Technological Challenges & Environmental Mitigation via Bio-oil Production from Biomass Resources

Abstract

Biomass is among the most promising energy source in the twenty-first century amidst the energy scenario in the global community as a carbon-neutral fuel. Climate change is a global threat to the ecosystem and will be minimized by the introduction of renewable energy into the stream of the world energy projects. This study focuses on drawbacks and prospects of the thermochemical technology such as bubbling fluidized bed, circulating fluidized bed, conical spouted bed, rotary cone, auger and ablative reactors. The challenges are complexities in scale-up of the technologies, sustainability of non - food crop and biomass residues supply, bulkiness and high moisture content, transport network to a centralized storage facility and deoxygenated catalysts development for a higher purity of bio-oil yield and stability. However, the bio-oil yield for BFB, CFB, CSB, RC, A-R and AbR are at an average of 3.52-60, 45.2-75, 9.93-70, 14.27-51.8, 21.7-53.6, 50-70 wt.% respectively. The BFB & CFB are often used, while the AbR shows the highest bio-oil yield. The most promising technology is the AbR with a high propensity of more than 70wt.% bio-oil yield. Therefore, a techno-economic analysis of the technologies of specific capacity across board be employed for equipment selection, simplified process plant; higher yield with cost-effective operation and maintenance cost etc. Global biodiesel production has been projected from (36 to 39) bln L between 2017-2027 [1] when achieved will go a long way in curtailing the effect of climate change.