Abstract
Scope & Goals: This article presents a coupled review of scientific literature on environmental impact, as well as occupational safety and health, of gasification plants using residues of sewage sludge and refuse-derived fuel. Methods: The survey, covering a 10-year time span, was made through a typical systematic review of literature, retrieved from online databases of scientific publications and by using general search engines; cross-referencing of citations included in documents were also considered. Results: Two tables summarizing 38 publications were created, indicating relevant studies on the matter(s), and providing a short description on risks, goals and main findings of each study, followed by a general discussion. Conclusions: Overall, gas explosion and inhalation of toxic gases were the most common risks reported in published studies, being considered negligible if safety measures are adopted; however there are fewer studies focusing on occupational safety in gasification plants as compared with the environmental issue. Release of heavy metals, tar production and toxic gases are the main environmental concerns. From the prevention viewpoint, this review shows that treatment and valorisation of harmful tars must be improved in future technological and scientific developments.
Highlights
IntroductionA gasification process means the total or partial transformation of solid biomass components into gases
Due to problems stemming from an ever-increasing energy demand, exhaustion of fossil fuels and the problem of global warming caused by their use, other alternatives for energy generation from renewable resources such as gasification are currently receiving more attention (De Andrés et al, 2011; Engvall et al, 2011).Generally speaking, a gasification process means the total or partial transformation of solid biomass components into gases
Step 1 coincides with the study objective. It can be translated into the question: “what relevant studies, and how many, can be traced in the literature related to Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) risks in gasification plants, as well as on environmental and public health impacts caused by their operation and final products?”
Summary
A gasification process means the total or partial transformation of solid biomass components into gases. It consists in a thermochemical process where biomass is subjected to high temperature (over 700 oC) in a medium with deficit of oxygen, generating carbonaceous products like chars and tars, and a synthesis gas (syngas) with a good heating value that can be burned to obtain energy (Kumar, 2015). Many studies focus on a single subject at a time (either occupational safety or environmental impact), the reason why the authors considered pertinent to embrace both topics simultaneously, in one single systematic review, since there is an intrinsic relation among them in the way that both involve direct or indirect effects on human health (Abidin et al, 2011; Werle and Dudziak, 2014a)
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