Hydrogen Production from Biomass Pyrolysis in Molten Alkali

Pyrolysis of biomass to hydrogen rich gas in molten alkali media has been conducted in a stainless steel tank reactor. Molten alkali was used as thermal pyrolysis media. Six kinds of biomass were selected as feedstock. The experiments were carried out under atmospheric pressure and 350-550 °C. The pyrolysis gas was analyzed by gas chromatograph. The effects of the type of biomass, addition of additives and reaction conditions, including temperature and N2 flow rate, on hydrogen content in pyrolysis gas and yield of hydrogen were investigated. This paper reports the feasibility for producing hydrogen rich gas through the pyrolysis of biomass in molten salt media.