Energy Conversion Characteristics Research Articles

Wave types and energy conversion of impulse waves generated by landslides into mountain reservoirs

Subaerial landslides sliding into shallow water are physically modeled in a three-dimensional wave basin. The generated impulse waves are highly nonlinear, and a large-scale splash zone is formed above the waves. Such impulse wave characteristics are different from those from landslides into deep water that are completely submerged after sliding. The recorded wave profiles included three wave types, namely nonlinear oscillatory wave, nonlinear transition wave and bore-like wave, mainly depending on the relative slide thickness and slide Froude number at impact. Bore-like waves were possible produced only by landslides into shallow water in three-dimensional experiments. The conversion rate of landslide kinetic energy at impact into the wave train energy is 1 to 18%. Energy conversion characteristics are compared with other two- and three-dimensional studies on landslide-generated waves and the results are discussed.

Numerical Analysis for Hydrodynamic Performance of OWC Devices with Multiple Chambers in Waves

In recent years, various studies have been conducted on oscillating-water-column-type wave energy converters (OWC-WECs) with multiple chambers with the objective of efficiently utilizing the limited space of offshore/onshore structures. In this study, a numerical investigation based on a numerical wave tank was conducted on single, dual, and triple OWC chambers to examine the hydrodynamic performances and the energy conversion characteristics of the multiple water columns. The boundary value problem with the Laplace equation was solved by using a numerical wave tank based on a finite element method. The validity of the current numerical method was confirmed by comparing it with the measured data in the previous experimental research. We undertook a series of numerical simulations and observed that the water column motion of sloshing mode in a single chamber can be changed into the piston motion of different phases in multiple OWC chambers. Therefore, the piston motion in the multiple chambers can generate considerable airflow at a specific resonant frequency. In addition, the division of the OWC chamber results in a reduction of the time-dependent variability of the final output power from the device. As a result, the application of the multiple chambers leads to an increase of the energy conversion performance as well as a decrease of the variability of the wave energy converter.

Comparative life-cycle assessment of microalgal biodiesel production via various emerging wet scenarios: Energy conversion characteristics and environmental impacts

Various scenarios for biodiesel production from wet microalgae were recently reported to eliminate the energy consumption of microalgae drying. However, the comparative investigations on the environmental impacts and energy consumption of those scenarios were limited. In present study, four emerging scenarios (LE-PEF, IST-EAC, IST-MAT and LE-MHT) using different strategies and different solvents were analyzed and compared in term of net energy ratio (NER), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, ecotoxicity, and human toxicity. The results show that although the energy consumption of microalgae drying is eliminated, new energy consumption and environmental impacts were arising as solvent usage increased. The LCA results revealed that the solvent used during biodiesel production was the dominant contributor to the environmental impacts and energy consumption. The best NER (0.73), GHG emissions (−41.12 g CO2-eq MJ−1), human toxicity (2.15E-14 case MJ−1), and ecotoxicity (2.4E-4 PAF m3 d MJ−1) was observed in LE-MHT, mainly ascribed to the minimal usage of organic solvent. LE-PEF resulted in the worst environmental impact, owing to its over usage of chloroform, which is characterized by high global warming potential and high toxicity. Due to the extensive usage of solvent during in-situ transesterification, high NERs were reported for both IST-MAT and IST-EAC. The comparison between IST-MAT and IST-EAC demonstrated that the human toxicity was significantly decreased when hexane was replaced by ethyl acetate. The energy conversion characteristics and environmental performance could be further improved by minimizing solvent usage, using eco-friendly solvents, and increasing lipid recovery.

Numerical Analysis of Multi-Angle Precision Microcutting of a Single-Crystal Copper Surface Based on Molecular Dynamics.

The molecular dynamics method was used to study the removal mechanism of boron nitride particles by multi-angle microcutting of single-crystal copper from the microscopic point of view. The mechanical properties and energy conversion characteristics of single-crystal copper during microcutting were analyzed and the atomic displacement and dislocation formation in the microcutting process are discussed. The research results showed that during the energy transfer between atoms during the microcutting process of boron nitride particles, the crystal lattice of the single-crystal copper atom in the cutting extrusion region was deformed and displaced, the atomic temperature and thermal motion in the contact area between boron nitride particles and Newtonian layer of workpiece increased, the single-crystal copper atom lattice was defective, and the atomic arrangement structure was destroyed and recombined. The interface of different crystal structures formed a dislocation structure and produced plastic deformation. With the increase of the impact cutting angle, the dislocation density inside the crystal increased, the defect structure increased and the surface quality of the workpiece decreased. To protect the internal structure of the workpiece and improve the material removal rate, a smaller cutting angle should be selected for the abrasive flow microcutting function, which can reduce the formation of an internal defect structure and effectively improve the quality of abrasive flow precision machining. The research conclusions can provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the development of precision abrasive flow processing technology.

