Investigation of factors that influence the yields and qualities of products from the thermocatalytic reforming process (TCR®)

Press Release /

Hillary Onyebuchi Onyishi from the Advanced Carbon Conversion Technologies department at the Fraunhofer UMSICHT institute branch in Sulzbach-Rosenberg wrote his doctoral thesis on the topic of »Investigation of factors influencing the yields and qualities of the products from the thermo-catalytic reforming process« successfully defended at the Ruhr University Bochum. The research for this took place at the Fraunhofer UMSICHT Sulzbach-Rosenberg branch.

Photo (from left to right): Iliyasu Suleiman (PhD student at Fraunhofer UMSICHT Sulzbach-Rosenberg), Taiwo Adedeji (PhD student at Fraunhofer UMSICHT Sulzbach-Rosenberg), Prof. Dr. Jens Pöppelbuß (head of the oral examination), Hillary Onyebuchi Onyishi, Prof. Dr. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Renner (first supervisor), Prof. Dr. Görge Deerberg (second supervisor), Simon Rauh (PhD student at Fraunhofer UMSICHT Sulzbach-Rosenberg) and Christian Groves (PhD student at Fraunhofer UMSICHT Sulzbach-Rosenberg).

His work focused on the TCR® process (thermocatalytic reforming) developed at Fraunhofer UMSICHT, with which residual biomass can be converted into synthesis gas, carbonized material and liquid bio-crude oil - and thus into raw materials for synthetic fuels.

Specifically, Hillary investigated the influence of different methodological and material-related operating conditions on product yields and qualities. The factors investigated included the moisture content of the starting material, the prevailing temperature and catalysts such as activated carbon and red mud in the post-reformer.

His most important findings:

  1. The outcome of the TCR process can be altered by varying the influencing factors.
  2. The factors can be combined to achieve specific goals.
  3. There are various new avenues for TCR applications - e.g. in gas turbines and the industrial production of magnetite

We are delighted for Hillary and congratulate her on her defense!

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