The present invention is an improvement in a number of ways of two issued patents identified in the preamble of the Specification which follows. Such improvement will yield a more reliable process that uses coal and other hydrocarbons but avoids the discharge of hazardous pollutants into the atmosphere and lowers investment costs. This invention offers a unique and comprehensive solution that makes possible the prevention of the ill-effects to health and environment while at the same time would also prevent the closure of badly needed power generation facilities that still provide some 40% of the electricity generated in this country. The herein comprehensive solution converts six pollutants into valuable co-products while low-cost, efficient, electric power is generated to result in attracting industries that will help keep badly needed jobs. This invention is also applicable to other disciplines.

The present disclosure provides a process for cleaning raw product gas. The process includes contacting the raw product gas with a flow of catalyst to reform organic contaminants and inorganic contaminants in the raw product gas and to remove particulates. Further, the process includes cooling the resulting product gas via heat exchange with a heat exchange medium in the presence of char or a solid adsorbent medium to condense remaining organic contaminants and inorganic contaminants on the char or solid adsorbent medium and to filter out fine particulates.

A direct carbonaceous material to power generation system integrates one or more solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) into a fluidized bed gasifier. The fuel cell anode is in direct contact with bed material so that the H.sub.2 and CO generated in the bed are oxidized to H.sub.2O and CO.sub.2 to create a push-pull or source-sink reaction environment. The SOFC is exothermic and supplies heat within a reaction chamber of the gasifier where the fluidized bed conducts an endothermic reaction. The products from the anode are the reactants for the reformer and vice versa. A lower bed in the reaction chamber may comprise engineered multi-function material which may incorporate one or more catalysts and reactant adsorbent sites to facilitate excellent heat and mass transfer and fluidization dynamics in fluidized beds. The catalyst is capable of cracking tars and reforming hydrocarbons.

The invention concern methods for converting carbonaceous feedstock slurry into synthetic fuel gas comprising: (a) introducing a carbonaceous feed stock slurry into a first reaction vessel via a continuous feed; (b) converting said carbonaceous feed stock slurry to a carbon char slurry comprising carbon char, and water by allowing said carbonaceous feed stock slurry to have a residency time of between 5 and 30 minutes in said first reaction vessel, said carbonaceous feed stock slurry being heated to a temperature of between about 260 to about 320° C. at a pressure such that water does not flash to steam.

There is disclosed a waste treatment process for a fossil-fuel extraction site (18, 40), comprising: processing extracted waste generated by a fossil-fuel extraction process to produce primary waste having a higher calorific value than the extracted waste; mixing the primary waste with secondary waste to generate pyrolysis feedstock, the secondary waste having a lower calorific value than the primary waste; pyrolysing the pyrolysis feedstock in a pyrolysis unit (32) to form pyrolysis char; and gasifying the pyrolysis char in a gasification unit (36) to form syngas and ash.

A gasifier start-up method for a gasifier capable of preventing or inhibiting a temporary occurrence of black smoke when a gasifier is started-up. A gasifier start-up method for a gasifier, in which a gasifying agent and a solid carbonaceous fuel are supplied and gasified, includes a start-up burner igniting step of supplying a start-up fuel and oxygen-containing gas to a start-up burner and igniting the start-up fuel and oxygen-containing gas, under an inert atmosphere in which an inside of the gasifier around the start-up burner is filled with inert gas; and an oxygen-containing-gas supply adjusting step of adjusting the supply of the oxygen-containing gas such that combustion gas obtained after the combustion reaction of the start-up fuel and the oxygen-containing gas becomes the inert gas, which contains little oxygen.

Processes and systems are provided for converting a carbonaceous feedstock into a reaction gas and a syngas, involving a step of pyrolysing and methanating the feedstock in a pyrolysis chamber to produce the reaction gas and a step of gasifying unconverted feedstock in the presence of a reactant to produce a syngas.

A method for producing synthesis gas for operating an internal combustion engine from an organic solid fuel decomposed into pyrolysis products in a pyrolysis reactor without an oxygen supply, includes feeding the pyrolysis products from a bottom of the pyrolysis reactor to a fluidized bed reactor. A synthesis gas produced in the fluidized bed reactor is withdrawn as product gas. The products gas is directly or indirectly fed to the internal combustion engine. The pyrolysis reactor is operated using at least one pyrolysis auger for conveying the solid fuel. The fluidized bed reactor is fluidized by supplying air at a rate above a minimal loosening rate of the bed material of the fluidized bed of the fluidized bed reactor.

In some variations, the invention provides a biocarbon pellet comprising: 35 wt % to 99 wt % of a biogenic reagent, wherein the biogenic reagent comprises, on a dry basis, at least 60 wt % carbon; 0 wt % to 35 wt % water moisture; and 1 wt % to 30 wt % of a binder, wherein the biocarbon pellet is characterized by an adjustable Hardgrove Grindability Index (HGI) from about 30 to about 120, as shown in the Examples. The pellet HGI is adjustable by controlling process conditions and the pellet binder. The binder can be an organic binder or an inorganic binder. The carbon is renewable as determined from a measurement of the .sup.14C/.sup.12C isotopic ratio. Many processes of making and using the biocarbon pellets are described. Applications of the biocarbon pellets include pulverized coal boilers, furnaces for making metals such as iron or silicon, and gasifiers for producing reducing gas.

A carbonaceous fuel gasification system for a supercritical CO.sub.2 power cycle system includes a micronized char preparation system comprising a devolatilizer that receives solid carbonaceous fuel, hydrogen, oxygen, and fluidizing steam and produces micronized char, steam, hydrogen, and volatiles. An indirect gasifier includes a vessel comprising a gasification chamber that receives the micronized char, a conveying gas, and steam where the gasification chamber provides syngas, ash, and steam. A combustion chamber receives syngas and an oxidant and burns the mixture of syngas with the oxidant to provide heat for gasification and for heating incoming flows, thereby generating steam and CO.sub.2. The heat for gasification is transferred from the combustion chamber to the gasification chamber by circulating refractory sand. A syngas cooler cools the syngas and generates steam and provides to a supercritical CO.sub.2 power cycle system that performs a supercritical CO.sub.2 power cycle for generating power.