Emerging New‐Generation Detecting and Sensing of Metal Halide Perovskites

AbstractThe unique energy conversion characteristics of metal halide perovskite (MHP) materials, which can be hardly observed in conventional semiconductors and metal oxides, have boosted their promising application in detecting and sensing devices, in addition to their famous optoelectronic functions. Herein, the recent progresses of the state‐of‐the‐art applications of MHPs are focused on X‐ray diagnosis, cardiac detection, bionic retina, artificial synapse, cell imaging, and others. Owing to their emerging electrical properties with multifield coupled response effect, and photoelectric, electro‐optical, and all‐optical conversion functions, MHPs demonstrate promising prospects in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. As functional optoelectronic materials, MHPs provide a new platform for future biomedical devices. This review article is expected to present the current status on, and further promote the application of MHP materials in detecting and sensing devices.

Coupling Mechanism of Dissipated Energy-Electromagnetic Radiation Energy during Deformation and Fracture of Loaded Composite Coal and Rock.

The nature of composite coal and rock fracture under load is the process of energy conversion inside it, and to explore the coupling mechanism of dissipated energy (DE) and electromagnetic radiation energy (ERE) during the deformation and fracture process of loaded composite coal and rock, based on theoretical mechanics, electromagnetics, and other subject theories, the stress–charge induction signal coupling relationship is deduced and established. On this basis, a coupled mathematical model of dissipated energy–electromagnetic radiation energy (DE–ERE) is established, and uniaxial loading experiments under different loading rates are carried out. The research results show that the energy of the composite coal and rock increases, and the internal free charge transitions from the high-concentration area to the low-concentration area, accumulating charges on the fractured surface, forming a regional electric field, and generating electromagnetic radiation. The change of the charge-induced signal on the surface of the loaded composite coal and rock is phased and has a corresponding relationship with each mechanical phase. Its peak appears earlier than the stress peak. There is a linear relationship between the charge induction signal and stress, and they have a strong correlation, which is consistent with the established mathematical model. The energy conversion characteristics of the composite coal and rock under load have stage characteristics. The elastoplastic period is mostly converted to dissipative energy release, and the increase of plastic deformation leads to rupture. ERE is one of the components of DE. In the early stage of elastoplasticity, the dissipated energy mainly exists in the form of electromagnetic radiation energy, and the change trends of the two are the same. After the peak value, it drops rapidly, and the DE is mainly composed of other destructive energy that causes deformation. The changes in ERE can be used to determine the DE and stress state, providing a new method for preventing coal and rock dynamic disasters.

Model-based two-layer control design for optimal power management in wind-battery microgrids

In this paper, a comprehensive model in Hamiltonian form of a Microgrid (MG) composed of heterogeneous components, i.e. wind turbine generator, battery storage and local loads together with their power conversion units, is developed. The proposed model analytically captures the energy conversion capabilities of different sustainable energy sources. Based on this model description, novel primary (nonlinear PI) and secondary controllers (receding horizon) are proposed that ensure boundedness of the currents injected by each energy source and optimal power management operation of the entire MG. Furthermore, closed-loop stability analysis is rigorously proven for both primary and secondary control loops taking into account the accurate Hamiltonian description of the whole MG that includes the energy conversion characteristics. Detailed simulation results of the entire MG connected to a weak grid and operating in islanded mode are provided to validate the proposed model, the control design and the stability analysis under various scenarios.

Guided Wave Transducer for the Locating Defect of the Steel Pipe Based on the Weidemann Effect

The electromagnetic guided wave transducer has been widely used in pipeline detection in recent years due to its non-contact energy conversion characteristics. Based on the Weidemann effect, an electromagnetic guided wave transducer that can realize the locating defect of the steel pipe was provided. Firstly, the principle of the transducer was analyzed based on the Weidemann effect. The basic structure of the transducer and the basic functions of each part were given. Secondly, the key structural parameters of the transducer were studied. Based on the size of the magnets and the coils, a protype electromagnetic guided wave transducer based on Wiedemann effect was developed. Finally, the experiments were carried out on the steel pipe with a defect using the developed transducer. The results show that the transducer can actuate and receive the T(0,1) and T(1,1) modes in the steel pipe. The axial positioning of the defect is located by moving the transducer axially. The circumferential positioning of the defect is located by rotating the transducer. Additionally, missed detection can be effectively avoided by rotating the transducer.

