Steam gasification of safflower seed cake and catalytic tar decomposition over ceria modified iron oxide catalysts

Catalytic steam gasification of safflower seed cake was carried out using a double-bed microreactor in a two-stage process in the presence of ceria oxide (CeO₂) modified iron oxide (Fe₂O₃) catalysts with different CeO₂-Fe₂O₃ ratios. The effects of both catalyst and the temperature of catalytic bed on the tar decomposition and the overall gaseous product yield were investigated comparatively. It was found that ceria modified iron oxide catalysts had higher reactivity than that of the individual Fe₂O₃ and CeO₂ for the catalytic tar decomposition in safflower seed cake steam gasification. The CeO₂-Fe₂O₃ catalyst with 50 wt.% of Fe ₂O₃ exhibited the excellent performance for tar conversion at 700 °C. A comparison of tar decomposition from thermal run and catalytic run showed that in thermal run tar decomposition was progressed via steam reforming only. However, in the presence of catalyst, tar decomposition occurred via both steam reforming and water gas shift reaction. As a conclusion, ceria promoted iron catalysts were found to be active for both hydrogen production and tar decomposition in steam gasification of lignocellulosic biomass.