Waste to hydrogen: Steam gasification of municipal solid wastes with carbon capture for enhanced hydrogen production

The research focuses on enhancing hydrogen production using a blend of municipal solid waste (MSW) with Biomass and mixed plastic waste (MPW) under the Bioenergy with Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (BECCUS) concept. The key challenges include optimising the feedstock blends and gasification process parameters to maximise hydrogen yield and carbon dioxide capture. This study introduces a novel approach that employs sorption-enhanced gasification and a high-temperature regenerator reactor. Using this method, syngas streams with high hydrogen contents of up to 93 mol% and 66 mol% were produced, respectively. Thermodynamic simulations with Aspen Plus® validated the integrated system for achieving high-purity hydrogen (99.99 mol%) and effective carbon dioxide isolation. The system produced 70.33 mol H 2 / kg feed when using steam as a gasifying agent while 37.95 mol H 2 / kg feed was produced under air gasification conditions. Case I employed a mixture of MSW and wood residue at a ratio of 1:1.25, with steam and calcium oxide added at 2:1 and 0.92:1, respectively, resulting in 68.80 mol H 2 / kg feed and a CO 2 capture efficiency of 92 %. Case II utilised MSW and MPW at a 1:1 ratio, with steam and calcium oxide at 2:1 and 0.4:1, respectively, producing 100.17 mol H 2 / kg feed and achieving a 90.09 % CO 2 capture efficiency. The optimised parameters significantly improve hydrogen yield and carbon capture, offering valuable insights for BECCUS applications. • A novel BECCUS system combining sorption-enhanced gasification (SEG) and PSA. • High H 2 (93 %) syngas dry is obtained from the SEG system. • Achieved 99.99 % pure hydrogen and over 90 % CO 2 capture efficiency. • Case I (MSW + Biomass) yielded 68.80 mol H 2 /kg feed with 92 % CO 2 capture. • Case II (MSW + MPW) yielded 100.17 mol H 2 /kg feed with 90.09 % CO 2 capture.