The redox process for producing hydrogen from woody biomass

Hydrogen may be made from biomass fuel gas using a method of cyclic reduction and oxidation (REDOX) of iron oxides. The production of hydrogen using REDOX technology has been modelled. These studies showed that the hydrogen production efficiency depends significantly on the gasifier fuel gas composition and the thermochemical properties of the REDOX material. A lab scale REDOX system was developed to provide experimental data. Good agreement between experimental and theoretical data was obtained. The inherent thermodynamic constraints of the REDOX process limit the maximum efficiency. The REDOX hydrogen process is significantly less efficient and more costly than conventional hydrogen technology.