Thesis on the valorization of biomass

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Hello everybody

A few months ago everything was "wonderful", I was doing an internship that fascinated me and we were considering with the company to continue the project in the form of a thesis!

Unfortunately, before finishing the file, there were some setbacks which meant that the company could no longer ensure the progress of the thesis.

Suddenly I find myself currently with a thesis subject and a laboratory director but unfortunately I can no longer continue with a CIFRE grant since the industry is not able to sign anything going in this direction (and that regional grants which finance the whole of a thesis are extremely rare).

So I am trying to look for ways to solve this problem and I must admit that it is really not simple (but I am stubborn by nature ... an advantage for doing a thesis you say). I therefore take this site to ask your opinion and possibly advice or contacts.

My subject is clearly anchored in the field of energy production by valorization of biomass (in the form of agricultural waste, blown wood etc etc) in particular by the gasification process. During my end-of-study internship I already carried out a good deal of research on this process which currently encounters many difficulties. For my part, I have a few ideas for taking things differently and it is quite possible that this will make it possible to break certain current locks which block the sector.

However, I do not want to and cannot go too far because I have to keep a part of secrecy and above all, it is only after experimentation that it will be good to have a real discussion. However, as you can see (I hope at least), I am really motivated by this project in which I have more or less immersed myself in recent months.

Do any of you ever have a solution in mind?

Some of you may say that this post has nothing to do with forum... However, I would also like them to serve as a support for a discussion with people interested and who would be or would like to document themselves on what has already been done concerning this topic
I am optimistic, I hope that my situation will be released!

I thank you in advance

See you soon

Regards

[bham]

So I am trying to look for ways to solve this problem and I must admit that it is really not simple (but I am stubborn by nature ... an advantage for doing a thesis you say). I therefore take this site to ask your opinion and possibly advice or contacts.

Hello, what are you looking for, financial means and / or feedback? Biomass gasification units exist both at the agricultural level and at the level of urban communities via waste for example, but I suppose that you already know all that. Perhaps you are more interested in a biomass fuels sector?
I am personally interested in this process but as an amateur, failing to have deepened the subject. So if you want to develop, it will be a pleasure to read you.

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Thank you for such a quick response.

Sorry if I lacked clarity. Let me say that my previous message is structured in two parts.

On the one hand, I am currently stuck at the funding level to carry out my thesis, so I said to myself "and why not expose this problem on a forum", hoping that someone can put me in contact with an industrialist interested in the valorization of biomass (or simply in the production of energy independently of the consumption of our" future-former basic resources "which are the resources at best, such an industrialist could see this forum and be arrested (you never know).

On the other hand, not losing hope of being able to deepen this project more precisely and being convinced of the merits of such a study, I allow myself to communicate about it in order to put it even further. As I mentioned, I have already done bibliographic work on the subject, which gives me a little perspective. I am sure that it is not completely complete (the subject is very vast), hence the usefulness of talking about it with other people interested in this kind of possibility which is offered to us.

To answer your questions, I would say that I am currently looking for financial means to be able to carry out this thesis (hoping that the web will allow me to do so), but this is almost necessarily done by people interested in this subject. (or who might be interested) and with whom I would be delighted to be able to discuss. Let's say that finding funding remains my main priority because without it, this project falls apart…

Indeed, as you mention, when we talk about gasification we also find certain data concerning the gasification of waste.
But it is not this aspect of gasification that I would like to develop during the thesis. I would rather dedicate myself to the production of syngas (CO + H2) in a clean and efficient way from biomass.

We have many lignocellulosic resources that are not exploited, whether in the agricultural field, in the forestry field (not counting storms) or in certain wood industries.

At the same time, we keep hearing about the fuel cell in its H2 / O2 form. However, as we know, H2 is not found on the surface of the Earth and the current means to obtain it consume an enormous amount of energy. Hence the interest in producing H2 in order to validate the viability of the fuel cell.
One of the major current problems is the production of tars which harm the quality of the gas and therefore its potential applications. And this is where I think the current units still have room for improvement.

I'm already getting carried away with writing ...

Feel free to post your remarks and comments here. People with contacts allowing me to continue my research in a promising area and in which I would fully invest my next years are, of course, more than welcome .

[bham]

This is clearer, thank you for these details.
So you're targeting the production of hydrogen from biomass, can we produce it from methane?