Optimal design of radial inflow turbine for ocean thermal energy conversion based on the installation angle of nozzle blade

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), as a new type of renewable energy, has huge development potential. Turbine is the most critical component in the ocean thermal energy conversion system, which directly determines the performance and energy conversion efficiency of the system. Therefore, the optimal design of turbines is very important to improve the efficiency of ocean thermal energy conversion. Based on the full consideration of the small temperature difference application characteristics of ocean thermal energy conversion and the special thermophysical properties of organic working fluids, this paper designs an ammonia working centripetal turbine with a power of 100 kW for OTEC applications, and then analyzes the effect of different geometric parameters on turbine performance. At the same time, the key parameters of the turbine are optimized based on full three-dimensional CFD numerical simulation analysis. It's shown that the nozzle blade installation angle has a very important impact on the performance of the turbine. Through optimization, when the nozzle blade installation angle reaches 30.5°, the efficiency is 91.77%, which is 6.25% points higher than the design value. The internal flow field performance is the best without obvious shock wave and reverse vortex phenomenon, which further improves the efficiency of the turbine and improves the internal flow.

Influence of inlet gas volume fraction on energy conversion characteristics of multistage electric submersible pump

A local-regional power loss analysis method based on multiphase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation results is proposed in this study. This method is used to investigate the energy conversion characteristics of a three-stage electric submersible pump under high inlet gas volume fraction (IGVF) conditions. Results show that the input power and effective power increase first and then decrease along the streamline. When IGVF increases from 0% to 14.5%, the total input power and total effective power decrease by 32.4% and 56.2%, respectively. In particular, the input power and effective power in R4 drop by 62% and 67%, respectively. The high gas volume fraction (GVF) area on the blade pressure surface near the impeller inlet causes the power decrease in R4. However, the input power in R6 increases by 47.5%. This condition is due to a jet flow near the impeller outlet causes the vortex and high GVF area in R6, thereby leading to a high liquid velocity area along the radial direction near the pressure surface of the impeller blade. The kinetic energy of the fluid in the jet region increases rapidly in accordance with Bernoulli equation and is converted into pressure energy in the vortex area. The total power loss increases quickly with IGVF. The power loss near the impeller outlet area at 14.5% IGVF is ten times higher than that of 0% IGVF condition and five times higher than that of 5% IGVF condition. This condition is caused by the large air pockets accompanied by vortices in the area. This work provides a theoretical basis for the design and optimization of the multiphase pump.

Numerical study on energy conversion characteristics of molten salt pump based on energy transport theory

Molten salt pump (MSP) used in concentrating solar power (CSP) system to circulate the molten salt. The operation of MSP needs to understand the energy conversion characteristics in the flow field. In this study, the energy conversion characteristics of MSP were investigated based on energy transport theory. A significant portion of power is consumed in the propulsion of pressure between the inlet throat to the outlet throat of the impeller passage. The increase in the energy of medium by the Lamb vector divergence mainly occurs on the rear of the impeller passage. Whereas the enstrophy dissipation area is primarily located in the suction surface area at the impeller outlet. In addition, the pressure propulsion power is critical for energy transfer in the impeller, while the contribution of Lamb vector divergence and enstrophy dissipation is limited. It was observed that the distribution of the three energy transport dynamic parameters have a high degree of coincidence irrespective of the medium density, which indicates that the density of the medium does not have a significant impact on the law of energy conversion. Therefore, when the geometrical characteristics of the impeller are determined, the energy conversion characteristics of different medium do not change significantly.

On the energy conversion characteristics of a top-mounted pitching absorber by using smoothed particle hydrodynamics

The top-mounted pitching point absorber is one of the most promising wave energy converters in that it can be easily attached to an existing offshore structure. However, it is difficult to predict accurately its energy conversion performance because of the strongly nonlinear hydrodynamic behaviour. Herein, smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) is used to solve this wave-structure interaction problem. The SPH method is first validated against free surface deformation measurements obtained from a wedge water entry experiment. SPH simulations of regular wave interaction with fixed and freely pitching devices agree well with measured data, providing confidence in the prediction of power conversion performance. Absorbed power and capture width ratio exhibit uni-modal behaviour with wave period. The wave period of peak power within this distribution increases with PTO damping. According to the observed scaling behaviour with device scale, an optimally damped larger scale device is effective at absorbing energy from incident waves of longer wavelength. In finite deep water, the larger device achieves higher efficiency compared with the smaller ones, and its peak efficiency at 2πh/λ=1.1 provides reference for siting.

