Clean syngas production by gasification of lignocellulosic char: State of the art and future prospects

Using lignocellulosic char instead of the original biomass avoids the need for costly cleaning and conditioning stages of the producer gasification gas. However, lignocellulosic char gasification has been less extensively studied than gasification of lignocellulosic biomass, and a review of published works on this topic was missing. In this review the present status of char gasification technologies and their future prospects are critically discussed, including possible research opportunities. To date, most studies on char gasification have been performed in thermogravimetric analyzers (TGA) or TGA-like experimental setups. The major setback of TGA and TGA-like equipment is that they do not mimic the actual reaction conditions occurring in gasification reactors, which impedes a direct extrapolation of the findings during the scale-up of different gasification technologies. For this reason, in this literature review focus was put on studies undertaken in industrially relevant reactors, both in batch and continuous configurations. Overall, char gasification can be deemed a valid alternative for clean syngas production, contributing to an integral valorization of lignocellulosic residues within different biorefinery schemes. Of these, process intensification by microwave heating offers interesting opportunities for research and scaling-up, though efforts must be directed toward developing continuous microwave-assisted gasification processes. (c) 2021 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This review discusses the current status and future prospects of char gasification technologies, highlighting the lack of extensive research in this area compared to lignocellulosic biomass gasification. It focuses on studies conducted in industrially relevant reactors and the opportunities presented by process intensification through microwave heating.