Spent Liquor Steam Reforming and Recovery, 1996 Engineering Conference Proceedings

A versatile steam-reforming chemical and energy recovery process is available for processing spent liquors in the pulp and paper industry. Spent liquor steam reforming utilizes indirect heating of a steam fluidized bed of sodium carbon-ate solids producing a hydrogen-rich reformate export gas. The process separates the sodium and sulfur components, thus permitting application to a wide variety of spent pulp-ing liquors including kraft (sulfate), sulfite, cross recovery, silica-laden soda, semichemical or other hybrid cooking chemistries. It also separates the individual unit operations, allowing independent control of each under its own opti-mized conditions. Low-temperature operation eliminates smelt formation and potential explosions and provides for robust equipment life. Steam reforming is attractive from an energy standpoint, since the medium-Btu reformate gas is compatible with combined-cycle cogeneration operations, providing overall higher conversion efficiencies as compared to a simple steam cycle.