Co-production of active char and hydrogen from Algerian Date Palm Spikelet: Mass and energy balance based on experimental data
Abstract
The industrial deployment of green hydrogen production via biomass gasification is still constrained by high feedstock costs and process complexity. In particular, tar formation in the syngas requires costly gas-cleaning operations and reduces the lifetime of hydrogen separation and purification units, thereby limiting overall economic viability. This study addresses these limitations by valorizing low-cost, non-additive agricultural residues from date palm (Pheonix dactylifera L.) cultivation in North Africa through a co-production process of hydrogen and activated carbon. The proposed approach decouples biomass pyrolysis from subsequent steam gasification/activation of the resulting char, producing a second-stage gas stream with negligible tar content. Experimental trials conducted in a laboratory-scale rotary kiln to characterize the solid, gaseous, and liquid products of both stages, from which mass and energy balances were established. Depending on operating conditions, 35-44 g of hydrogen and 50-113 g of activated carbons were produced per kilogram of dry feedstock, while 35-40.5% of the initial energy content was recovered as usable heat. The exceptionally low tar content of the gases produced during the activation stage was experimentally confirmed. These results demonstrate the technical advantages of the proposed process over conventional gasification routes and provide a robust experimental basis for further techno-economic and scale-up assessments. It has been demonstrated that the proposed process can produce between 30 and 38 g of hydrogen and between 50 and 113 g of activated carbon per kilogram of dry biomass, depending on the operating conditions, while also generating heat equivalent to 38 -41% of the initial energy content of the biomass. The very low tar content in the activation gases ensures improved performance and extended lifetime of hydrogen purification systems compared to conventional biomass gasification processes commonly reported in the literature.
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BibTeX
@article{daoud2026coproduction,
title = {{Co-production of active char and hydrogen from Algerian Date Palm Spikelet: Mass and energy balance based on experimental data}},
author = {Mounir Daoud and Oumessaâd Benturki and Sébastien Fontana and Romain Chevigny and Yann Rogaume and Pierre Girods},
journal = {Biomass and Bioenergy},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.biombioe.2026.110168},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05444121v2},
note = {CC BY-NC-SA 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Co-production of active char and hydrogen from Algerian Date Palm Spikelet: Mass and energy balance based on experimental data
AU - Mounir Daoud
AU - Oumessaâd Benturki
AU - Sébastien Fontana
AU - Romain Chevigny
AU - Yann Rogaume
AU - Pierre Girods
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Biomass and Bioenergy
DO - 10.1016/j.biombioe.2026.110168
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05444121v2
AB - The industrial deployment of green hydrogen production via biomass gasification is still constrained by high feedstock costs and process complexity. In particular, tar formation in the syngas requires costly gas-cleaning operations and reduces the lifetime of hydrogen separation and purification units, thereby limiting overall economic viability. This study addresses these limitations by valorizing low-cost, non-additive agricultural residues from date palm (Pheonix dactylifera L.) cultivation in North Africa through a co-production process of hydrogen and activated carbon. The proposed approach decouples biomass pyrolysis from subsequent steam gasification/activation of the resulting char, producing a second-stage gas stream with negligible tar content. Experimental trials conducted in a laboratory-scale rotary kiln to characterize the solid, gaseous, and liquid products of both stages, from which mass and energy balances were established. Depending on operating conditions, 35-44 g of hydrogen and 50-113 g of activated carbons were produced per kilogram of dry feedstock, while 35-40.5% of the initial energy content was recovered as usable heat. The exceptionally low tar content of the gases produced during the activation stage was experimentally confirmed. These results demonstrate the technical advantages of the proposed process over conventional gasification routes and provide a robust experimental basis for further techno-economic and scale-up assessments. It has been demonstrated that the proposed process can produce between 30 and 38 g of hydrogen and between 50 and 113 g of activated carbon per kilogram of dry biomass, depending on the operating conditions, while also generating heat equivalent to 38 -41% of the initial energy content of the biomass. The very low tar content in the activation gases ensures improved performance and extended lifetime of hydrogen purification systems compared to conventional biomass gasification processes commonly reported in the literature.
SN - 0961-9534
SN - 1873-2909
ER -