Biomass pyrolysis co-production technology
Thread Content
Recently, the technology for simultaneous production of biomass carbonization/gasification products (carbon, gas, oil, liquid, fertilizer, electricity, steam, heat) for the manufacture of carbon-based fertilizers has become extremely popular, with companies such as Beijing Sanju Environmental Protection (using technology developed by Academician Pan Genxing from Nanjing Agricultural University), Liaoning Jinhefu (using technology developed by Academician Chen Wenfu from Shenyang Agricultural University), and Hefei Debo (using technology developed by Academician Zhang Qisheng from Nanjing Forestry University) being representative examples. Personally, I believe that the biomass pyrolysis cogeneration technology and the low-temperature pyrolysis cogeneration technology for lower-grade coals, especially lignite, share similarities; I would like to invite everyone to discuss this.
The biggest challenge in the widespread adoption of biomass utilization technologies is the instability of biomass sources; therefore, it is still necessary to apply these technologies to specific projects based on local conditions and timing.
Biomass has a wide range of sources, and compared to coal, its quantity is not very stable throughout the seasons—it can be balanced by converting it into briquettes or pellets； Furthermore, considering logistics costs, the scale of biomass carbonization furnaces should not be too large, with an annual processing capacity of around 10,000 tons being appropriate ； Coal is also formed from ancient organisms. In my opinion, coal pyrolysis, particularly low-temperature pyrolysis of lower-grade coals for combined production (including the upgrading of lignite through retorting), and biomass pyrolysis for combined production should share common technical aspects; for example, biomass gasification and coal gasification technologies are very similar ； Moreover, biomass is cleaner and more environmentally friendly.
Recently, in addition to power generation and natural gas production, the use of biomass for ethanol production has also been promoted as an industry worth supporting. The challenges lie in the fact that the scale of production is affected by available raw materials in the vicinity, and significant capital investment is required; therefore, subsidies and other forms of support are necessary. There is hope for the rise of clean energy sources
Biomass gasification has been discussed for many years; there is indeed much that can be learned from the utilization of biomass and the pyrolysis of low-grade coal. However, the drawback is that the availability of biomass is seasonal, and it’s difficult to maintain stability in the properties of the raw materials (as different types of biomass have varying properties), which poses challenges in terms of operation and design