System and method of controlling biochar system in power plant

Abstract

A system includes a controller having a processor, a memory, and instructions stored on the memory and executable by the processor to: control a biochar pyrolysis reactor to heat a biomass feedstock to cause a pyrolysis reaction of the biomass feedstock using heat from a power plant to generate a biochar and a syngas, and control a biochar sorbent system to adsorb an undesirable gas from an exhaust gas of the power plant into the biochar to generate an enriched biochar and a treated gas.

1 . A system, comprising:
 a controller having a processor, a memory, and instructions stored on the memory and executable by the processor to:
 control a biochar pyrolysis reactor to heat a biomass feedstock to cause a pyrolysis reaction of the biomass feedstock using heat from a power plant to generate a biochar and a syngas; and 
 control a biochar sorbent system to adsorb an undesirable gas from an exhaust gas of the power plant into the biochar to generate an enriched biochar and a treated gas. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the power plant comprises an electrical generator driven by a gas turbine system having a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine, wherein the controller is configured to control the power plant to combust the syngas to generate the exhaust gas. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the undesirable gas comprises nitrogen oxides and the enriched biochar comprises a nitrogen-rich biochar, and the enriched biochar is configured to support one or more soil applications. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to control a combustion process in the power plant to increase a concentration of the nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gas, and the controller is configured to control the biochar sorbent system to use the increase in the concentration of the nitrogen oxides to increase a nitrogen concentration in the nitrogen-rich biochar. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control the biochar pyrolysis reactor to vary production of the biochar and the syngas at least based on an operating mode of the power plant. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the operating mode of the power plant includes a part load mode and a full load mode. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to increase production of the syngas and/or the biochar during the part load mode while the power plant has a low demand for power. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control the biochar sorbent system to vary an adsorption of the undesirable gas from the exhaust gas into the biochar to generate the enriched biochar and the treated gas at least based on an operating mode of the power plant. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the operating mode of the power plant includes a part load mode and a full load mode. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the operating mode of the power plant includes a plurality of nitrogen oxides (NO X ) modes of a combustion process of the power plant. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control the biochar pyrolysis reactor to generate the biochar at a production rate between upper and lower thresholds of a demand rate by the biochar sorbent system. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control the biochar pyrolysis reactor to generate the syngas at a production rate between upper and lower thresholds of a demand rate by the power plant. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control generation of the biochar and the syngas at least by:
 control of an exhaust flow of the exhaust gas, a steam flow of a steam generated from heat of the exhaust gas, or a combination thereof, to the biochar pyrolysis reactor to control the heat provided to the biomass feedstock; and   control of a transport rate of the biomass feedstock through the biochar pyrolysis reactor.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control adsorption of the undesirable gas into the biochar to generate the enriched biochar and the treated gas at least by:
 control of a transport rate of the biochar through the biochar sorbent system across an exhaust flow path of the exhaust gas; and   control of a concentration of the undesirable gas in the enriched biochar between upper and lower thresholds.   
     
     
         15 . A method, comprising:
 controlling a biochar pyrolysis reactor to heat a biomass feedstock to cause a pyrolysis reaction of the biomass feedstock using heat from a power plant to generate a biochar and a syngas.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , comprising:
 controlling the biochar pyrolysis reactor to vary production of the biochar and the syngas at least based on an operating mode of the power plant.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , comprising:
 controlling a biochar sorbent system to adsorb an undesirable gas from an exhaust gas of the power plant into the biochar to generate an enriched biochar and a treated gas.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , comprising:
 controlling the biochar pyrolysis reactor to generate the biochar at a biochar production rate between upper and lower thresholds of a biochar demand rate by the biochar sorbent system.   
     
     
         19 . A method, comprising:
 controlling a biochar sorbent system to adsorb an undesirable gas from an exhaust gas of a power plant into a biochar to generate an enriched biochar and a treated gas.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , comprising:
 controlling the biochar sorbent system to vary an adsorption of the undesirable gas from the exhaust gas into the biochar to generate the enriched biochar and the treated gas at least based on an operating mode of the power plant.