Development and optimization of a gasification process for the utilization of salmon processing waste

Red Alder (Alnus Rubra) and Pacific Salmon (Oncorhynchus) wastes from Alaskan fish processing facilities were analyzed to establish their potential as feedstocks in fixed bed downdraft gasification. This data was used to designate mixtures of these biomasses to be explored for functional gasification characteristics. A series of materials and methods was developed to utilize these feedstocks as fuels for the gasification process. Response surface modeling was employed to generate experiments that tested these mixtures and varying airflows to determine the optimum gasifier conditions required to achieve desired gasification products. The research successfully showed the advantages of narrow ranges in airflow and salmon waste, specifically feedstock fuels consisting of 12.5% salmon waste and airflow of 0.0088 m3/s. Future work will focus on improvements to allow the use of the produced gas in reciprocating engines, bringing considerable value to the use of salmon processing waste as an alternative fuel source in Alaska.