Exploration of the gasification of Spirulina algae in supercritical water.
This study presents non-catalytic gasification of Spirulina algae in supercritical water using a plug flow reactor and a mechanism for feeding solid carbon streams into high pressure (>25 MPa) environments. A 2(III)(3-1) factorial experimental design explored the effect of concentration, temperature, and residence time on gasification reactions. A positive displacement pump fed algae slurries into the reactor at a temperature range of 550-600°C, and residence times between 4 and 9s. The results indicate that algae gasify efficiently in supercritical water, highlighting the potential for a high throughput process. Additional experiments determined Arrhenius parameters of Spirulina algae. This study also presents a model of the gasification reaction using the estimated activation energy (108 kJ/mol) and other Arrhenius parameters at plug flow conditions. The maximum rate of gasification under the conditions studied of 53 g/Ls is much higher than previously reported.
Chemical Engineering Department, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
Andrew
A
Miller
Doug
D
Hendry
Nikolas
N
Wilkinson
Chandrasekar
C
Venkitasamy
William
W
Jacoby
D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D002458:Cell Fractionation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005740:Gases / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D011312:Pressure; D053545:Spirulina / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation*
D005740:Gases