Waste to energy and materials through pyrolysis: a review

Abstract

Waste biomass, such as agricultural waste, is emerging as a promising renewable energy resource because of its abundance and carbon-neutral nature. It has a high potential to be used as an alternative source of energy by employing thermochemical conversion techniques. Pyrolysis is the most efficient technique for the conversion of biomass-based waste in manufacturing renewable fuels and chemicals. However, despite pyrolysis being a well-known method to provide solid fuel (charcoal) and chemicals, the technological pathways for producing chemicals and liquid fuels at an industrial scale are not fully developed. This review addresses the relevance of pyrolysis for waste-to-energy and materials, the fundamentals of pyrolysis, different reactors, process conditions, and its products from the perspective of energy and materials recovery. Accordingly, the purpose of this review is to analyse the current application level of pyrolysis for waste management, identify gaps in our current understanding, and recommend future research directions.