A biomass conversion system is disclosed. The system comprises a syngas generator, a cleanup engine and a power producing engine. The power producing engine is coupled to a load, such as an electrical generator. Modifications to the cleanup engine to enhance performance are described. Additionally, methods of controlling the cleanup engine in response to changes in load are disclosed. In certain embodiments, the air-to-fuel ratio, and/or recirculation gases are varied. In other embodiments, a chemical synthesis reactor may be coupled to the output of the cleanup engine.

A biomass conversion system is disclosed. The system comprises a syngas generator, a cleanup engine and a power producing engine. The power producing engine is coupled to a load, such as an electrical generator. Methods of controlling the power producing engine in response to changes in load are disclosed. In certain embodiments, the air-to-fuel ratio, spark timing, and/or recirculation gases are varied to change the power of the power producing engine. In other embodiments, the power producing engine is throttled by limiting the amount of clean syngas that enters the engine.

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.

An integrated biomass conversion system and a method of starting and shutting down the system are disclosed. The integrated biomass conversion system comprises a syngas generator, such as a gasifier, a cleanup engine and a syngas utilization system, which could be a power producing engine or a chemical reactor for chemical or fuel synthesis. The cleanup engine operates rich and at high temperatures so that the tars exhausted by the syngas generators are destroyed and not allowed to foul other components. An orderly sequence to start and shut down the integrated biomass conversion system is disclosed.

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.

A method of processing MSW, either sorted or unsorted, which can be carried out through the use of canisters to hold the waste feedstock, and autoclaves specially designed to process the waste at suitable temperature and pressure combinations is disclosed. The final solid product is a mixture of carbon ash and non-combustible materials, such as, metals, drywall, etc., and syngas that has an enhanced BTU value, typically between about 300 to 700 BTU/ft.sup.3. The remainder solid material generally amounts to approximately 5% of the original MSW volume. This material can then be sorted for metals with the balance being sent to a landfill or other recycling processes depending on its composition.

An ASG system for polygeneration with CC includes a devolatilizer that pyrolyzes solid fuel to produce char and gases. A burner adds exothermic heat by high-pressure sub-stoichiometric combustion, a mixing pot causes turbulent flow of the gases to heat received solid fuel, and a riser micronizes resulting friable char. A devolatilizer cyclone separates the micronized char by weight providing micronized char, steam and gases to a gasifier feed and oversized char to the mixing pot. An indirect fluid bed gasifier combustion loop includes a gasifier coupled to the gasifier feed, a steam input to provide oxygen for gasification and to facilitate sand-char separation, and an output for providing syngas. A burner provides POC to a mixing pot which provides hot sand with POC to a POC cyclone via a riser, where the POC cyclone separates sand and POC by weight and provides POC and sand for steam-carbon reaction.

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.

Chemical recycling facilities for processing mixed plastic waste are provided herein. Such facilities have the capability of processing mixed plastic waste streams and utilize a variety of recycling facilities, such as, for example, solvolysis facility, a pyrolysis facility, a cracker facility, a partial oxidation gasification facility, an energy generation/energy production facility, and a solidification facility. Streams from one or more of these individual facilities may be used as feed to one or more of the other facilities, thereby maximizing recovery of valuable chemical components and minimizing unusable waste streams.