Decarbonising bioenergy through biomass utilisation in chemical looping combustion and gasification: a review

Abstract

Biomass valorisation for bioenergy is crucial for establishing a sustainable low-carbon circular bioeconomy and addressing societal and environmental challenges. As global demand for renewable energy grows, effective waste management using biomass becomes increasingly vital. However, successful implementation requires addressing specific local, scientific, and conceptual challenges, including technological intricacies, resource availability, scalability, and environmental impacts. Advancements in chemical looping gasification and chemical looping combustion are reviewed here as essential components of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage technologies. Chemical looping technologies have substantially contributed to decarbonising various industries, supported by precise trends. The review highlights the potential of chemical looping combustion and gasification in biomass utilisation for generating bioenergy and mitigating carbon emissions. Moreover, the advantages of chemical looping processes enhance their feasibility and applicability across different contexts including (1) significant increase in biomass conversion efficiency through chemical looping gasification, leading to substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, (2) progress in chemical looping combustion, enhancing carbon capture and storage capabilities and contributing to a closed carbon cycle, (3) detailed insights into integrating chemical looping technologies into industrial sectors.