:

 Gas yield: This is the amount of syngas produced per kilogram of biomass. The higher the gas
yield, the more efficient the process is. For example, sugarcane leaves have the highest gas yield
of 1.90 Nm3/kg, while rice straw has the lowest gas yield of 1.08 Nm3/kg.

 LHV: This is the lower heating value, which is a measure of the energy content of the syngas. The
higher the LHV, the more energy can be obtained from burning the syngas. For example,
sugarcane leaves have the highest LHV of 5.76 MJ/Nm3, while rice straw has the lowest LHV of
4.37 MJ/Nm3.

 Gasification efficiency: This is the ratio of the energy in the syngas to the energy in the biomass.
The higher the gasification efficiency, the more effective the process is in converting biomass
energy to syngas energy. For example, sugarcane leaves have the highest gasification efficiency
of 0.62, while rice straw has the lowest gasification efficiency of 0.31.

The table 2 shows that sugarcane leaves are the best biomass for gasification in terms of gas
yield, LHV, and gasification efficiency, while rice straw and rice husk are the worst biomass for
gasification in terms of these aspects.
 2. Characteristics of syngas from co-gasification of polyethylene and woodchips

The study suggests that a mixture of approximately 80% polyethylene (PE) and 20% woodchips
(WC) yields the highest energy and efficiency in the co-gasification process. This indicates that the PE
and WC mixture could be a good choice for co-gasification.

The study provides the following data to support its claims:

 Energy yield: The energy yield is the amount of electricity generated by a power plant over a
certain period, typically one year. The document reports that the energy yield for the 80%PE-
20%WC mixture was 1400 kJ, which was higher than the energy yield for pure PE (1200 kJ) or
pure WC (500 kJ). See Fig. 9 for the graph of energy yield versus PE percentage.

 Apparent thermal efficiency: The apparent thermal efficiency is the ratio of the energy yield to
the energy content of the feedstock. The document reports that the apparent thermal efficiency
for the 80%PE-20%WC mixture was 0.8, which was higher than the apparent thermal efficiency
for pure PE (0.7) or pure WC (0.5). See Fig. 9 for the graph of apparent thermal efficiency versus
PE percentage.
3. Plastic waste elimination by co-gasification with coal and biomass in fluidized bed with air in
pilot plant

 Effect of fuel composition on gas composition: Fig. 8 shows how the gas composition changes
depending on the percentage of coal, biomass, and plastic waste in the feedstock. The gas
composition is expressed in terms of the volume percentage of hydrogen (H2), carbon monoxide
(CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and light hydrocarbons (C2Hn) on a dry basis.
 Plastic waste increases hydrocarbons: Fig. 8 shows that the gas composition has higher
hydrocarbon content (CH4 and C2Hn) when the plastic waste percentage is higher in the
feedstock. This is because plastic waste has a high hydrogen and carbon content, which leads to
more cracking and reforming reactions that produce hydrocarbons during gasification. The
highest hydrocarbon content is obtained for the mixture of 60% coal and 40% plastic waste,
which is about 15% CH4 and 5% C2Hn, dry basis.
 Biomass decreases CO and increases CO2: Fig. 8 shows that the gas composition has lower CO
content and higher CO2 content when the biomass percentage is higher in the feedstock. This is
because biomass has a high oxygen content, which leads to more oxidation reactions that
produce CO2 during gasification. The lowest CO content and the highest CO2 content are
obtained for the mixture of 60% coal and 40% biomass, which are about 10% CO and 23% CO2,
dry basis.
 Coal has intermediate gas composition: Fig. 8 shows that the gas composition for pure coal
gasification is intermediate between the mixtures with biomass and plastic waste. This is
 because coal has a lower oxygen content than biomass, but a higher nitrogen and sulfur content
than plastic waste, which affects the gas formation during gasification. The gas composition for
pure coal gasification is about 15% H2, 20% CO, 14% CO2, 5% CH4, and 1% C2Hn, dry basis.
 Effect of fuel composition on LHV and energy content: Fig. 9 shows how the lower heating
value (LHV) and the total energy content of the produced gas change depending on the
percentage of coal, biomass, and plastic waste in the feedstock. The LHV expresses the energy in
MJ of the gas without considering latent energy of steam. The total energy content expresses
the energy in MJ per kg of feedstock on a dry, ash-free basis.
 Plastic waste increases LHV and energy content: Fig. 9 shows that the LHV and the total energy
content increase when the plastic waste percentage is higher in the feedstock. This is because
plastic waste has a high hydrogen and carbon content, which leads to more production of
hydrocarbons with high calorific value during gasification. The highest LHV and energy content
are obtained for the mixture of 60% coal and 40% plastic waste, which are about 12 MJ/mn 3, dry
basis, and 24 MJ/kg daf, respectively.
 Biomass decreases LHV and energy content: Fig. 9 shows that the LHV and the total energy
content decrease when the biomass percentage is higher in the feedstock. This is because
biomass has a high oxygen content, which leads to more production of CO2 with low calorific
value during gasification. The lowest LHV and energy content are obtained for the mixture of
60% coal and 40% biomass, which are about 6 MJ/mn3, dry basis, and 12 MJ/kg daf, respectively.
 Coal has intermediate LHV and energy content: Fig. 9 shows that the LHV and energy content
for pure coal gasification are intermediate between the mixtures with biomass and plastic
waste. This is because coal has a lower oxygen content than biomass, but a higher nitrogen and
sulfur content than plastic waste, which affects the energy performance of gasification. The LHV
and energy content for pure coal gasification are about 10 MJ/mn 3, dry basis, and 18 MJ/kg daf,
respectively.
 Effect of fuel composition on tar content: The figure shows how the tar content in the flue gas
changes depending on the percentage of coal, biomass, and plastic waste in the feedstock. Tar is
a dark, sticky substance that is produced during the thermal decomposition of organic materials
and can cause operational and environmental problems.
 Biomass increases tar content: The figure shows that the tar content increases as the biomass
percentage increases in the feedstock. This is because biomass has a high volatile matter and
oxygen content, which leads to more tar formation during gasification. The highest tar content is
obtained for the mixture of 60% coal and 40% biomass, which is about 1400 mg/mn 3, dry basis.
 Plastic waste decreases tar content: The figure shows that the tar content decreases as the
plastic waste percentage increases in the feedstock. This is because plastic waste has a high
hydrogen and carbon content, which leads to more cracking and reforming reactions that
reduce the tar formation during gasification. The lowest tar content is obtained for the mixture
of 80% coal and 20% plastic waste, which is about 700 mg/mn3, dry basis.
 Coal has intermediate tar content: The figure shows that the tar content for pure coal
gasification is about 1000 mg/mn3, dry basis, which is intermediate between the mixtures with
biomass and plastic waste. This is because coal has a lower volatile matter and oxygen content
than biomass, but a higher nitrogen and sulfur content than plastic waste, which affects the tar
formation during gasification.