PORTABLE, COST-EFFICIENT BIOMASS CONVERSION

Large-scale pyrolysis of biomass for energy production must aim for high throughput in order to meet economies of scale. For this reason, many of the fluidized bed and cyclonic pyrolysis reactors being developed are designed for throughputs of hundreds or thousands of tons per day of biomass. The quality of the oil produced is very dependent on the feedstock, and since most of the reactors consume electricity, the yield of the feedstock plays a role in the net energy yield of the biomass plant. Mesoscale pyrolysis has several advantages which arise from the freedom from satisfying energy economics. This energy relationship goes directly to the bottom line of any company wishing to convert biomass to fuel or electricity, and it is one of the fundamental challenges in making biomass-derived fuels a viable alternative to fossil fuels in the near future.