High hydrogen yield and purity from palm empty fruit bunch and pine pyrolysis oils

The benefits of CO2 sorption enhanced steam reforming using calcined dolomite were demonstrated for the production of hydrogen from highly oxygenated pyrolysis oils of the agricultural waste palm empty fruit bunches (PEFB) and pine wood. At 1 atm in a down-flow packed bed reactor at 600 °C, the best molar steam to carbon ratios were between 2 and 3 using a Ni catalyst. After incorporating steam-activated calcined dolomite as the CO2 sorbent in the reactor bed, the H2 yield from the moisture free PEFB oil increased from 9.5 to 10.4 wt.% while that of the pine oil increased from 9.9 to 13.9 wt.%. The hydrogen purity also rose from 68 to 96% and from 54 to 87% for the PEFB and pine oils respectively, demonstrating very substantial sorption enhancement effects.

► Substantial sorption enhancement shown for steam reforming of PEFB and pine oil.
► Steam activated calcined dolomite and Ni/Al2O3 good bed materials for SESR of bio oils.
► Hydrogen purity of 96% obtained for EPFB oil, and 87% for pine oil in single reactor.
►  Hydrogen yield efficiencies of 95% and 81% for PEFB and pine oils respectively.
► Importance of operating with CaO near 600 °C shown by thermodynamics of SESR.