Technical review on biomass conversion processes into

required energy form

M.H. Farhad, A.B.M. Abdul Malek, M. Hasanuzzman, N.A. Rahim


Centre of Research UMPEDAC, Level-4, Wisma R&D, University of Malaya, 59990
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Corresponding email: farhad.hossain@siswa.um.edu.my, mfarhad03@yahoo.com

Abstract: Abandon biomass energy resources
are available in the world. Different types of
biomass produced from various sources.
These biomasses are used as raw material of
energy. As per analytical analysis of palm oil
EFB it is found that each ton raw EFB can be
converted into 0.18 m
3
ethanol or 0.968 GJ
power that are equivalent about 1429 kWh
and 269 kWh energy respectively. Therefore,
biomass conversion process should be selected
as per required form of energy for more
benefits. Energy contained in each of the
biomass materials not same. Mainly the
energy contained in the biomass depends on
its chemical composition. Each biomass
sources chemical composition is different.
There are many types of biomass conversion
processes are established. Different biomass
conversion processes are used for different
purposes that are depends on the requirement
form of energy. However, this research has
focused a massage that appropriate biomass
conversion process should be selected for
efficient conversion into required form of
energy with respect to biomass characteristic.

Keywords: Biomass energy, Thermo-chemical
conversion, Biochemical conversion
I. INTRODUCTION
Biomass sources not only used as energy
but also provide paper, building materials,
fabrics, medicines and chemicals [1]. Biomass
energy is directly used by combustion and
indirectly used by converting it into other
forms of energy such as bio-fuel, electricity
etc. There are mainly two types of biomass
conversion processes are used. These are
thermo-chemical conversion and biochemical
conversion [2]. Thermo-chemical processes
are used to produce heat, steam, biogas etc.
and biochemical processes are used to produce
bio-fuels. In these regards, it is essential to
select right conversion processes with respect
to chemical and physical characteristics of
biomass available. Biomass is used for power
generation at different processes, which are
included high amount of power generation,
Combined Heat and Power (CHP), or low
amount thermal heating at different project.
Development of biomass energy has been in
the front position of promises from past
decades. There are high potentiality and
flexibility of feedstock and conversion
technology [3-5]. Bio-energy relates to the
generation of energy from three major
categories of feedstock such as agriculture,
forestry and waste for three major uses like as
(i) transport fuel, (ii) heat and (iii) electricity
[6]. In thermo chemical biomass energy
conversion routs is operated under high
temperature and pressure and often chose dry
lignocellulosic feedstock such as wood, straw,
etc. On the other hand, biochemical processes
are dependent on the use of catalyst, enzymes
and bacteria that require in specific
environmental condition. Generally,
agricultural crops, municipal solid waste,
energy crop are the main feedstock. Oil seeds
are used for extraction of bio-fuel.

