Simulation Study of Biomass-to-high-value Product Conversion Via Steam Gasification and Methanol Synthesis

In the pursuit of sustainable energy solutions and efficient resource usage, the conversion of biomass into high-value products has emerged as interesting topics of research and development. Therefore, the aim of this research was to discover possibilities in converting biomass to high-value product. The study focused on the simulation to evaluate optimal operating conditions of steam gasification coupled with the methanol synthesis processes for methanol production, using the Aspen Plus program. Within the gasification process, the operating conditions of gasification temperature and steam to biomass ratio (S/B) were studied, while the methanol synthesis process was examined in terms of temperature and pressure conditions. The feedstocks employed were rice straw and sugarcane bagasse and processed at a rate of 100 kg/hr. The results revealed that characteristics and behaviors of syngas derived from each biomass type in relation to gasification temperature and S/B ratio, directly impacting methanol generation. Moreover, the optimal operating conditions were determined. Rice straw presented an optimum gasification operating temperature of 800°C with an S/B ratio of 0.3, whereas sugarcane bagasse presented optimal conditions at the same temperature but with an S/B ratio of 0.4. For methanol synthesis, the process efficiency was achieved at an operating temperature of 220°C and a pressure of 50 bar, leading to the high methanol production rates of 31.88 kg/hr and 53.90 kg/hr for rice straw and sugarcane bapasse, respectively.