Simulated biomass tar removal mechanism by a Quench Coupled with ADsorption Technology (QCADT)

Tar removal is a bottleneck in the smooth commercialization of biomass gasification technology. Based on introducing adsorption process into Quench Coupled with ABsorption Technology (QCABT) previously proposed by the author's group, Quench Coupled with ADsorption Technology (QCADT) has been developed to narrow this gap. Additionally, benzene and naphthalene, which are more similar to the real tar for containing aromatic ring structures, were adopted as light and heavy simulated tar, respectively. Also their removal behavior by QCADT was investigated. The results show that the removal mechanism of QCADT is similar to that of QCABT, except for the higher overall tar removal rate due to adsorption effect. Adsorbents with both micro- and narrow mesopores exhibit a better benzene removal performance, while narrow mesopores play dominant roles in naphthalene removal. Penetration adsorption loading of benzene and naphthalene on AC-1 can reach 0.38 g·g⁻¹ and 0.34 g·g⁻¹, respectively. The sawdust hardly has any tar removal effect. Combined micro- and meso-pores, will benefit both deep tar removal and large adsorption rate, providing a high tar removal efficiency.