Now a day combustion and fermentation
technologies are widely used for energy
conversion. Combustion process are significantly
used for agricultural, industrial and municipal
solid waste to generate electricity. Now,
spontaneous research is focused on generation of
transport fuel [3, 7, 8]. Ligno-cellulosic biomasses
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are considered most important sources of ethanol
production and its stored and allowed for steady
state feeding [3, 9]. Thermo-chemical conversion
methods are generally faster than biochemical
conversion process. In biochemical conversion
process formation of byproduct and pollution is
minor than others process of biomass conversion.
However, thermo-chemical conversion process
needs lack specificity and produce multiple
products. Its very important at present condition
of fossil fuel that biochemical conversion into bio-
fuels in large-scale is more suitable than thermo-
chemical conversion process of biomass because
these methods can be worked at a minor
temperature with the use of enormous biomass
feedstock. Its remarkable that for thermo-
chemical conversion biomass feedstock needs
lower moister contain, whereas biochemical
conversion processes can be utilized both dry and
wet feedstock [10].
II. THERMO-CHEMIcAL CONVERSATIONS
The thermo-chemical conversion processes
occur at high temperature with the presence of
oxygen or absence of oxygen to convert into heat
and syngas respectively. Direct conversion,
paralysis, gasification etc. are included in the
thermo-chemical conversion processes [11-14].
The deposited energy inside of biomass is released
by combustion as heat energy, or is converted into
liquid gaseous etc. fuels via thermo-chemical
conversion with several utilization techniques. The
article has been offered a summary of the
principles uses and latest improvements of thermo-
chemical conversion methods. Low moisture
contain biomass are generally used for thermo-
chemical conversion process.
A. Direct Combustion
Combustion is an exothermic chemical reaction
accompanied by large heat generation and
luminescence, and is a phenomenon in which the
reaction is spontaneously continued by the heat
generation by the reaction. When using biomass as
fuel, the heat generating oxidation reaction, where
combustible elements contained in biomass react
with oxygen, is called combustion. Biomass
combustion is commonly used and it is the oldest
process of conversion. Almost 97% bio-energy is
produce by this process in the world [11, 15]. The
combustion methods are used for the generation of
heat with the encouragement of a steam cycle to
produce electricity [12, 16, 17].
B.Gasification
Gasification is the thermo-chemical conversion
of biomass into a gaseous combination through a
sequence of chemical reactions under partial
oxidation at high temperatures (800900 C) in the
presence of air[12, 17, 18].The gaseous mixture
contains H
2
, CO, CO
2
, CH
4
, C
2
H
4
and other
impurities. In the gasification process, the
combustible products are CO, H
2
, CH
4
and some
hydrocarbons [19]. There are mainly three types if
gasifiers are presented for industrial use such as(i)
fixed bed, (ii) fluidized bed, and (iii) entrained
flow. In the gasification methods oxygen, air,
steam is used as the gasifying agent. The air
gasification process results to a product with low
to medium heating value (47 MJ/N m), while
gasification by the use of oxygen leads to a
product with medium to high heating value (10
14 MJ/N m [18, 20].
C. Pyrolysis
Pyrolysis is a thermo-chemical method for
biomass conversion with temperatures ranging
350 C to800 C [12, 21-23]. Pyrolysis is a stable
chemical change produced by the application of
heat in the absence of oxygen. The important
products of pyrolysis gas in most cases are H
2
,
CO, CO
2
, CH
4
and etc. The liquid consists of
CH
3
OH, CH
3
COOH, H
2
O etc. The rest solid
products are consists of carbon and ash [21, 23-
25].Biomass is consisted mainly carbon, hydrogen
and oxygen. The pyrolysis processes depends on
the process factors such as temperature, material
size, period etc. [12, 25]. Quality and amount of
final products is depends on pyrolysis working
temperature and chemical configuration of the
feedstock [21, 26].

D. Liquefaction
Liquefaction conversion process is occurred in a
liquid stage at low temperature and high pressure
generally 250-300 C and 10-20 MPa respectively
during material is broken into fragments of light
molecules in water [11, 12, 27]. Liquefaction
methods are still in infancy and operation cost is
high compared to others thermo-chemical methods
[12, 27, 28]. In liquefaction methods of biomass is
changed into gas, liquid and solid like common
pyrolysis in gas phase. Then the water dissolved
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materials are polymerized to form oil. When
reaction is prolonged, the formed oil is
polymerized into char. The difference between
liquefaction and pyrolysis lies in operational
conditions. Generally, in liquefaction processes
pressure requirement is high than pyrolysis
process and the temperature requirement is lower
in liquefaction than pyrolysis.
III. Bio-chemical Conversion

Long-term financial and ecological concerns
have caused in a huge research in the past couple
of decades on lignocellulosic biomass to produce
liquid bio-fuels. Transformation of huge amount
of lignocellulosic materials to bio-fuels is a
sustainable option for developing security of
energy [29]. Lignocellulosic biomass such as (i)
agricultural residues-rice straw, wheat straw,
sugarcane corn stover etc.(ii) forest products-
hardwood and softwood, (iii) municipal solid
waste-house waste, paper etc. (iv)dedicated crops-
switchgrass, salix are sources of bio-fuel. All of
this lignocellulose biomass is appropriately rich in
the environment. Main parts of lignocellulosic
biomass are cellulose, hemi-cellulose, and lignin.
The composition of organic materials is not same
in different type of biomass [29, 30].

