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Gasification Systems Technologies
Gasification Basics

 


6

What are the primary products of gasification?
Once the raw syngas leaves the gasifier, treatment facilities for gas cleaning, conditioning, and separation refine the syngas stream using proven commercial technologies that are integral to the gasification plant. The following products and byproducts are possible, depending on the desired applications. Still wider applications continue to be found.

  • The hot syngas may be used to drive a gas turbine to make electricity, as described in the next section.
  • A water-gas shift reaction may be used to change the carbon monoxide and water in syngas into hydrogen and carbon dioxide, and so upgrade the heat content of the fuel gas in order to increase the amount of hydrogen that can be separated and used in pure form for a variety of purposes, such as carbon dioxide-free power production, chemical production, and fuel for fuel cells. Water is added to the syngas prior to the water-gas shift reaction to increase the production of hydrogen.
  • The syngas may be converted using the Fischer-Tropsch process — a catalyzed chemical reaction — into chemicals and liquid hydrocarbon fuels (i.e., fuels containing a combination of hydrogen and carbon) such as lubricating oil and diesel oil, which are easier and safer to transport and pump than flammable gas.
  • Possible chemical products include plastics and urea or ammonia-based fertilizers.

Syngas Graphic
Chemicals and Products from Gasification

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