Hydrogen-Rich Gas Production from Palm Kernel Shell by Applying Air Gasification in Fluidized Bed Reactor

An experimental study of gasification of palm kernel shell residues from the palm oil industry, as a potential hydrogen feedstock, is investigated. The gasification is conducted in a bench-scale fluidized bed gasifier with 55 mm diameter and 850 mm height. The operating conditions were studied in the following ranges: reaction temperature in gasification zone (750− 1100 °C), feeding rate (0.20−1.21 kg/h), feedstock particle size (0.1−5 mm), and equivalence ratio (ER) (0.23−0.27). The increasing temperature and equivalence ratio was found to significantly influence the gas yield (up to 90 wt % conversion on the raw biomass) at 1000 °C and hence hydrogen composition (40 vol %). The feedstock particle size and feeding rate only showed minor influence. In conclusion, palm kernel shell is a potential candidate for hydrogen production.