Education
- Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder (2011)
- B.S., Chemical Engineering, Massachusets Institute of Technology
Biomass gasification is a potential route to renewable fuel production from a domestically produced source.Ìý In theory, all forms of carbonaceous material could be used including energy crops, agricultural and forestry waste, or municipal waste.Ìý When biomass and steam are combined at high temperature they react to form synthesis gas, a mixture of H2, CO, and CO2.Ìý This synthesis gas can then be sent to a catalytic reactor where it is converted into a variety of fuels such as methanol, ethanol and gasoline.
In traditional gasification, 20-25% of the energy in the biomass is burned to provide the process heat.Ìý If air is used for combustion, this also dilutes the product stream with large amounts of nitrogen.Ìý Solar thermal gasification offers a solution to both of these problems by supplying process heat with an external, renewable, heat source.Ìý Another advantage of solar thermal gasification is the relative ease of obtaining high temperatures.Ìý Most of the research done on biomass gasification has been performed in the 500-1000 oC range and production of tar has been a significant issue.Ìý Operating at higher temperature (1000-1300 oC) allows for better heat transfer, faster reaction kinetics, and the breakdown of unwanted tars.Ìý The focus of this project is to develop a fundamental understanding of high-temperature solar-thermal reactor design in order to optimize the conversion and process efficiency.