Title: Process Development of Shale Gas Assisted Lignin and Biomass Reforming through Novel Reaction Pathway and Catalyst Design To Produce Hydrogen Rich Syngas for Fuels and Value Added Chemicals
Abstract: Novel biomass reforming strategy through synergistic co-processing with flare gas (methane and carbon dioxide) was developed at West Virginia University. Hardwood biomass comprised of lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose is abundant in the US and potentially a sustainable source of hydrogen through extensive reforming and gasification. Ever-increasing shale gas production in the US occasionally leads to flaring owing to stranded production across the US. Achieving biomass co-processing with natural gas about to be flared in such stranded shale plays is the underlying motivation here. A novel reaction pathway was discovered wherein methane and carbon dioxide assisted reforming of biomass could be performed in a modular fashion to obtain hydrogen-rich syngas. Laboratory scale fixed bed reactor setup and bench scale bubbling fluidized bed setup were developed for showcasing the synergy in catalytic co-processing of ligno-cellulosic biomass with flare gas. Highly active metal-metal carbide dispersed catalyst supported on graphene (GNS) / carbon nanofibers (CNF) was developed and evaluated. Transition metal (Fe, Ni, Pd) doped Mo2C nanoclusters dispersed on GNS / CNF support showed considerably better activity than traditional ZSM-5 supported catalysts and showed excellent resistance to deactivation over multiple reaction cycles through self-regeneration. This laboratory-scale synergistic reforming approach was scaled up to a bench scale semi-continuous bubbling fluidized bed reactor. With a reactor bed ID of 1.5 inch, a fluidized bed reactor would allow for higher throughput of biomass with CH4 / CH4 – CO2 in the fluidizing gas. Lignin and ligno-cellulosic hardwood biomass were the two feedstocks chosen for reforming based on their higher oxygen content.