CONTEXT

Since the increase in petroleum price , interest in use of biomass as a partial replacement for fossil fuels via biomass to liquid (BTL) or biomass to gas (BTG) processes is increasing. One of the most crucial problems in biomass gasification technology is the removal of tar, which is a mixture of condensable aromatic compounds. Tar can condense or polymerize into more complex structures in exit pipes, heat exchangers or on particulate filters, leading to choking and attrition This can result in a decrease of total efficiency and increase of the cost of the process. Tar elimination from the gasification product is necessary for any industrial application particularly for Fisher Tropsch or hydrogen use in fuel cells.