Experimental investigation of a downdraft gasifier for efficient syngas production using Iraqi waste

The purpose of this study is to investigate the gasification of Iraqi corn cobs and wood using the GEK Power Pallet downdraft gasifier, using both feedstocks individually and in mixtures.The experiments were conducted at an equivalence ratio of 0.35, a biomass feeding rate of 5 kg/hr, a gasifier temperature range of 750 to 1000 ℃, and an atmospheric pressure of 1 atm.The syngas composition, Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and tar behavior were analyzed for each feedstock.It was observed that corn cobs resulted in a higher H2 content in the syngas of 13.8% and CO of 17%.In contrast, wood showed a higher CO content of 19.3%.The corn cobs yielded a low tar content of 1.30 mg/Nm 3 , followed by the 30:70 wood-corn blend which had a tar content of 1.33 mg/Nm3.In regard to cold gas efficiency, corn cobs had the most efficient CGE (71.91%) followed closely by the 70% corn blend (68.31%).The TGA results for corn exhibited rapid devolatilization, while wood showed a higher char residue.In summary, this study demonstrates the potential for Iraqi-origin biomass in small-scale gasification systems while identifying a potential benefit to the blending of different feedstocks to optimize syngas characteristics or operational dependability.