Effects of the air-staging degree on performances of a supercritical down-fired boiler at low loads: Air/particle flow, combustion, water wall temperature, energy conversion and NOx emissions

Low load operation of down-fired boilers has become the norm such that the comprehensive performances of such boilers at low loads need to be investigated to increase the energy conversion efficiency and reduce carbon and NOx emissions. In this work, cold-model air/particle flow experiments and industrial-scale trials were performed to study the effects of the air-staging degree (ASD) on the air/particle flow, combustion, water wall temperature, energy conversion and NOx emission characteristics of a 350 MW supercritical down-fired boiler at low loads. The experimental conditions are four different combinations of damper openings associated with the secondary-air, tertiary-air and OFA (i.e. 60%/40%/15%, 50%/50%/15%, 35%/70%/15% and 30%/55%/55%), and are referred to as ASD = I, II, III and IV, respectively. The results showed that, as the ASD was increased from I to IV, the injection effect of the secondary-air on the fuel-rich flow was weakened. In addition, the downward diffusion of the air/particle flow toward the furnace center increased, while the particle concentration near water wall decreased and the velocity decay was accelerated. Decreasing the ASD shortened the ignition distance of the fuel-rich flow, reduced the carbon in fly ash and slag and improved the boiler efficiency. At an ASD setting of I, a higher thermal load and increased temperature near the water wall were obtained in the lower furnace. These conditions gave the highest superheated and reheated steam temperatures of 568.1 and 570.7 °C, respectively. As the ASD was increased from II to III, the cooling effect of the tertiary-air reduced the maximum water wall temperature. The reduction, in turn, increased the regulating margin of superheating degree, which raised the steam temperature. Increasing the ASD from I to IV increased the specific coal consumption from 337.36 to 348.12 g·(kW·h)−1, indicating that the energy conversion efficiency of the unit was decreased. Additionally, the NOx emissions at the furnace exit were reduced from 770 to 528 mg/m3 at 6% O2. On the basis of the present results, an ASD setting of II is recommended to ensure the safe and economical operation of such units while minimizing environmental impact.

Modeling and operation domain analysis of wind-photovoltaic-hydrogen coupled energy block system

With the rapid development of my country’s new energy field, higher requirements have been put forward for the wind-photovoltaic-hydrogen coupled absorption and capacity configuration of the power system. Therefore, the physical nature and regular characteristics of energy conversion, storage, and coupling between wind-photovoltaic-hydrogen multi-differential energy sources are different. This article first starts from the perspective of power/energy supply and demand balance, and comprehensively considers system output, conversion efficiency, energy loss and other factors to establish a wind-photovoltaic-hydrogen coupling system analysis model. Then, according to the relationship between power and time, the system’s model operation domain is comprehensively analyzed. Finally, combined with the actual measured data of wind power and load in a certain area, using simulation software, the system’s operating domain and spatial flexibility are analyzed, and the validity of the system model constructed in this paper is verified.

Research on Optimization and Verification of the Number of Stator Blades of kW Ammonia Working Medium Radial Flow Turbine in Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is one of the emerging industries of ocean energy and an important link in carbon neutrality. Turbine is a key component of ocean thermal energy conversion, which has an important impact on the performance and energy conversion efficiency of the system. This paper fully considers the application characteristics of ocean thermal energy conversion and the state conversion characteristics of ammonia working fluid. Taking the 100 kW radial inflow turbine in the OTEC application system as an example, based on the design, the turbine is optimized for the key parameters of the turbine stator and the influence of different geometric parameters is analyzed. Subsequently, the optimization results are verified by CFD numerical simulation analysis under different conditions. The results show that the number of stator blades has an important influence on the performance of the turbine. Further optimization studies have shown that through optimization, when the number of stator blades is 33, the internal flow field performance is the best, and the working conditions of the inlet and outlet working fluids are in accordance with the design points without obvious shock wave and reverse flow phenomenon, the efficiency is 89.46%, 3.94% higher than the design value.

