Bio-Oil and Bio-Crude Gasification for Syngas Production: Energy, Exergy, and Environmental Analyses
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study investigates the thermodynamic and environmental performance of indirect biomass gasification pathways based on fast pyrolysis products. A simulation framework was developed in aspen plus® integrating the Ranzi kinetic mechanism to model the conversion of bio-oil and bio-crude, considering both air and steam as gasifying agents. The environmental performance was evaluated using the waste reduction algorithm. The results reveal a clear trade-off between energy efficiency and exergy performance depending on the gasification medium. Air-based gasification achieves higher energy efficiencies, while steam-based configurations enhance exergy performance due to increased hydrogen production in the syngas. Among the evaluated feedstocks, oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFBs) show superior thermodynamic performance compared to rice husk (RH), which is mainly limited by its higher ash content. For EFB, the highest energy efficiency reaches 54.5% under air gasification, while steam operation improves exergy efficiency up to 70.1%. In contrast, RH presents lower efficiency values, ranging from approximately 43% in energy efficiency and up to 64% in exergy efficiency depending on the operating conditions. Similar trends are observed for bio-crude gasification, although with slightly lower energy efficiencies due to increased thermal requirements. From an environmental perspective, higher potential environmental impact (PEI) values are associated with rice husk, particularly under steam conditions, due to additional emissions linked to ash-related processes. Despite this, the overall environmental indicators remain within acceptable ranges compared to similar studies. These findings demonstrate that indirect gasification routes based on bio-oil and bio-crude constitute a promising alternative to conventional biomass gasification, offering improved exergy performance and competitive environmental outcomes. The results provide relevant insights for the design and optimization of sustainable biorefinery systems.
DOI: 10.1115/1.4072220
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7165756296
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