The invention relates to a gas scrubbing process for purifying crude synthesis gas with methanol as a physical absorption medium, wherein an acid gas comprising at least hydrogen sulfide (H.sub.2S) is produced. The acid gas is produced in a hot regenerator arranged downstream of an absorption apparatus and subsequently separated from gaseous methanol in an acid gas separator by cooling and condensation. The acid gas separator has a condensation region and an absorption region, wherein both regions are separated from one another by a gas-permeable tray. This has the result that impurities such as hydrogen cyanide and/or ammonia outgassing from a first acid gas substream are not reabsorbed in the condensation region of the acid gas separator, thus avoiding an accumulation of impurities in the hot regenerator or other parts of the gas scrubbing plant. The invention further relates to an acid gas separator and to the use of the acid gas separator according to the invention in a process according to the invention.

A fuel production system includes a gasification unit including a gasification furnace that gasifies biomass feedstock to produce a syngas; a liquid fuel production unit that produces a liquid fuel from the syngas produced by the gasification unit; an electrolysis unit that produces hydrogen from water using electric power generated using renewable energy; a hydrogen tank that stores the hydrogen produced by the electrolysis unit; a remaining hydrogen amount determining section that determines the amount of hydrogen remaining in the hydrogen tank; a hydrogen supply unit that supplies the hydrogen from the hydrogen tank to the gasification unit; and a control unit that performs a hydrogen consumption increasing control to reduce the H.sub.2/CO ratio of the syngas produced by reaction in the gasification furnace and to increase the amount of hydrogen supplied by the hydrogen supply unit, when the remaining amount of hydrogen is more than a predetermined amount.

An absorption column including at least one external heat exchange circuit for cooling or heating the absorption liquid, including one or more serially connected heat exchangers, wherein the junction of the pipeline for withdrawal of the absorption liquid from the column is disposed above the junction of the pipeline into the first heat exchanger in the flow direction, wherein the pipeline also includes a dumped bed.

A method of producing liquid fuel and/or chemicals from a carbonaceous material entails combusting a conditioned syngas in pulse combustion heat exchangers of a steam reformer to help convert carbonaceous material into first reactor product gas which includes carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and other gases. A portion of the first reactor product gas is transferred to a hydrogen reformer into which additional conditioned syngas is added and a reaction carried out to produce an improved syngas. The improved syngas is then subject to one or more gas clean-up steps to form a new conditioned syngas. A portion of the new conditioned syngas is recycled to be used as the conditioned syngas in the pulse combustion heat exchangers and in the hydrocarbon reformer. A system for carrying out the method include, a steam reformer, a hydrocarbon reformer, first and second gas-cleanup systems, a synthesis system and an upgrading system.

Processes for producing high biogenic concentration Fischer-Tropsch liquids derived from the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (MSW) feedstock that contains a relatively high concentration of biogenic carbon (derived from plants) and a relatively low concentration of non-biogenic carbon (derived from fossil sources) wherein the biogenic content of the Fischer-Tropsch liquids is the same as the biogenic content of the feedstock.

A method for processing feedstock is described, characterized in that incoming feedstock is processed to selectively recover biogenic carbon material from the incoming feedstock. In some embodiments the incoming feedstock is comprised of mixed solid waste, such as municipal solid waste (MSW). In other embodiments the incoming feedstock is comprised of woody biomass. In some instances, the incoming feedstock is processed to selectively recover biogenic carbon material from the incoming feedstock to produce a processed feedstock having biogenic carbon content of 50% and greater suitable for conversion into biogenic carbon Fischer Tropsch liquids. The high biogenic carbon Fischer Tropsch liquids may be upgraded to biogenic carbon liquid fuels. Alternatively, the incoming feedstock is processed to selectively recover plastic material from the incoming feedstock to produce a processed feedstock having biogenic carbon content of 50% or less.

The present invention provides a process and apparatus for converting feedstock comprising biomass and/or carbon-containing solid waste material to synthesis gas. The process comprises supplying the feedstock to a gasifier comprising a fluidized bed zone and a post-gasification zone and contacting the feedstock with a gasification agent at a plurality of different operating temperatures based on the ash softening temperature of the feedstock and finally recovering the synthesis gas. The apparatus is configured to perform the process and comprises a plurality of nozzles arranged at an acute angle relative to a horizontal plane of the gasifier.

A pyrolysis gas reforming system is provided. The pyrolysis gas reforming system includes a pyrolysis unit configured to perform pyrolysis of waste, an oil-gas separation unit configured to separate a product generated by the pyrolysis unit into oil and gas, a pyrolysis gas purification unit configured to refine pyrolysis gas generated through the separation by the oil-gas separation unit, a pyrolysis gas reforming unit configured to generate synthesis gas by reforming the pyrolysis gas purified by the pyrolysis gas purification unit, a hydrogen gas shift reaction unit configured to convert carbon monoxide contained in the synthesis gas generated by the pyrolysis gas reforming unit into hydrogen and carbon dioxide, and a hydrogen separation unit configured to separate hydrogen from the synthesis gas discharged from the hydrogen gas shift reaction unit, wherein combustion gas generated by a burner of the pyrolysis gas reforming unit and used to supply heat to the pyrolysis gas reforming unit is used to supply heat to the pyrolysis unit.

The present invention provides a process for the manufacture of a useful product from carbonaceous feedstock of fluctuating compositional characteristics, the process comprising the steps of: continuously providing the carbonaceous feedstock of fluctuating compositional characteristics to a gasification zone; gasifying the carbonaceous feedstock in the gasification zone to obtain raw synthesis gas; sequentially removing ammoniacal, sulphurous and carbon dioxide impurities from the raw synthesis gas to form desulphurised gas and recovering carbon dioxide in substantially pure form; converting at least a portion of the desulphurised synthesis gas to a useful product. Despite having selected a more energy intensive sub-process i.e. physical absorption for removal of acid gas impurities, the overall power requirement of the facility is lower on account of lower steam requirements and thereby leading to a decrease in the carbon intensity score for the facility.

A process for the stepwise separation of accompanying gases from a raw synthesis gas stream by a liquid absorbent countercurrently guided through all process steps and circulated via regeneration plants, wherein either the accompanying gases H.sub.2S, COS and CO.sub.2 are separated in a common absorption step or, in one of the selective absorption steps chiefly H.sub.2S and COS are separated and in the next step in flow direction of the gas chiefly CO.sub.2 is separated, and in the last step a separation of accompanying gas residues (fine wash) is effected, wherein before the separation of H.sub.2S and COS an absorption step chiefly for the separation of aromatics and subsequently an absorption step chiefly for the separation of methyl mercaptan is carried out.