Analysis of Methanol Production from Biomass Gasification

A biomass-based methanol production process was investigated. The process consists of a biomass gasifier, steam reformer, and methanol synthesis reactor as the main units. Reactors were simulated by applying the kinetic models previously developed and the process was analyzed based on the simulation results. The key parameters, the equivalence ratio in biomass gasification, the temperature in steam reforming, and the recycle of hydrogen in methanol synthesis were identified. These parameters affect the methanol production. The process analysis indicates that the optimal combinations of the parameters can greatly enhance the methanol production and the thermodynamic efficiency. Finally, the elemental analysis for carbon and hydrogen along the process was carried out.