Biomass gasification with CHP production: A review of the state-of-the-art technology and near future perspectives

Abstract

This paper is a review of the state-of-the-art of biomass gasification and the future of using biomass in Serbia and it presents researches within the project "The Development of a CHP Plant with Biomass Gasification". The concept of downdraft demonstration unit coupled with gas engine is adopted. Downdraft fixed-bed gasification is generally favored for CHP, owing to the simple and reliable gasifiers and low content of tar and dust in produced gas. The composition and quantity of gas and the amount of air are defined by modeling biomass residues gasification process. The gas (290-400 m3/h for 0.5-0.7 MW biomass input) obtained by gasification at 800 °C with air at atmospheric pressure contains 14% H2, 27% CO, 9% CO2, 2% CH4, and 48% N2, and its net heating value is 4.8-6 MJ/Nm3. The expected gasifier efficiency is up to 80%. The review of the work on biomass gasification has shown that the development of technology has reached the mature stage. There are CHP plants with biomass gasification operating as demonstration plants and several gasification demonstration units are successfully oriented to biofuel production. No attempt has been made here to address the economic feasibility of the system. Economics will be the part of a later work as firmer data are acquired.