Interface Improvement of Li6.4La3Zr1.6Ta0.6O12@La2Sn2O7 and Cathode Transfer Printing Technology with Splendid Electrochemical Performance for Solid-State Lithium Batteries.

All-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSLBs) are regarded as the next-generation energy storage devices due to their superior safety and potential high energy density. In ASSLBs, a composite solid electrolyte is the most competitive candidate. The interface between the cathode and composite electrolyte and the interface between ceramic and polymers are important factors affecting the performance of solid-state batteries. The interface between the superionic conductor and polymer electrolyte (polyvinylidene fluoride) was modified by in situ synthesis of a pyrochlore-type La2Sn2O7 (LSO) ceramic layer on the surface of Li6.4La3Zr1.4Ta0.6O12 (LLZTO). The synthesis of LSO consumes La in LLZTO, increases the concentration of lithium ions in LLZTO, and significantly improves the conductivity of the composite electrolyte (LLZTO@LSO-CSE). Compared with the pristine sample (3.15 × 10-5 S cm-1), the conductivity of LLZTO@0.9%LSO-CSE was improved by an order of magnitude (as high as 1.30 × 10-4 S cm-1). At the same time, the lithium-ion transference number of LLZTO@0.9%LSO-CSE and LLZTO@1.5%LSO-CSE was 0.42 and 0.44, respectively (LLZTO@0%LSO-CSE was 0.36). Meanwhile, the pyrochlore structure of LSO has the characteristics of fast energy storage and conversion, so the full cell LiFePO4|LLZTO@LSO-CSE|Li showed superior rate capability and cycling stability. As anticipated, the discharge capacities of LiFePO4|LLZTO@0.9%LSO-CSE|Li were 141.4 mA h g-1 (1 C) and 128.1 mA h g-1 (2 C), respectively. However, the discharge capacities of pristine batteries without LLZTO modification were 122.5 mA h g-1 (1 C) and 88.7 mA h g-1 (2 C). After 400 cycles, the discharge capacity of the LiFePO4|LLZTO@0.9%LSO-CSE|Li remained at 110.6 mA h g-1, the Coulomb efficiency was 99.4%, and the capacity retention rate was 72% compared to 75.5 mA h g-1, 98, and 49% for the pristine one, respectively. In addition, the transfer printing (TP) technology was used to improve the interface between the cathode and the solid-state electrolyte, which immensely increased the energy density (without aluminum foil). Compared with the original interface impedance of 379 Ω, the interface impedance was significantly reduced to 213 Ω. This uniquely developed LLZTO@LSO-CSE combined with the TP technology can provide an effective approach for the development of all-solid-state batteries.

An optimized design of residential integrated energy system considering the power-to-gas technology with multi-functional characteristics

In order to realize the large-scale and normal implementation of power-to-gas technology, as well as the large-capacity storage and long-distance transportation of gas in the later stage of electric hydrogen production, a power-to-gas technology with real-time energy conversion characteristics and large-scale energy storage characteristics is studied in this paper. Firstly, the water-electricity-gas coupling process between the electrolytic cell and the methanation reactor in the power-to-gas system is discussed in detail, and the model of the power-to-gas system based on the coordination of real-time energy conversion and large-scale energy storage is proposed. Then, based on a multi-energy coupling regional integrated energy system, a highly decoupled multi-step modelling method is adopted to construct its optimal operation model, and the equivalent variable substitution method is used to transform it into a linear programming problem. Finally, the calculation results show that the proposed power-to-gas technology can further improve the energy utilization efficiency due to the complementary characteristics of the two functions, so as to effectively promote the implementation of large-scale power-to-gas projects in the future.

Energy conversion models and characteristics under various inner connections of a novel packaged piezoelectric transducer for pavements

