Influence of catalyst and temperature on gasification performance of pig compost for hydrogen-rich gas production

•Pig compost (PC) was used as feedstock for hydrogen-rich gas production.•NiO/MD catalyst performs catalytically better than calcined MD or NiO/γ-Al2O3.•The low WHSV and high temperature can increase hydrogen yield.

The catalytic steam gasification of pig compost (PC) for hydrogen-rich gas production was conducted in a fixed-bed reactor. The influence of the catalyst and reactor temperature on yield and product composition was studied at the temperature range of 700–850 °C, for weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) in the range of 0.30–0.60 h−1. The results indicate that the developed NiO on modified dolomite (NiO/MD) catalyst reveals better catalytic performance on the tar elimination and hydrogen yield than calcined MD or NiO/γ-Al2O3 catalyst. Meanwhile, the lower WHSV and higher reactor temperature can contribute to more hydrogen production and gas yield. Moreover, the char from catalytic steam gasification of PC has a highest ash content of 75.84% at 850 °C. In conclusion, pig compost is a potential candidate for hydrogen gas production through catalytic steam gasification technology.