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.

The invention relates to an apparatus for producing syngas, typically from municipal waste. In particular, a gasifier is used in combination with a plasma furnace. The system is configured so that non-airborne char generated in the gasifier is removed from the system prior to delivery to the plasma furnace. This enhances the energy efficiency of the system whilst still yielding excellent yields of syngas.

The present invention relates to a catalyst to be applied to the process of gasification of coke or coal, individually or in mixture, and to the process of preparing said catalyst, which is useful in obtaining higher levels of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which allows the conversion of coke into by-products of higher added value (hydrogen-rich syngas). The present invention also addresses to a process for converting petroleum coke by using a catalyst according to the present invention.

The pyrolysis apparatus includes a fluid bed furnace (1), a first partition wall (11) dividing inside of the fluid bed furnace (1) into a pyrolysis chamber (4) and a combustion chamber (5), a second partition wall (12) dividing the combustion chamber (5) into a main combustion chamber (6) and a settling combustion chamber (7), a first gas diffuser (15), a second gas diffuser (25), and a third gas diffuser (35) configured to supply a first fluidizing gas, a second fluidizing gas, and a third fluidizing gas to the pyrolysis chamber (4), the main combustion chamber (6), and the settling combustion chamber (7), respectively, a first raw-material supply device (71) configured to supply a first raw material to the pyrolysis chamber (4) with a first supply amount, a second raw-material supply device (72) configured to supply a second raw material to the pyrolysis chamber (4) with a second supply amount, and an operation controller (200) configured to independently control operations of the first raw-material supply device (71) and the second raw-material supply device (72).

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 solid circulation monitoring and/or control system for a dual bed gasification apparatus. The monitoring and/or control system comprises a plurality of pressure sensors located at various regions within the dual bed gasification system, for monitoring pressure while the apparatus is operated. Comparison of pressures and pressure differentials between different regions of the gasifier allow monitoring of the status, and optimization of the operation conditions of the apparatus.

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.

A feedstock flexible process for converting feedstock into oil and gas includes (i) indirectly heated hydrous devolatilization of volatile feedstock components, (ii) indirectly heated thermochemical conversion of fixed carbon feedstock components, (iii) heat integration and recovery, (iv) vapor and gas pressurization, and (v) vapor and gas clean-up and product recovery. A system and method for feedstock conversion includes a thermochemical reactor integrated with one or more hydrous devolatilization and solids circulation subsystems configured to accept a feedstock mixture, comprised of volatile feedstock components and fixed carbon feedstock components, and continuously produce a volatile reaction product stream therefrom, while simultaneously and continuously capturing, transferring, and converting the fixed carbon feedstock components to syngas.

A two-stage syngas production method to produce a final product gas from a carbonaceous material includes producing a first product gas in a first reactor, separating char from the first product gas to produce separated char and char-depleted product gas, and separately reacting the separated char and the char-depleted product gas with an oxygen-containing gas in a second reactor to produce a final product gas. The separated char is introduced into the second reactor above the char-depleted product gas. The solids separation device may include serially connected cyclones, and the separated char may be entrained in a motive fluid in an eductor to produce a char and motive fluid mixture prior to being transferred to the second reactor. A biorefinery method produces a purified product from the final product gas.

Systems and methods of processing biomass include a conveyor unit associated with an inlet and/or outlet, a microwave generator, a microwave guide connecting the microwave generator to the conveyor unit that includes a microwave opening configured to receive microwave energy via the microwave guide, and a microwave suppression system including a tunnel associated with the material inlet and/or outlet, and including at least one flexible and/or movable microwave reflecting component within the tunnel, the microwave reflecting component configured to be deflected as biomass material passes through the tunnel and then returning to a resting, closed position when the biomass material is no longer passing through the tunnel. The conveyor unit is configured to receive and process the biomass material, including heating the biomass material to at least a first temperature by applying microwave energy to the biomass material.