Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences Vol 20 No 2 (2016): 303 - 308

 

 

 

HYDROGEN PRODUCTION FROM GASIFICATION OF PALM KERNEL SHELL IN THE PRESENCE OF Fe/CeO₂ CATALYSTS

 

(Penghasilan Hidrogen daripada Pengegasan Isirung Kelapa Sawit dengan Kehadiran Mangkin Fe/CeO₂)

 

Anita Ramli¹*, Mas Fatiha Mohamad², Suzana Yusup², Taufiq Yap Yun Hin³

 

¹Department of Fundamental and Applied Sciences

²Department of Chemical Engineering

Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32600 Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia^.

³Department of Chemistry,

 Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author: anita_ramli@petronas.com.my

 

 

Received: 24 February 2015; Accepted: 27 October 2015

 

 

Abstract

Biohydrogen is a renewable source of clean fuel and energy which can be derived from biomass. One of the suitable candidate as a source of biomass is palm kernel shell (PKS). Our initial work shows that biohydrogen may be produced from PKS in the presence of zeolite supported catalysts. The potential of using cerium oxide (CeO₂) supported catalysts for the production of biohydrogen from PKS is explored in this work using 2.5 – 10 % Fe loading. The catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation method and calcined at 500 ^oC for 16 h. The physicochemical properties of these catalysts were characterized using BET and XRD. The catalysts were tested in dry and steam gasification of PKS at 700 ^oC using PKS feeding rate of 2 g h^-1 under N₂ atmosphere with biomass to catalyst ratio of 3:1 (wt/wt). Steam to biomass ratio of 3.5:1 (wt/wt) was used in steam gasification reaction. The gaseous products were analyzed using an on-line gas chromatography equipped with thermal conductivity detectors (TCD) and fitted with Molsieve 5A and Hayesep Q columns. Result shows that 2.5 % Fe/CeO₂ gave the highest hydrogen production in both the dry and steam gasification of PKS.

 

Keywords: biohydrogen, palm kernel shell, ceria supported catalysts, gasification

 

Abstrak

Biohidrogen adalah sumber bahan api yang boleh diperbaharui daripada sumber biomas. Isirung kelapa sawit (PKS) merupakan salah satu sumber biomas yang sesuai digunakan umtuk tujuan ini. Kajian awal menunjukkan biohidrogen boleh dihasilkan daripada PKS dengan menggunakan mangkin berpenyokong zeolite. Dalam kajian ini, muatan mangkin 2.5 – 10 % logam Fe berpenyokong cerium oksida (CeO₂) digunakan untuk meningkatkan penghasilan biohydrogen daripada PKS. Pemangkin disediakan menggunakan kaedah pengisitepuan pembasahan permulaan dan dikalsinkan pada suhu 500 ^oC selama 16 jam. Sifat fizikal kimia pemangkin ini dianalisa menggunakan teknik BET dan XRD. Kereaktifan mangkin untuk penghasilan biohidrogen diuji dalam pengegasan kering dan berstim pada suhu 700 ^oC dengan PKS diperkenalkan pada kadar 2g h^-1 dan nisbah PKS kepada pemangkin adalah 3:1 (wt/wt). Nisbah stim kepada PKS 3.5: 1 (wt/wt) telah ditetapkan dalam eksperimen pengegasan berstim. Gas yang telah dihasilkan telah dianalisa menggunakan kromatograf gas yang dilengkapi pengesan konduktiviti termal (TCD) serta tiub Molsieve 5A dan Hayesep Q. Keputusan kajian menunjukkan penghasilan hidrogen yang maksimum dicapai dengan kehadiran mangkin 2.5 % Fe / CeO₂.

 

Kata kunci: biohidrogen, tempurung kelapa sawit, mangkin berpenyokong CeO₂, pengegasan

 

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