Biomass-to-Energy Conversion Technologies-

 Main technologies for extracting energy from biomass are-

i) Physical method.
ii) Incineration (direct combustion) method.
iii) Thermo-chemical method.
iv) Bio-chemical method.

i) Physical Method:
 This method involves compression of biomass material. Expelling
of agro-products also falls in this category.
 Pelletization:
(a) Process in which waste wood is pulverized, dried and forced
under pressure (moisture contents are reduced to 7-10%).
(b) Extracted mass is in the form of “pellets” (rods having, 5-10 mm
diameter and 12 mm long).
(c) Mainly used in steam power plants and gasification systems.

 Briquettes:
(a) Made from woody matter (moisture contents are reduced to 4%).
Examples are: agricultural waste/sawdust, e.t.c…
(b) There serves as replacement for fossil fuels (such as: oil/coal,
e.t.c…) for providing heat in manufacturing plants.
(c) Burning of wood briquette is more efficient than burning
firewood (green firewood usually have 65% moisture content).
(d) Process of making briquettes is similar to forming of wood
pellets. However, binders are not involved in this process.

Compiled by: Mohd Rizwan Khalid

Electrical Engineering Department, A.M.U.
  Expelling Agro-products:
(a) Concentrated vegetable oils are obtained from agro-products
and are used as fuel in internal combustion (IC) engines.
(b) Before using concentrated vegetable oils, these are upgraded by
chemical methods known as “trans-esterification”.
(c) Trans-esterification reduces viscosity and combustion deposits
of oil.
(d) Categories of agro-products are-
 Seeds: Sunflower/Rapeseed/Soya bean/ e.t.c…
 Nuts: Oil palm/Coconut copra/Jojava nuts/ e.t.c…
 Fruits: Olive, e.t.c…
 Leaves: From eucalyptus tree.

 Fuel Extraction:
(a) Milky material (exudate) is usually obtained when fresh plants
are tapped (cut).
(b) Some plants are crushed completely as it is not possible to tap
them.
(c) “Euphorbia lathyris” plant is crushed to extract hydrocarbons of
less molecular weight than rubber.
(d) These extractions may be used as petroleum substitute.

ii) Incineration method:

 It refers to direct combustion of biomass for immediate useful heat
(in the form of steam).
 The obtained heat is used to generate electricity/providing heat
for industrial process/space heating/cooking/e.t.c…
Compiled by: Mohd Rizwan Khalid
Electrical Engineering Department, A.M.U.
  Biomass (wood/waste wood/MSW) is usually burnt in large size
furnaces and boilers.
 Moisture content in biomass reduces efficiency of the conversion
process.

iii) Thermo-chemical:
 In this process, biomass is heated either in absence of oxygen or by
partial combustion (restricted air/oxygen).
 This process is known as “pyrolysis”.
 Pyrolysis can process all form of organic material including rubber
and plastic.
 Products obtained from pyrolysis are mainly categorised as–
(a) Gas mixture: (H2/CO/CO2/CH4/N2).
(b) Oil like liquid (water soluble phase including acetic acid, acetone,
methanol and non-aqueous phase, including oil and tar) and nearly
pure carbon char.
 Distribution of above products (gas/liquid) depends upon the type
of feedstock, temperature and pressure during the process and its’
duration and heating rate.
 High temperature (1000 oC) pyrolysis maximizes gaseous
products. This process is known as “gasification”.
 Low temperature (up to 600 oC) pyrolysis maximizes char output,
thus this is also known as “carbonisation”.
 “Liquefaction” is the low temperature (250-450 oC), high pressure
270 atm, thermo-chemical conversion of wet biomass. Liquid
products are obtained from catalytic liquefaction process.

Compiled by: Mohd Rizwan Khalid

Electrical Engineering Department, A.M.U.
iv) Bio-chemical method:
 This process includes metabolic action of microbial organism on
biomass to produce liquid and gaseous fuel.
 Two bio-chemical process are-
(a) “Ethanol Fermentation”: Alcoholic fermentation that decomposes
simple hexose sugar in absence of air by the action of enzymes
(a natural catalyst) present in yeast, in acidic conditions (pH: 4-
5).
C6 H12O6 
Fermentation
32 O C
 2C2 H 5OH  Ethanol   2CO2  Carbon  dioxide 

(b) “Anaerobic Fermentation/Digestion”:

 This process converts decaying wet biomass and animal
wastes into biogas through decomposition process by the
action of anaerobic bacteria (that lives and grows in absence
of oxygen).
 Carbon present in biomass is divided into CO2 (fully
oxidised) and CH4 (fully reduced).
 
 Biogas  CH 4 & CO2 
2055 O
Decaying  wet  biomass 
C
Anaerobic  fermentation

 Most useful biomass materials are: animal manure/algae/

kelp/plant residue/e.t.c…

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Compiled by: Mohd Rizwan Khalid

Electrical Engineering Department, A.M.U.