Biomass co-firing technology with policies, challenges, and opportunities: A global review

The urgency of reducing Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission is increasing and countries around the world have begun investing a substantial amount of resources into renewable energy sources. Biomass co-firing can have a very influential role in achieving this new energy target as it can reduce the potential environmental impacts associated with the combustion of fossil fuels. Greenhouse gases such as CO2, NOx, and SOx emissions can be reduced by replacing a portion of coal with biomass during co-firing. The purpose of this article is to review major policies that have promoted biomass co-firing around the world. Furthermore, this article investigates the existing co-firing plants with technologies and availability of biomass resources in different countries of the world. Finally, this paper summarizes the major global biomass co-firing initiatives and the prospects of biomass co-firing in securing renewable energy target.