Abstract
Char is the solid residue of unreacted biomass in the gasification process. It is composed mainly of carbon and characterized by a well-developed porosity. The rising trend of using gasification plants as a renewable energy source in Northern and Central Europe created the challenging issue of managing this major process by-product. Char disposal is a costly process that for one region like South Tyrol, Italy, costs 0.15 €/kg for the 1180 tons of char generated yearly. Char utilization is an alternative approach towards managing existing gasification plants and transferring this waste to valuable products. In light of the concept of circular economy, two char valorization pathways will be explored, tar reforming and domestic wastewater treatment. The two studies will utilize char produced at a commercial scale. Performance of as received as well as activated chars will be investigated. The activation will be carried out thermally or via steam and CO2. For the tar reforming experiment, syngas produced at a pilot-scale downdraft gasifier will be analyzed before and after passing through the reformer. The major parameters to be studied are syngas composition and tar content. The novelty of the study would be in the process scale as well as using actual syngas instead of model tar compounds. Regarding the wastewater treatment study, char removal of organic micropollutants (OMPs) via char will be examined. Adsorption-desorption kinetics, physicochemical analyses, surface characteristics, and pH of gasification char will be investigated to test its efficiency in OMPs removal from different aquatic environments. Those studies aim to increase the environmental and economic performance of the gasification process by different char valorization pathways. From the preliminary results, char appears to be an economical and green alternative to activated carbon (AC) in the selected applications. Char is a versatile material that has great potential for utilization in various.