Integrating solar-driven biomass gasification and PV-electrolysis for sustainable fuel production: Thermodynamic performance, economic assessment, and CO2 emission analysis

Abstract

Biomass gasification provides a promising pathway for sustainable fuel production. Nevertheless, its development is hindered by lower efficiencies in biomass–to–fuel energy conversion and carbon utilization, along with restricted scale due to economic collection radius. To tackle these challenges, a solar–biomass hybrid gasification system is proposed for sustainable fuel production. The system employs parabolic trough and tower concentrators to generate solar heat, driving the biomass pyrolysis and pyrolysis products gasification reactions to produce bio–solar syngas. The high–density bio–oil and char produced in distributed pyrolysis units can be economically transported to the centralized gasification plant. Moreover, PV–electrolysis water is utilized to generate H2 and O2, which are used to adjust syngas composition and substitute for air separation O2, respectively. Consequently, the energy consumption for water–gas shift, CO2 separation, and air separation units can be reduced. Thermodynamic, economic, and CO2 emission performance are analyzed for a typical case of methanol production using corn residue. The total energy conversion efficiency of the hybrid system can reach 65.01 %, representing an improvement of 6.57 % compared to the conventional biomass gasification system. The fuel production cost is estimated to be $354.1 per ton, falling within the market price range. Additionally, the greenhouse gas emissions to produce unit kg methanol can be reduced by 0.63 kg CO2eq. Furthermore, we analyzed the performance of six representative fuel production scenarios involving different types of biomass feedstocks. Finally, the limitations of this work and the feasibility of its practical applications are discussed. This study offers an innovative approach to bio-solar fuel production, promoting the development of circular bio-economy and the application of sustainable fuel.