Biomass gasification for electricity generation: Review of current technology barriers

Abstract: Biomass gasification has yet to consolidate its position compared to other techniques for exploiting biomass energy. Neither the research conducted nor the plants built in recent decades, nor even government support for this technology, have provided a sufficient boost to increase the level of implementation of gasification despite its advantages in aspects such as greater efficiency and the reduction in CO2 emissions, as there are numerous other methods of biomass energy conversion that provide stiff competition. In this paper, gasification techniques have been reviewed in depth and the main factors to be considered in the design of a gasification plant have been outlined. It is observed that there are a great number of factors involved in design and operation of a gasification plant, and many of them are critical. Moreover, having designed a plant according to certain specifications, there is a high probability that these initial conditions can vary, causing a malfunction of the plant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]