Abstract
The world annual production of rice is higher than 700.7 million tons, which generates rice husk and straw wastes. Rice culture also produces big amounts of polyethylene (PE) bags used in rice packs and for seeds and fertilizer storage that usually end up in landfills, due to their degree of contamination. The energetic valorisation of these wastes may be accomplished by different processes, co-gasification is one of the most viable, as it leads to the production of a synthetic gaseous mixture (bio-syngas) that can be used for energy production to be used during rice milling processes. Gasification of rice husks has some challenges, due to these wastes high content of silica and alkali metals that lead to the formation of solids with lower melting point, thus, leading to bed agglomeration that causes reactor erosion and serious damage. PE has lower ash content and much higher energetic content than rice husks. However, PE polymeric structure may lead to the formation of higher tar contents, which compromise most gasification gas utilisations. Co-gasification of PE and rice husks allows taking advantages of each waste favourable characteristic, diluting the unsuitable features.
Co-gasification of these wastes was done in presence of steam blended with air or oxygen. Steam promoted the gasification reactions and favoured H2 production. Air or oxygen promoted the partial oxidation of the feedstocks to be co-gasified and supplied the energy necessary for the endothermic gasification reactions. The use of air has a low cost, but has the great disadvantage of diluting the bio-syngas produced, thus lowering its energetic content. On the other hand, the use of oxygen solves the problems related to gas dilution with nitrogen, but increases the operating cost. Bio-syngas composition obtained by co-gasification trials done with air enriched with different oxygen contents was compared with those obtained with air or pure oxygen to determine the best approach considering both the technical and economical sustainability.
