Gasification Mechanism of Carbon with Supercritical Water at Very High Pressures: Effects on H2 Production.

The scarce data concerning the gasification of carbonaceous solids with supercritical water (SCW) suggest the great potential of this method to produce a valuable green fuel such as H2. However, the extraordinary properties of SCW have not been properly applied to H2 production because the mechanism that governs gasification under these conditions remains unclear. Here, we present a study in which this reaction is explored within the largest pressure range ever assayed in this field, from 1 to 1000 bar.