Hydrogen production from agricultural waste has been investigated experimentally using a bench-scale fluidised bed gasifier with 60 mm diameter and 425 mm height. During the experiments, the fuel properties and the effects of operating parameters such as gasification temperatures (800?900?C), fluidisation ratio (2.0?3.33 m/s), static bed height (10?30 mm) and equivalence ratio (0.16?0.46) were analysed. Increasing temperatures favoured hydrogen yield and composition (up to 67 mol %) but only minor effects for other parameters. As conclusion, agricultural wastes are potential candidates as an alternative renewable energy source to fossil fuels.

Keywords: hydrogen production, air gasification, Malaysia, agricultural waste, fluidised bed gasifiers, renewable energy