Pyrolysis provides a facile route for the conversion of solid biofuels to renewable solid, liquid or gaseous fuels and chemicals. Pyrolysed solid particles (biochars) are proposed for environmental applications such as water or soil remediation, energy or gas storage; liquid biofuels and bio-syngas may be used for the production of sustainable fuels and chemicals. However, consistent quality of the final products is still a goal to be achieved at industrial level.

 

Much of the technological challenges facing pyrolysis of biomass, relate to the current lack of fundamental knowledge of the process. Owing to the complex morphological and chemical transformations that occur in biomass particles during their thermochemical decomposition, despite decades of research, the kinetics of biomass pyrolysis have not yet been fully resolved. Numerous research groups have attempted to resolve pyrolysis kinetics via either experimental or modelling routes, yet an organized effort to combine experiments and modelling in a systematic way has never been attempted in the community.