HYDROTHERMAL GASIFICATION AND PYROLYSIS TREATMENT OF FRUIT WASTE FOR SYNGAS PRODUCTION: PROCESS SIMULATION AND OPTIMIZATION

Abstract

n the present study, the efficient utilization of fruit waste biomass in gasification and pyrolysis at
steady-state equilibrium conditions was modelled using ASPEN Plus software. The effect of
gasification temperature and pressure and decomposition temperature and pressure were
investigated to obtain the optimum operating parameters that gives the highest yield of the syngas
for the gasification process of banana peel, orange peel, mango endocarp and water melon peel.
The result of the gasification show mango endocarp have the highest amount of syngas (197.302
kg/h) followed by the other fruits in the order water melon peel, orange peel and banana peel as
195.38, 193.386, and 148.09 kg/h respectively. Pyrolysis of banana peel gave the highest amount
of syngas 93.478 kg/h compare to pyrolysis of mango endocarp, water melon peel and orange peel
with syngas yield of 91.18, 89.07, and 87.013 kg/h respectively. The gasification temperature is
most significant parameter and the optimum operating parameters for syngas yield at 197.534 kg/h
in the gasification of mango endocarp are decomposer temperature, decomposer pressure, gasifier
temperature, gasifier pressure and desirability of 610 ℃, 1.081 atm, 841 ℃, 1.012 atm and 1
respectively. This demonstrate the potential of mango endocarp as a vigorous gasification candidate for syngas production.