Biomass Gasification using Solar Thermal Energy

Hydrogen from Biomass as an energy carrier has generated increasing interest in recent years. There are several different technologies to convert solid or liquid Biomass into a gas mix consisting of mainly hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Up to 30% of the energy stored in the product gas would originate from the sun by using solar thermal applications to source the conversion while the equivalent of 30% of the product gas would have to be burned using conventional approaches. This paper explains the principles of the main technical pathways for biomass gasification and shows their advantages and disadvantages especially in connection with the use of solar heat as energy source for the conversion reaction. Biomass gasification in supercritical water appears to be a simple and efficient and thus most convenient approach for solar thermal applications.