The aluminum silicate catalyst effect on efficiency of energy yield in gasification of paper-reject sludge

This research investigated the mineral aluminum silicate catalyst effect on the enhancement of energy yield efficiency and reduction of the tar yield concentration in the gasification of paper-reject sludge. Experimental results indicated that the energy yield efficiency is enhanced by the tested mineral catalyst. When gasification temperature operated at 600 °C, the lower heating value (LHV) of syngas increased significantly from 8.66 MJ/Nm3 to 13.38 MJ/Nm3 with an increase in aluminum silicate catalyst addition from 0% to 20%. The energy density of syngas also increased from 0.53 to 0.82. This implied that the energy utilization of syngas produced by a low temperature catalytic gasification could increase approximately 1.5 times the energy content of paper-reject sludge. The tar reduction efficiency could reach approximately 50% which was also proportional to the catalyst addition ratio. In summary, the aluminum silicate catalyst can help to improve the efficiency of tar reduction and energy yield in a low temperature catalytic gasification of paper-reject sludge.