Described is a plant and process for biomass treatment, where the plant is configured to actuate said process which comprises: —a step A of thermochemical treatment of transformation of a biomass into a carbonaceous solid, where this transformation involves treating the biomass at a treatment temperature of between 150° C. and 300° C. and at a treatment pressure of between 10 atm and 50 atm for 0.5-8 hours, in the presence of water, with accessory production of a treatment gas; —a step B of mixing the treatment gas with an auxiliary gas, to obtain operating gas; —a step C of thermochemical decomposition of the carbonaceous solid in an atmosphere consisting of the operating gas, where the thermochemical decomposition is suitable to obtain a combustible synthesis gas. step

The disclosure provides for the separation and combustion of at least one hydrocarbon, oxygenate, sulfur compound, and or nitrogen compound, from industrial gas or gasification derived syngas to generate steam. A gasification process and a gas fermentation process may be integrated using tail gas from the fermentation process for the flame to combust tar and other compounds from the syngas generated by a gasification process. Integration may be achieved by removing tar and other compounds from industrial gas or gasification derived syngas using an adsorbent and regenerating the adsorbent using tail gas from the gas fermentation process. Tail gas enriched with the desorbed tar and other compounds may be used to generate steam in a steam boiler and the steam may be used for a variety of purposes including power generation to power, for example, a compressor of the gas fermentation process.

The present invention concerns a reactor and a process for the hydrothermal treatment of an aqueous mixture, such as watery biomass. The reactor according to the invention comprises (31) an inlet for receiving the aqueous mixture, (32) a tube-shaped reactor interior, which is inclined at an angle in the range of 1-45°; (33) a first zone in the reactor interior (32) comprising means (5) for heating the aqueous mixture; (34) a second zone in the reactor interior (32) for keeping the aqueous mixture at the predetermined temperature; (35) a third zone in the reactor interior (32) for cooling the aqueous mixture; (38) an outlet for discharging a hydrothermally treated aqueous mixture, and (43) an outlet for discharging gas, wherein inlet (31) and outlet (43) are positioned at the top part of the reactor and outlet (38) at the bottom part of the reactor. The inclined nature of the reactor ensures that all gases are efficiently removed from the liquid effluent, and the CO.sub.2 formed during the process is used to improved efficacy of the hydrothermal treatment.

A fluidized bed biogasifier is provided for gasifying biosolids. The biogasifier includes a reactor vessel and a feeder for feeding biosolids into the reactor vessel at a desired feed rate during steady-state operation of the biogasifier. A fluidized bed in the base of the reactor vessel has a cross-sectional area that is proportional to at least the fuel feed rate such that the superficial velocity of gas is in the range of 0.1 m/s (0.33 ft/s) to 3 m/s (9.84 ft/s). In a method for gasifying biosolids, biosolids are fed into a fluidized bed reactor. Oxidant gases are applied to the fluidized bed reactor to produce a superficial velocity of producer gas in the range of 0.1 m/s (0.33 ft/s) to 3 m/s (9.84 ft/s). The biosolids are heated inside the fluidized bed reactor to a temperature range between 900° F. (482.2° C.) and 1700° F. (926.7° C.) in an oxygen-starved environment having a sub-stoichiometric oxygen level, whereby the biosolids are gasified.

It is provided a method of converting a carbonaceous material into syngas at a carbon conversion rate of at least 78% comprising gasifying the carbonaceous material in a fluidized bed reactor producing a crude syngas, classifying the crude syngas by particle size and density into a cut sizing device, introducing the classified particle crude syngas into a thermal reformer and reforming the classified crude syngas at a temperature above mineral melting point, producing the syngas.

Exemplary apparatus or method implementations for a universal feeder system configured with a transfer screw feeder within a multi-section clamshell pipe permitting access to the feed screw and pipe interior for inspection, maintenance and/or cleaning during production, without disassembly or screw removal. The clamshell screw feeder pipe provides access to the screw by opening or removing the multi-section top portion of the clamshell pipe. The top pipe section is bolted and or hinges to the bottom portion of the clamshell pipe. The number of segmented multiple clamshell top sections depends on the length of the screw. One or more clamshell top sections may be configured with an inspection port. The universal feeder system configured with a transfer screw feeder within a multi-section clamshell pipe transfers feedstock feed from one or more feed vessels to one or more reactor vessel.

The disclosure provides for the separation and combustion of at least one hydrocarbon, oxygenate, sulfur compound, and or nitrogen compound, from industrial gas or gasification derived syngas to generate steam. A gasification process and a gas fermentation process may be integrated using tail gas from the fermentation process for the flame to combust tar and other compounds from the syngas generated by a gasification process. Integration may be achieved by removing tar and other compounds from industrial gas or gasification derived syngas using an adsorbent and regenerating the adsorbent using tail gas from the gas fermentation process. Tail gas enriched with the desorbed tar and other compounds may be used to generate steam in a steam boiler and the steam may be used for a variety of purposes including power generation to power, for example, a compressor of the gas fermentation process.

Pre-ground plastics of small particle size not more than 2 mm are co-fed into a solid fossil fuel fed entrained flow partial oxidation gasifier. High solids concentrations in the feedstock stream can be obtained without significant impact on the feedstock stream stability and pumpability. A consistent quality of syngas can be continuously produced, including generation of carbon dioxide and a carbon monoxide/hydrogen ratio while stably operating the gasifier and avoiding the high tar generation of fluidized bed or fixed bed waste gasifiers and without impacting the operations of the gasifier. The subsequent syngas produced from this material can be used to produce a wide range of chemicals.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to drying a wet coated seed material stream comprising an incoming wet granular biosolids stream mixed with a controlled size dried seed material recycling stream to produce a moist air and pellet stream, separating an uncontrolled size dried pellet stream from the moist air and pellet stream, diverting a recycle portion of the uncontrolled size dried pellet stream to be recycled, diverting the remainder of the uncontrolled size dried pellet stream to an outlet, resizing oversized pellets from the recycle portion of the uncontrolled size dried pellet stream to produce the controlled size dried seed material recycling stream, and mixing the controlled size dried seed material recycling stream with the incoming wet granular biosolids stream to produce the wet coated seed material stream. Oversized pellets may be selected using a screen. The oversized pellets may be resized using a crusher inline with the recycle stream.

Systems and processes provide for a thermal process to transform sludge (and a variety of other natural waste materials) into electricity. Dewatered sludge and other materials containing a high amount of latent energy are dried into a powdered biofuel using a drying gas produced in the system. The drying gas is recirculated and is heated by the biofuel produced in the system, waste heat (from turbines or internal combustion engines), gas (including natural gas or digester gas) and/or oil. The biofuel is combusted in a boiler system that utilizes a burner operable to burn biofuel and produce heat utilized in a series of heat exchangers that heat the recirculating drying air and steam that powers the turbines for electricity production.