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© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
K. K. Pant et al. (eds.), Catalysis for Clean Energy and Environmental
Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65017-9_1
Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass
and Upgrading of Bio-Products to Produce
Fuels and Chemicals
Hessam Jahangiri, João Santos, Andreas Hornung, and Miloud Ouadi
Abstract The considerable growth in energy demands and limited fossil fuel
sources, together with environmental concerns, have forced the study of renewable,
green and sustainable energy sources. Biomass and its residues can be transformed
into valued chemicals and fuels with several thermal conversion processes, which
are combustion, gasification and pyrolysis. Combustion is a chemical process that
involves the rapid reaction of substances with oxygen, producing heat. Gasification
produces synthesis gas at high temperatures (800–1200 °C) to generate heat and
power. Pyrolysis has been applied for many years for charcoal formation, while
intermediate and fast pyrolysis processes have become of significant interest in
recent years. The reason for this interest is that these processes provide different
bio-products (bio-oil, synthesis gas and biochar), which can be applied directly in
various applications or as a sustainable energy carrier. The present chapter covers an
overview of the fundamentals of slow, intermediate and fast pyrolysis, followed by
the properties and applicability of the pyrolysis products. This study also identifies
the features and advantages of the thermo-catalytic reforming (TCR) process in
comparison with other technologies. This report presents a comprehensive literature
review of bio-oil production and upgrading methods. In addition, the most common
catalysts and supports for different upgrading methods are introduced. Finally, the
current pathways for 2-methylfuran (2-MF) formation and the selection of xyloserich biomass are discussed.
H. Jahangiri ()
School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield, UK
e-mail: h.jahangiri@bham.ac.uk
J. Santos · M. Ouadi
School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
A. Hornung
School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
Fraunhofer UMSICHT, Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy
Technology, Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Germany
Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
K. K. Pant et al. (eds.), Catalysis for Clean Energy and Environmental
Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65017-9_1
Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass
and Upgrading of Bio-Products to Produce
Fuels and Chemicals
Hessam Jahangiri, João Santos, Andreas Hornung, and Miloud Ouadi
Abstract The considerable growth in energy demands and limited fossil fuel
sources, together with environmental concerns, have forced the study of renewable,
green and sustainable energy sources. Biomass and its residues can be transformed
into valued chemicals and fuels with several thermal conversion processes, which
are combustion, gasification and pyrolysis. Combustion is a chemical process that
involves the rapid reaction of substances with oxygen, producing heat. Gasification
produces synthesis gas at high temperatures (800–1200 °C) to generate heat and
power. Pyrolysis has been applied for many years for charcoal formation, while
intermediate and fast pyrolysis processes have become of significant interest in
recent years. The reason for this interest is that these processes provide different
bio-products (bio-oil, synthesis gas and biochar), which can be applied directly in
various applications or as a sustainable energy carrier. The present chapter covers an
overview of the fundamentals of slow, intermediate and fast pyrolysis, followed by
the properties and applicability of the pyrolysis products. This study also identifies
the features and advantages of the thermo-catalytic reforming (TCR) process in
comparison with other technologies. This report presents a comprehensive literature
review of bio-oil production and upgrading methods. In addition, the most common
catalysts and supports for different upgrading methods are introduced. Finally, the
current pathways for 2-methylfuran (2-MF) formation and the selection of xyloserich biomass are discussed.
H. Jahangiri ()
School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield, UK
e-mail: h.jahangiri@bham.ac.uk
J. Santos · M. Ouadi
School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
A. Hornung
School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
Fraunhofer UMSICHT, Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy
Technology, Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Germany
Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany