Coal Chemical Looping Gasification for IGCC with Fe₂O₃ as Oxygen Carrier

Abstract

The Net Zero Emissions (NZE) initiative, adopted globally, targets a maximum temperature increase of 1.5°C, significantly impacting the operation of coal-fired power plants. Although Indonesia possesses vast and low-cost coal reserves, conventional utilization results in substantial CO₂ emissions. As a cleaner alternative, Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) technology offers an efficient pathway by converting coal into hydrogen-rich syngas through gasification. The hydrogen yield can be further enhanced using a chemical looping gasification (CLG) process, where Fe₂O₃ acts as the oxygen carrier. This oxygen carrier moves between two reactors: the air reactor, which creates high-purity hydrogen syngas, and the fuel reactor, which produces concentrated CO₂ that may be captured. The results of this study indicate that increasing the gasification reactor temperature up to 700 °C enhances hydrogen production in the syngas, while raising the pressure in the reducer reactor up to 30 bar positively impacts the generated electric power. A Fe₂O₃/coal ratio of 12 improves fuel-to-CO₂ conversion efficiency in the reducer reactor, resulting in a pure CO₂ stream that facilitates the capture process. The integration of Chemical Looping Gasification (CLG) technology into the IGCC system leads to a cleaner and more efficient power generation process, supporting national energy decarbonization targets.