Fe/olivine as primary catalyst in the biomass steam gasification in a fountain confined spouted bed reactor

The performance of Fe/olivine catalysts was tested in the continuous steam gasification sawdust a bench scale plant provided with fountain confined conical spouted bed reactor at 850 °C. Olivine used as catalyst support and loaded 5 wt%Fe. activity stability monitored by nitrogen adsorption-desorption, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, temperature programmed reduction, diffraction photoelectron spectroscopy techniques, which were conducted before after runs. performs well biomass primary catalysts. In fact, this allows enhancing gas-solid contact, therefore catalytic avoiding elutriation fine particles. uncatalysed efficiency process, assessed based on gas production composition, H2 production, tar concentration carbon conversion efficiency, consideraby improved catalyst, reduction being especially remarkable (to 10.4 g Nm?3). After 140 min stream, deactivation particularly evident, increased to 19.9 Nm?3 (90% that without catalyst). However, still active for WGS CH4 reforming reactions, productions 1.35 Nm3 kg?1 5.44 wt%, respectively. Metal iron oxidation Fe3O4 caused deactivation, reaction environment shifted from oxidizing reducing conditions due operational limitations.