What are the Main Processes for Biomass Conversion?
Several catalytic processes are employed to convert waste biomass into valuable products:
Hydrothermal Liquefaction: Converts wet biomass into bio-crude oil using water at high temperature and pressure in the presence of catalysts. Fast Pyrolysis: Rapidly heats biomass in the absence of oxygen to produce bio-oil, syngas, and biochar. Catalysts can improve product yield and quality. Gasification: Converts biomass into syngas (a mixture of CO and H2) at high temperatures in the presence of a catalyst, which can be further processed into fuels and chemicals. Fermentation: Uses biological catalysts (enzymes and microorganisms) to convert biomass-derived sugars into bioethanol and other bio-based chemicals. Transesterification: Converts oils and fats from waste biomass into biodiesel using acid or base catalysts.
