Patent ID: 7833512

Claim:
A process for converting biomass and any other organic material to useful energy gases, comprising supplying a feed of said biomass as dried, pre-heated particles to a reactor wherein said reactor is formed of a quartz glass or other refractory non-corrosible material; generating superheated steam within said reactor; subjecting the biomass particles in a primary reaction zone in the reactor to a stream of said superheated steam having a temperature in a temperature range of sufficient temperature to cause pyrolysis of the biomass and steam under anaerobic conditions to produce production gases; passing said steam and said production gases through a secondary reforming zone within the reactor to convert any residual volatile organic compounds and said superheated steam to said energy gases, the latter including one or more of hydrogen and carbon monoxide; and adding thermal energy to said superheated steam while the superheated steam is in said secondary reaction zone.