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Don't thank me for the details, that's the least I can do!

Yes indeed theoretically we can produce hydrogen from methane.
This is in fact one of the weak points of the Fischer Tropsch process which is based on the fact that the carbon monoxide / hydrogen mixture is obtained from catalytic reforming in the presence of water vapor from natural gas according to the reaction:

CH4 + H2O => CO + 3 H2

But more concretely, using one energy source to obtain another does not seem to me to be the best solution. The interest of the project would be to use the biomass not currently valued to make sure to produce this famous hydrogen efficiently.

You said earlier that you are interested in this process, I think you have heard about it in particular through the gasification of Georges Imbert, right?

I see that this post has already been seen by many people but that you are the only one to answer it, my pleasure is therefore mixed

Anyway, I've been coming to this for a long time forum that I really find very interesting, it's nice to see people who want to struggle to learn more and always go further so a big congratulations to all, even to the shy who do not answer on my subject !

[chatelot16]

I also work on the subject

don't tell me the secret: I see current research stories that seem less advanced than what was done in the industry in 1880 ...

imbert is not the best example of gasifier: he tried to keep it simple to put on vehicles

the older counter-current gasifiers are better: they make a lot of tar, it would be a shame for a vehicle, but in fixed installation, it's all good: the distillation of pyroligneous juice and tar allows to obtain products having a good value: a good gasifier and its purification system will produce methanol and acetone as a bonus!

do not tell me the secret: researchers who seek, swallow grants and do not make available all the results ...

the purpose of this kind of forum is rather to share information

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Indeed, in my eyes the cult of secrecy is completely counterproductive in the scientific field ... Unfortunately, not having yet had the opportunity to concretely put into practice a certain number of ideas, I do not see the advances because, on the one hand, it is much easier to discuss after experimentation and, on the other hand, to say things as they are, I must preserve them well if I want to hope to develop a thesis and not see them realized in people who can immediately implement them.

That being said, I fully agree that the gas generator Imbert is far from being the best example, but it has the advantage of having been widely publicized.
As for what is currently being done, it is important to know that I totally agree with you ... Some research is only done to blacken paper and make pretty publications not always interesting, not always relevant and without defined objectives (see even without any interest).

From your point of view, the production of tars would not indeed pose a huge problem. Only, there is something to shudder when we talk about distillation, the energy consumption is often huge and it still seems much more interesting to minimize this step. If it is possible to produce as much (see more) using less energy, I do not see where the problem is (on the contrary, it seems to me that this overlaps with a certain number of principles of this forum). Besides, what exactly do you call "purification system"?

You started by saying that you are working on the subject, would it be indiscreet to know for whom (laboratory and / or industry) and in what context (by private message if this is too indiscreet)?

[bham]

Yes indeed theoretically we can produce hydrogen from methane.
This is in fact one of the weak points of the Fischer Tropsch process which is based on the fact that the carbon monoxide / hydrogen mixture is obtained from catalytic reforming in the presence of water vapor from natural gas according to the reaction:

CH4 + H2O => CO + 3 H2

You said earlier that you are interested in this process, I think you have heard about it in particular through the gasification of Georges Imbert, right?

First, please confirm that you can get hydrogen from methane.
Then yes, I heard about the gasifier of Georges Imbert, since I live not far from the city where he lived and that there is an association that perpetuates this process. But what grieves me the most is to see, among farmers, all these slurry and liquid manure tanks that are not used other than for agricultural spreading. Could we not recover methane by closing these tanks with a tarpaulin?

I see that this post has already been seen by many people but that you are the only one to answer it, my pleasure is therefore mixed

Anyway, I've been coming to this for a long time forum that I really find very interesting, it's nice to see people who want to struggle to learn more and always go further so a big congratulations to all, even to the shy who do not answer on my subject !

You posted for a weekend, don't be surprised by the lack of responsiveness, it may change more during the week.

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Indeed I believe that there is a lot of research which goes in this direction but I confess that I am not very specialized in this field. I think there must be some problems getting really "clean" gas. But hey, if everything were simple there would be nothing left to find!

We are moving away from the area initially addressed

[Christine]

About the industrial development of biomethanisation; a factory 100% autonomous in electricity and soon in heat:
http://www.rtbf.be/info/economie/enviro ... ont-154990