The present invention provides a process for the manufacture of a useful product from synthesis gas having a desired hydrogen to carbon monoxide molar ratio comprising: gasifying a first carbonaceous feedstock comprising waste materials and/or biomass in a gasification zone to produce a first synthesis gas; optionally partially oxidising the first synthesis gas in a partial oxidation zone to generate oxidised synthesis gas; reforming a second carbonaceous feedstock to produce a second synthesis gas, the second synthesis gas having a different hydrogen to carbon ratio from that of the first raw synthesis gas; combining at least a portion of the first synthesis gas and at least a portion of the second synthesis gas in an amount to achieve the desired hydrogen to carbon molar ratio and to generate a combined synthesis gas and subjecting at least part of the combined synthesis gas to a conversion process effective to produce the useful product. The reforming step enables the conventional water gas shift reaction to be dispensed with.

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.

An apparatus and a method for gasifying carbon-containing materials in which the material for gasification and oxygen, usually in the form of air, are supplied to a gas generator where the gasification takes place in a fixed bed reactor. The product gas is drawn off via a product gas line and introduced into a hot gas filter. A filter, preferably provided with filter candles, removes solids such as particles not yet gasified, ash and foreign bodies, while clean gas passes through and is taken off via a clean gas line. An outlet is provided in the bottom region of the hot gas filter to remove residual solids. The hot gas filter is supplied through a line with oxygen, preferably in the form of air, in its middle height region, between the filter bottom and the outlet.

The present invention provides a biomass gasification device that optimizes the pyrolysis temperature of biomass, the reforming temperature of pyrolysis gas, and the atmosphere thereof to generate a reformed gas containing a large amount of valuable gas. The present invention related to a biomass gasification device that is provided with a biomass pyrolyzer, a pyrolysis gas reformer, and a pyrolysis gas introduction pipe, wherein: the biomass pyrolyzer is further provided with a heat carrier inlet and outlet ports, and performs pyrolysis on the biomass by heat of the heat carrier; the pyrolysis gas reformer performs steam-reforming on pyrolysis gas generated by the pyrolysis of biomass; the pyrolysis gas reformer is further provided with an air or oxygen blow-in port; and the pyrolysis gas introduction pipe is provided on the biomass pyrolyzer-side surface below the upper surface of the heat carrier layer formed in the biomass pyrolyzer.

A process for the manufacture of a useful product from carbonaceous feedstock of fluctuating compositional characteristics, 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; recovering at least part of the raw synthesis gas from the gasification zone and supplying at least part of the recovered raw synthesis gas to a partial oxidation zone; equilibrating the H.sub.2:CO ratio of the raw synthesis gas in the partial oxidation zone to obtain equilibrated synthesis gas; recovering at least part of the equilibrated synthesis gas from the partial oxidation zone and treating the gas to remove impurities and generate a fine synthesis gas; and converting the optionally adjusted fine synthesis gas into the useful product in a further chemical reaction requiring a usage ratio.

An apparatus for fuel gas production and combustion comprises a solid fuel feeding unit for receiving and feeding solid fuel; a gas producing unit being connected to the solid fuel feeding unit for receiving solid fuel from the solid fuel feeding unit; an air feeding unit connected to the gas producing unit for feeding air to the gas producing unit to cause a gasification reaction; an ash trapping unit connected to the gas producing unit for separating fly ash and dust from the fuel gas; a burner unit connected to the ash trapping unit for combusting the fuel gas; and an ash discharging unit connected to the gas producing unit and ash trapping unit and comprising a bottom ash discharging part and a fly ash discharging part, characterized in that the air feeding unit comprises a plurality of air feeding parts wherein at least one air feeding part being connected to the gas producing unit and at least one air feeding part being connected to the ash trapping unit.

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.

A continuous multi-stage vertically sequenced gasification process for conversion of solid carbonaceous fuel material into clean (low tar) syngas. The process involves forming a pyrolysis residue bed having a uniform depth and width to pass raw syngas there through for an endothermic reaction, while controlling the reduction zone pressure drop, resident time and syngas flow space velocity during the endothermic reaction to form substantially tar free syngas, to reduce carbon content in the pyrolysis residue, and to reduce the temperature of raw syngas as compared to the temperature of the partial oxidation zone.

The torrefaction gas processing unit (400) allows the chemical recycling of torrefaction gas (202) produced by the torrefaction e.g. from solid recovered fuel (SRF) pellets (117) without the need to burn the torrefaction gas (202).

The invention is directed to a process to prepare an activated carbon product and a syngas mixture comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide from a solid torrefied biomass feed comprising the following steps, (i) subjecting the solid biomass feed to a pyrolysis reaction thereby obtaining a gaseous fraction comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide and a mixture of gaseous organic compounds and a solid fraction comprising of char particles, (ii) separating the solids fraction from the gaseous fraction, (iii) subjecting the gaseous fraction obtained in step (ii) to a continuously operated partial oxidation to obtain a syngas mixture further comprising water and having an elevated temperature and (iv) activating the char particles as obtained in step (ii) to obtain the activated carbon product.