Co-Gasification of Crude Glycerol/Animal Fat Mixtures

The aim of this work was to assess the technical viability of glycerol/fat co-gasification. The gasification performance was studied in a downflow fixed bed reactor using activated alumina particles as bed material and steam as oxidizing agent. The effect of gasification temperature, from 800 to 950 degrees C was studied with a feed mixture with 10% (w/w) of animal fat. The influence of fat incorporation on the feedstock in the overall gasification process was also performed, using 3% (w/w) and 5% (w/w) of fat in feed mixtures. Samples of dry gas from the gasifier were collected and analyzed by gas chromatography in order to determine the CO, CO2, CH4, and H-2 content. The best results were obtained using the highest tested temperature, 950 degrees C, and using 3% (w/w) of animal fat in the feed mixture. The overall results revealed that the co-gasification of glycerol/animal fat mixtures seems to be a feasible technical option.