Partial oxidation gasification kinetics of indole in supercritical water for hydrogen production

Indole is one of refractory intermediate products in hydrothermal conversion of biomass, and its decomposition significantly restricts the improvement of gasification efficiency and hydrogen production in biomass supercritical water gasification (SCWG). In order to improve gasification efficiency of indole and moderate reaction conditions for hydrogen production in biomass SCWG, indole (0.25 mol/L) was gasified in supercritical water at 540–600 °C, 25 MPa, 0–0.8 of oxidation coefficients (OC) in min-batch reactors. Corresponding pathways and kinetics of partial oxidation of indole in supercritical water for hydrogen production were explored. The results showed that the addition of oxidant (hydrogen peroxide) promoted steam reform and decomposition, especially ring-opening reactions, so increasing the gasification efficiency of indole and the yields of H2 and CO2 in gaseous products. The maximum hydrogen gasification efficiency could reach up to 60.3% at OC = 0.6, which was about twice that of non-oxidant. Moreover, 29 groups of reaction rate constants, activation energies and Arrhenius constants were obtained in the established kinetic model.