Sustainable Biomass Feedstock Selection for Hydrogen Production in Africa

Abstract

It is becoming more widely acknowledged that hydrogen is a promising energy source that can help us move towards a low-carbon, sustainable future. With its wealth of biomass resources, Africa offers a special chance to realise this hydrogen production potential. Using the Aspen Plus process simulation tool, this study explores the viability and sustainability of using biomass feedstock for hydrogen production. The abundance of biomass resources in Africa presents a significant opportunity to both meet energy needs and cut greenhouse gas emissions at the same time. Meeting the growing need for hydrogen as a clean energy source and actively assisting in the transition to a low-carbon, sustainable future are the main goals of this research. When combined with the water gas shift reaction, biomass gasification is the process used to extract hydrogen gas from biomass. Incorporating the water gas shift reaction (WGSR) maximises the output of hydrogen. A scaling factor might be used to achieve the desired product output, although the initial biomass input flow rate was set at 1000 tonnes year. Prior to the scaling factor being applied, the reaction produced an annual mass flow rate of 94.888 tonnes. With a specified ratio of 3:1 between steam and biomass, the gasifier only used 9.9% of the steam. The production process was greatly improved by the water-gas shift reactor, which increased the annual production of hydrogen from 94.888 tonnes to 115.53 tonnes. In line with international efforts to shift to greener energy sources and fight climate change, this research significantly advances the generation of green hydrogen in Africa.