The piezoelectric effect in piezoelectric transducers converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy to supply power to road facilities. The piezoelectric transducer designed in the 3–3 piezoelectric mode has been widely studied due to the consideration of power generation performance and load-bearing requirements. However, the conservative design of some external packages and the lack of theory in the internal connection design are two deficiencies of existing research on 3–3 piezoelectric mode transducers. Given the shortcoming of packages cannot make full use of the compressive properties of piezoelectric ceramics which weakens the energy conversion ability of the piezoelectric transducers, a novel piezoelectric transducer with full-pressure packaging was designed. For the lack of theoretical and systematic research on the spatial arrangement and electrical connection of piezoelectric materials inside piezoelectric transducers, from a theoretical point of view, the energy conversion models of piezoelectric transducers in four connection modes: stacked series, stacked parallel, array series, and array parallel were derived. Subsequently, through model verification tests, the influence of the four connection modes on the energy conversion characteristics of the piezoelectric transducer was systematically studied. Finally, the effect of connection mode on energy conversion was explained in a unified manner. Five methods of promoting the energy conversion of piezoelectric transducers were proposed. The study indicated that the connection mode affected the energy conversion of the piezoelectric transducer. Specifically, the maximum energy conversion potential of the piezoelectric transducer is only affected by the spatial arrangement. The electrical connection method determines the matching resistance, which can facilitate the piezoelectric transducer to exert the maximum energy conversion potential. In the stacked type, the peak energy conversion monotonously increases with the number of stacked layers, whereas the array type exhibits the opposite trend. Regardless of the spatial arrangement of the piezoelectric materials, when piezoelectric ceramics are connected in series, the optimal value of resistance increases with the number of piezoelectric ceramics, and the opposite is true when the connection is made in parallel. The normalization analysis pointed out that the connection mode affects the energy conversion of the piezoelectric transducer can be summarized as the volume index of the piezoelectric ceramic group affects its energy conversion. A larger ratio of height to diameter of the piezoelectric ceramic group can improve the energy conversion of the transducer. This article provides ideas for the packaging design of piezoelectric transducers and a theoretical reference for the design of internal piezoelectric ceramic connection methods.

Comprehensive evaluations on performance and energy consumption of pre-swirl rotor–stator system in gas turbine engines

Pre-swirl system has an indispensable role to supply enough cooling air with appropriate pressure, temperature, and mass flow rate to improve the life and the efficiency of turbine cooling blades and vanes. This study aimed to reveal the heat transfer mechanism and energy conversion characteristics of a multi-in and multi-out pre-swirl system. Subsequently, a novel modified prediction modeling was proposed to evaluate the system performance and energy conversion with complete consideration of multi-factors, especially for determining the influence of the seal flow, wall friction, work done by the rotating turbine disc, and rotor–stator moment. The results reveal that a high pre-swirl cooling performance and low-energy consumption can be obtained from the contribution of the airflow swirl ratio, whereas the swirl ratio was susceptible to the mixed seal flow. Thereafter, the seal outflow improved the system temperature-drop efficiency, whereas the seal inflow strongly influenced the heat transfer and energy consumption characteristics. The modified modeling resulted in a 56.89% increase in prediction accuracy relative to the Liu-model. Moreover, the nonlinear relationships between the seal flow and system performances can be comprehensively and accurately evaluated. In particular, a peak in a system temperature drop of 38.5 K can be realized with a low-energy consumption of −133 kW and a 64% enhancement in the air-supply flow rate based on a contribution of the seal flow on airflow swirl ratio. Thus, the implementation of the modified modeling can prove significant in theoretical guidance and engineering applications.

EFFICIENT BIOMASS CONVERSION PROCESS TO SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

A greener approach to sustainable energy production is by processing and burning biomass. Readily abundant across the globe, biomass can be obtained largely from agricultural, domestic and industrial processes. The growing concern for an energy source that is environmentally friendly, socially acceptable, and economically feasible, prompts researchers to explore the conversion of everyday biomass wastes in the form of municipal solid waste (MSW) and agricultural wastes (such as poultry litters, wood pellets) to useful energy(i.e., heat or electricity). This research work studied the two broad biomass conversion processes- thermochemical and biochemical. A comparative study was performed using poultry litter as the biomass feedstock in both conversion processes. The obtained data was justified considering the environmental, economic and social impacts of the biomass-to-energy source. At an industrial scale, biochemical processes are capital intensive as pre-treatment and post-treatment of both feedstocks and products are required. In addition, more reaction time is required for product formation and high volume of secondary wastes (sludge) are generated during the process. On the other hand, burning of biomass waste has been largely considered as a better approach due to the fact that the CO2 generated during the process is being balanced by an equivalent amount that plants capture through photosynthesis while they are growing, thus making biomass a carbon-neutral energy source. However, raw biomass possesses low density (30–50 kg/m3) and high moisture content that limits its usage for thermochemical processes. Therefore, the inclusion of a pelletizing process which allows easier economic storage, transportation, and energy conversion characteristics, is considered as an efficient and sustainable approach to biomass-to-energy conversion