Advanced biomass conversion using supercritical water

This project aims at contributing to the development of an advanced Canadian technology that could compete in the international market for production of hydrogen from biomass, a renewable and greenhouse gas neutral source of energy and chemicals. The proposed process is original, novel and contains several unique features like use of fast & turbulent fluidized beds in supercritical water (SCW), downer bed heat exchanger for heat recovery from SCW gasifier (SCWG), and catalyst regeneration in SCWG. To develop these novel components, the applicant will explore several totally unexplored areas, amongst which fast & turbulent bed in SCW are most important. It may thus open a frontier in engineering science by kick-starting research in a new area of high velocity supercritical water fluidized beds that could facilitate many other synthesis reactions and toxic waste remediation processes. The new process of production of hydrogen and other gases from biomass using SCW fluidized bed may make a quantum jump over current methods of hydrogen production both in terms of overall cost of setting up a plant and operating cost. The proposed process is not only free from net greenhouse gas emission, it can also turn very wet biomass like city sewage, from a disposal nightmare to a valuable source of revenue, hydrogen. This new area of engineering research is designed for early commercialization, and thus could have a large commercial impact on the production of green energy from renewable resources. The project could benefit much from the progress already made by applicant's current strategic grant project and his experience in transfer of technology to the industry. The project has a major emphasis on the training of highly qualified personnel in a frontier area of immediate interest to Canada. In five years it would help train 4 Ph.Ds, 3 M.Scs and 30 undergraduate students.