Features and Commercial Performance of a System of Biomass Gasification for Simultaneous Clean Heating and Activated Carbon Production

Biomass is a renewable and clean energy. Moreover, clean heating plays a vital role in solving issues related to the heating source structures in northern China. This paper reports on our novel technology: a system of biomass (mainly fruitwood waste, referred to in short as FWW) gasification for simultaneous clean heating and fruitwood activated carbon (FAC) production. In particular, we will discuss the features of our gasification system and product characteristics, as well as energy efficiency, environmental benefits, and economic benefits. The results showed that the energy conversion from FWW gasification was as follows: 48.10% hot gas, 49.08% fruitwood gasified carbon (FGC), and 2.82% energy loss. The NO x emissions of this system were about 126 mg/Nm3. The iodine adsorption values of the derived FGC and FAC were about 550 and 1000 mg/g, respectively. The system of gasification consumed 36 t of FWW per day, obtained 10 t of FGC, and produced 5 t of FAC. The emissions of CO2 were neutral during the operation, and the clean heating area was 4100 m2/d in Chengde, Hebei, China, with the payback period under one heating season. These results show that the system is practical, economical, energy-saving, and environmentally friendly.