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Biomass is abundant worldwide and holds great promise for environmentally sustainable fuel and energy production, with minimal carbon dioxide emissions. Among the various techniques employed, thermal conversion stands out as a widely used method, offering superior efficiency and environmental benefits compared to other options. However, there are significant challenges related to biomass feedstock, including size, format, moisture content, and consistency, which can hinder its efficient use in thermal conversion processes. To address these challenges, pre-processing techniques play a crucial role in enhancing efficiency by creating a more uniform, dry, and consistent feedstock. By employing these pre-processing methods, we can achieve cleaner and more efficient biomass conversion. This, in turn, helps reduce the depletion of non-renewable resources, mitigating the adverse impacts of their excessive extraction and utilization. This study delves into the existing research gaps and opportunities aimed at improving the circularity of biomass thermal conversion through pre-processing procedures. Ultimately, this approach leads to a more environmentally friendly framework, aligning with the goals of a circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the cleanest methods for transforming raw materials like coal, biomass, and other solid wastes into valuable gaseous products has been demonstrated to be gasification. In this research, the co-gasification of coal and biomass mixes is investigated to create syngas, a synthesis gas whose primary components are carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane. The use of biomass in combination with coal has been found to be good from an environmental standpoint because it further reduces CO2 emissions and substitutes biomass for a portion of the original raw material, coal, which is a finite resource. The gasification process entails several intricate reactions as well as various thermodynamic regimes operating in various settings. The ideal operating conditions and the final product's composition are predicted using the simulation method utilizing Aspen Plus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass is a renewable energy source that can be used for producing green hydrogen through the gasification process. In the current work, the steam plasma gasification process of high-moisture forest biomass is modeled and simulated in Aspen Plus®. A parametric study was performed aiming to determine the optimum operating parameters that propitiate higher hydrogen yields. Results shows that the maximum hydrogen yield obtained by the plasma gasification process is 0.76 Nm3/kgbiomass. Results also shown that the combination of the plasma gasification process with water thermolysis reaches a hydrogen yield of 3.12 Nm3/kgbiomass. These results may be critical to the decision to resort to the plasma gasification process for green hydrogen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-moisture biomass can be gasified without drying through the supercritical water gasification process. In this work, the supercritical water gasification process is modeled in Aspen Plus® to simulate the gasification of green forest residues. A parametric study was performed in order to find the optimum operating conditions for higher hydrogen yields. It was noticed that lower feed concentrations lead to higher hydrogen molar fractions. Higher gasifier temperatures also promote the increase of the hydrogen molar fractions, especially between 400-600°C. The highest hydrogen yield achieved by this process is 0.84 Nm3/kgbiomass obtained for a feed concentration of 5% and a gasifier temperature of 400°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, computational methodologies will be used to simulate the gasification of biomass from agricultural and forest residues assisted by a solar panel, destined to be used in the gasification reaction, because, despite the pre-treatment being efficient when it comes to guaranteeing the increase of contact surfaces and power control, still the presents opportunity for improvement, as energy consumption becomes a limiting factor for the process. Energy viability contrasts significantly with economic benefit. In this way, the use of a hybrid PV/T system increases the capacity to use this untapped and necessary energy, the key point, which increases the energy yield bringing more confidence to these renewable energy applications. That is, the energy and heat needed to carry out this stage was provided through an auxiliary system of photovoltaic panels. The simulation process was using Aspen Plus® and TRNSYS. The pre-treatment takes place in two steps: milling and drying (food control), which represent the particle size reduction and moisture control below 20% of the biomass feedstock. In this study, 2 compositions of solid of heterogeneous grammometric profiles were used: 50% wood chips (WC) + 50% corn cob (CC) and 50% sugarcane bagasse (SB) + 50% coconut shell (CS). In addition, the relationship between the climatic conditions of the studied location and their effect on the performance of the PV/T collectors. A comparison of the electrical production is also presented, seeking to analyze the effect of the operating temperature of this application. These models were later calibrated and validated with a set of experimental data. The results obtained from the observation are in good agreement with the experimental ones for a set of biomass types and operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]