Patent ID: 8241599

Claim:
A method for improving the efficiency of biomass gasification process, said method comprising contacting a volatile organometallic compound with said biomass before or during gasification of said biomass wherein the volatile organometallic compound is selected from the group consisting of cyclomatic manganese carbonyl compounds, methyl cyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl, cyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl, manganese carbonyl materials, ferrocene, iron carbonyl materials, cerium-containing compounds, platinum group metal compounds, and mixtures thereof, and wherein the biomass gasification process comprises converting said biomass into carbon monoxide and hydrogen by reacting said biomass with at least one of oxygen and steam, wherein the volatile organometallic compound comprises between 1 to 10% by mass of the biomass, wherein a gasification temperature is from 300 to 800 degrees Centigrade, and wherein the improvement in the gasification efficiency is measured by an increase in gas yields of at least 29.9% relative to the gas yield from the gasification of comparable biomass without an organometallic compound at 450 degrees Centigrade.