Abstract
The development of the world economy goes hand in hand with increased energy consumption and global warming caused by greenhouse gases. These issues can be tackled by implementing promising technologies of power generation. They differ from the known ones in that new energy resources are involved, e.g., mixtures of various types of biomass, provided that hazardous gas emissions during the production process are minimized. The development of high-potential energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies which use biofuel in the energy industry requires scientific evidence for the mechanisms, conditions, and characteristics of physical and chemical processes during pyrolysis and gasification of biomass, including its multicomponent types. This article analyzes the world technologies and research findings in the field of biomass pyrolysis and gasification. The effect of a group of factors on the intensity and completeness of gasification and pyrolysis of biofuel compositions has been determined. These factors include the size, shape, and surface structure of biomass particles; component composition and properties of fuel mixtures; mechanism and intensity of heat supply; and the temperature field in the reactor filled with solid and gaseous products. The most effective values of these characteristics have been established.
Highlights
Thermal decomposition of biomass is a complex of transformations resulting in gaseous products and a solid residue [29]
The following categories of biomass are distinguished in the context of pyrolysis and gasification: (i) primary wood waste, such as chips, sawdust, and tree branches; (ii) energy crops grown for the use in the energy sector, such as rapeseed, jatropha, miscanthus, and sugar cane; (iii) agricultural waste, such as sugar cane bagasse, nut shell, corn husk, wheat straw, oil production waste, and palm seeds; and (iv) municipal solid waste, animal waste, and food waste
The content of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin in the composition of biomass has a significant effect on its gasification and pyrolysis characteristics
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Air gasification yields a producer gas with a higher heating value of 4–6 MJ/nm (low-calorific gas) This gas can be burned in boilers and in gas engines or turbines after treatment, yet it is not appropriate for pipeline transportation due to low energy density. Gasification using oxygen yields intermediate heating value gas (10–12 MJ/m3 ) suitable for limited pipeline transportation and can be used as syngas to produce power/heat or converted into diesel range hydrocarbons by means of Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, or into dimethyl ether or gasoline range hydrocarbons [13]. The producer gas resulting from pyrolysis can be converted after treatment into syngas, which can be utilized in engines and turbines, industrial incineration plants, and in methanol production [23].
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