Figure 1: Biomass composition [31]
The biomass hydrocarbon namely cellulose and
hemi-cellulose is converted into fermentable
mono-sugar and then into fuels or others
commodities [10, 12]. Biochemical conversions
are enabled to production of energy in an
ecologically friendly manner. Biochemical
conversion of lingo-cellulosic materials into bio-
fuel includes three main steps: (i) Pretreatment the
biomass structure. Actually pretreatment improve
to yield of cellulose, hemi-cellulose and lignin
from biomass. (ii) Hydrolysis-generate
fermentable sugar by chemical reaction (iii)
Fermentation- in this process fermentable sugar is
converted to final product such as bio-fuel [32].
The pretreatment method is used to eliminate
lignin and hemi-cellulose, decrease the
crystallinity of cellulose, and raise the porosity of
biomass shown in figure 2 [33]. Pretreatment is
necessary to reduce the size of the structure for
better hydrolysis of the cellulose and hemi-
cellulose (carbohydrate) portion to sugars. The
advantageous of pretreatment is recognized for a
long period. Pretreatment generally meets the
following requirements: (i) increase the formation
of sugars by hydrolysis, (ii) decrease the loss of
sugars (mainly pentoses), (iii) avoid the formation
of byproducts (iv) recovery of lignin for
conversion and (v) be economical[29].

Figure 2: Schematic of lignocellulosic biomass
pretreatment.
The cellulose polymers in lingo-cellulosic
biomass are changed to sugars earlier
fermentation, through a method named
hydrolysis [10, 34]. In other words the method of
breaking the glucosidic bonds that hold the
glucose basic units together to form a long
cellulose molecule is said hydrolysis [35]. In
cellulose, molecules have two types of hydrogen.
Cellulose is formed strongly packed crystallites
due to hydrogen bond. Sometimes these crystals
do not penetrate by water or enzyme.
Carbohydrates Mono-sugar derived from the
pretreatments and hydrolysis of lignocellulosic
materials respectively is converted to various bio-
fuels by fermentation [12]. There are many
parameters indicates the efficiency of fermentation
such as range of temperature, pH values, yield,
genetic stability etc.[10].The supernatant from
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hydrolysis of lignocelluloses biomass is contained
together hexoses ( six-carbon) and pentoses (five-
carbon) sugars [36, 37]. Another method is to
change xylose into an isomer name dxylulose
using xylose isomers [38, 39].After that Xyluloseis
fermented by traditional yeasts.

IV. CASE STUDY ON PALM OIL EFB
According to BioCentrum at Denmark's
Technical University estimated that one tone dry
EFB (Empty Fruit Bunches) is able to produce
0.39 m
3
of ethanol using a new process (wet
explosion) for pre-treatment [40]. In regards of
thermal conversion, lower calorific value of raw
EFB is about 4.4 GJ t
-1
and electricity generation
efficiency of CHP plant is about 22%. Base on
above information, each ton of raw EFB can be
converted into about 1429 kWh and 269 kWh
energy by biochemical and thermo-chemical
methods respectively [41]. Therefore, it is clear
that biomass conversion methods should be
selected as per required energy form and chemical,
physical structure.
V. CONCLUSION
Based on literatures, it has been found that
several methods have been developed to convert
biomass into useable form of energy. Biomass
combustion is used to generate heat that is used for
steam generation that is converted into electricity
by steam turbine. Biomass combustion process is
efficient for dry materials and high moisture
contains biomass reduce heating value; on the
other hand high moisture contains biomass is
effective for liquefaction methods and others
specific methods. Lignocellulosic biomass can be
converted into bio-ethanol by using biochemical
conversion methods. The biochemical conversion
of lignocellulosic biomass into ethanol is
increasing significantly because bio-ethanol can be
used as transport fuel. It is clear that various
conversion methods are used to convert biomass
into required form of energy. Therefore, it can be
said that biomass conversion method would be
selected based on physical and chemical
characteristics of the biomass resources.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to acknowledge the
financial support from the University of Malaya
Research Grant (UMRG) scheme (Project No:
RP026/2013E) to carry out this research.
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