Reactive Flash Volatilisation of Waste Grassy Biomass for Hydrogen Production

This thesis investigates on Reactive Flash Volatilization (RFV) of grassy biomasses as a prospective method for efficient conversion into hydrogen by overcoming the challenges in the existing biomass gasification industry, such as tar formation and biomass supply bottleneck. This study explores utilising biomass ash as a catalyst and also investigates on re-use potential of spent catalysts. The effect of biomass structure and composition on hydrogen yield via RFV was investigated for the first time. Ultimately, the techno-enviro-economic viability of a medium-scale commercial plant was assessed, resulting cost of 3.8 AUD/kg hydrogen, which is comparable to the cost of blue hydrogen.