Pathway Options for Pyrolysis and Gasification of Biomass

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (22 April 2022) | Viewed by 1728

Special Issue Editors

LAETA, IDMEC, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: renewable energy; biomass; pyrolysis; biodiesel; catalysis; thermal analysis; carbon capture and storage; green chemistry
INIAV - Instituto de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, Avenida da República, Quinta do Marquês, Oeiras, Portugal, and IDMEC, Mechanical Engineering Department, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: forest management; energy cultivations; thermochemical conrsion od biomass; carbon sequestration; biomass economics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The urgency to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and mitigate climate change requires a transition to a paradigm of a decentralized and sustainable economy, with a gradual de-carbonization and lowering of energy intensity. In this context, biomass is relevant because it is a renewable resource that can be converted from gaseous, liquid, and solid feedstocks. Pyrolysis and gasification of biomass are two kinds of thermochemical conversion that deliver syngas and other light hydrocarbons, char, and bio-oil as major products that can be the feedstock for pathways for the production of thermal energy and a large scope of products as diverse as hydrogen, activated carbon, biochar, alkane, or vanillin. The syngas from biomass is considered an attractive route to produce chemicals, hydrogen, biofuels, and electricity. The pyrolysis bio-oil can be upgraded into transportation fuels through catalyzed processes in the context of biorefinery, while biochar can be used directly as a fuel, through burning. The interesting sorption abilities of biochar make it an interesting material to be used in processes such as soil amendment and carbon sequestration, water treatments, among other processes involving high-porosity stable materials.

In this context, this Special Issue of Applied Sciences will deliver a comprehensive inter-disciplinary approach to the use of agroforestry biomass involving topics such as the following:

  1. The performance of different biomasses and operative variables in thermochemical conversions concerning yields and quality of solid, liquid, and gaseous products;
  2. Technological analysis of specific modalities of biomass pyrolysis and gasification;
  3. Mass and energy budgets of biomass pyrolysis and gasification industrial conversion alternatives;
  4. Sustainability cradle-to-grave analysis of biomass gasification and pyrolysis alternative processes;
  5. Life cycle analysis of biomass pyrolysis and gasification processes
  6. Upgrading processes of pyrolytic bio-oil
  7. Biochar uses for energy production, amendment, and carbon sequestration;

Prof. Dr. Ana Paula Soares Dias
Dr. Abel Rodrigues
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Renewable energy
  • Biomasses
  • Gasification
  • Pyrolysis
  • Bio-char
  • Syngas
  • Bio-oil
  • Biorefinery
  • Lifecycle analysis
  • Sustainability

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 1856 KiB  
Article
Sustainability Outlook of Thermochemical-Based Second-Generation Biofuel Production: Exergy Assessment
by Samir Meramo, Plinio Puello and Julio Rodríguez
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(19), 8851; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11198851 - 23 Sep 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1165
Abstract
Since the last century, the idea of replacing traditional fossil sources with renewable alternatives has attracted much attention. As a result, auspicious renewable biofuels, such as biohydrogen or bio-oil, have emerged as suitable options. This study provides some knowledge on combining process design, [...] Read more.
Since the last century, the idea of replacing traditional fossil sources with renewable alternatives has attracted much attention. As a result, auspicious renewable biofuels, such as biohydrogen or bio-oil, have emerged as suitable options. This study provides some knowledge on combining process design, modeling, and exergy analysis as a united framework to support decision making in energy-based projects. The assessment also included a final evaluation, considering sustainability indicators to evaluate process performance. Feedstock selection is crucial for producing bio-oil and hydrogen for process sustainability; this aspect is discussed, considering second-generation sources. Second-generation bio-oil and biohydrogen production are assessed and compared under the proposed framework. Process simulation was performed using ASPEN PLUS. Exergy analysis was developed using data generated in the process simulation stage, containing material and energy balances, thermodynamic properties, chemical reactions, etc. A mathematical formulation for the exergy analysis shows the exergy of utilities, waste, exergy efficiency, and exergy intensity of both processes, based on the same functional unit (1 kg of product). The sustainability evaluation included quantifying side parameters, such as the renewability index, energy efficiency, or global warming potential. The results indicate that pyrolysis obtained the highest resource exergy efficiency (11%), compared to gasification (3%). The exergy intensity shows that more exergy is consumed in the gasification process (4080.21 MJ/kg) than pyrolysis (18.64 MJ/kg). Similar results are obtained for total irreversibility (327.41 vs. 48.75 MJ/kg) and exergy of wastes (51.34 vs. 18.14 MJ/kg). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pathway Options for Pyrolysis and Gasification of Biomass)
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