Gasification of Biomass to Second Generation Biofuels: A Review

Biomass gasification has gained significant attention in the last couple of decades for the production of heat, power, and second generation biofuels. Biomass gasification processes are highly complex due to the large number of reactions involved in the overall process as well as the high sensitivity of the process to changes in the operational conditions. This report reviews the state-of-the-art of biomass gasification by evaluating key process parameters such as gasifying agent, temperature, pressure, particle size, etc., for fluidized bed and entrained flow gasifiers. The pros and cons of each technology and the remaining bottlenecks are also addressed. © 2013 American Society of Mechanical Engineers