Techno-economic assessment of thermochemical biomass conversion technologies

Abstract

This book chapter presents a comprehensive overview of the techno-economic analysis of various thermochemical biomass conversion technologies for the production of fuels, chemicals and electricity. In the first part of the chapter, a brief introduction on the importance of alternative energy sources and the need for the techno-economic analysis for thermochemical conversion processes are discussed. In the next part, various thermochemical routes for biomass conversion processes are described. The reactor configurations, operating parameters and product composition for each of these processes are also discussed. The third section of the chapter focuses on the techno-economic analysis methodology and different steps involved in carrying out the feasibility of biomass conversion processes. Different process modelling tools and cost estimation methods are also discussed in this section. While in the fourth section, different techno-economic studies carried out by various researchers for the production of fuels, chemicals and electricity through thermochemical conversion routes are discussed in terms of process description, and the results are reported. In the final section, two case studies are discussed in details for techno-economic analysis. One case study is of fast pyrolysis for transportation fuel production, and the second one is for dimethyl ether (DME) production through gasification of biomass. This chapter will be helpful for understanding different techno-economic studies available and comparison of different thermochemical conversion routes to get the desired end product at the minimum cost.