Thermochemical and Biochemical Conversion of Biomass for Sustainable Energy Production

Section: Reviews
Keywords: Biomass energy, bioenergy, energy conversion techniques

Nowadays in countries, it is expected that the future generation of bioenergy will be from direct combustion of the residues and wastes obtained from biomass. Bioenergy production using forest wastes biomass is a fast-developing application since this fuel source has no carbon content. Energy from biomass i.e. bioenergy, is a perspective source to replace fossil fuels in the future, as it is abundant, clean and carbon dioxide neutral. Biomass can be combusted directly to generate heat and electricity, and by means of thermo-chemical and bio-chemical processes it can be converted into biofuels in the form of solid like charcoal, liquid including bio-oils, methanol and ethanol and gas like methane and hydrogen which can be used further for heat and power generation. Reducing dependency on fossil fuels and mitigating their environmental impacts are among the most promising aspects of utilizing renewable energy sources. The availability of various biomass resources has made it an appealing source of renewable energy. Given the variability of supply and sources of biomass, supply chains play an important role in the efficient provisioning of biomass resources for energy production. This chapter provides a comprehensive review and classification of different generations of biomass, methods for bioenergy production and applications. Finally, future research processes aimed at reducing the detrimental impacts of biomass variability on conversion to fuels and chemicals are proposed.