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Parreira Almond Processing Company <br /> N-1082706, N-1337-1-e,2-7,6-1. 7-0, 8-0 <br /> outer door is fully dosed is the inner door opened, allowing the feedstock to fall into the gasifier <br /> reaction area. The only openings in the gasifier, besides the double feestodk doors, are a <br /> similar set of double doors for ash removal, the combustion air ports, and the syngas exhaust <br /> port. Since a high-pressure blower located downstream of the syngas exhaust port is applying <br /> negative pressure on the gasifier(causing the pressure inside the gasifier vessel to be lower <br /> than the pressure outside the vessel by 2-8 Inches of water column), it is apparent that any <br /> potential emissions will be routed through the syngas exhaust port and there will be no <br /> emissions through the other doors or ports. <br /> Within the gasifier,four distinct processes take place as feedstock passes through the system. <br /> Since the gasifier is arranged vertically and the feedstock is added at the top, with ash and <br /> syngas removed at the bottom, it is apparent that these processes are gravity fed and occur in <br /> order as feedstock descends through the gasifier vessel. The first process is drying, in which <br /> moisture in the feedstock is driven off by the heat from processes occurring lower down in the <br /> gasifier vessel. The second process Is pyrolysis, in which organic material is heated with much <br /> less oxygen than is required for combustion. This reaction produces some of the synthetic gas <br /> as hydrogen and methane are released from the feedstock. The heat for the pyrolysis reaction <br /> comes from the third process, which is combustion. In the combustion zone, small air ports <br /> allow some outside air to enter the gasper and provide oxygen for combustion of the <br /> feedstock, but not enough air for full combustion. As the feedstock descends further in the <br /> gasifier vessel, it enters the reduction zone, in which final decomposition of solid material takes <br /> place. At the bottom of the gasifier, a grate supports the solid feedstock while allowing gases <br /> and ash to pass through. Gases are drawn by the high-pressure blower into the scrubbing <br /> filters,while ash Is removed by a screw conveyor equipped with double doors similar to the <br /> feedstock doors for disposal. When starting up the gasifier,feedstock is added to the <br /> combustion zone and Ignited using a hand-held propane torch.After ignition, the reaction is <br /> self-sustaining as long as sufficlent fuel and air are available. Therefore, no permanent natural <br /> gas or LPG burner is used to start up or sustain the gasifier. <br /> The principal advantage of this downdraft arrangement is that tars, which are complex organic <br /> molecules that haven't been fully broken down and which are normally a substantial problem <br /> when burning biomass, are drawn through all reaction zones to be broken down or burned. <br /> This results in approximately 99% reduction in tars In the syngas in comparison with updraft or <br /> fluid-bed gasification units'. Since the tars are the principal potentially hazardous emission, <br /> and the principal potential source of VOC emissions, such a reduction in tar, even before the <br /> filtering system, is extremely useful in reducing emissions and health risks. <br /> After the syngas is removed from the gasifier, it passes through a venturi scrubber, and then a <br /> series of filters, for removal of particulate matter.Water from the scrubber is cooled in a <br /> _ding tower at a rate of less than 10,000 gallons per minute,which mattes the cooling tower -- --— - <br /> exempt from permits pursuant to District Rule 2020, Section 6.2. The filer media is sawdust <br /> and wood chips, allowing the filter media to be used as feedstock when it is no longer useful as <br /> filter media. <br /> 'Application supplementary material, Section 3, Process and Equipment Description. <br /> 3 <br />