Lignocellulosic Biomass Gasification: Perspectives, Challenges, and Methods for Tar Elimination

Hortência E. P. Santana, Meirielly Jesus (), Joana Santos, Ana Cristina Rodrigues, Preciosa Pires, Denise S. Ruzene, Isabelly P. Silva and Daniel P. Silva ()
Additional contact information
Hortência E. P. Santana: RENORBIO—Northeastern Biotechnology Network, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão 49107-230, Brazil
Meirielly Jesus: CISAS—Center for Research and Development in Agrifood Systems and Sustainability, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Joana Santos: CISAS—Center for Research and Development in Agrifood Systems and Sustainability, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Ana Cristina Rodrigues: CISAS—Center for Research and Development in Agrifood Systems and Sustainability, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Preciosa Pires: CISAS—Center for Research and Development in Agrifood Systems and Sustainability, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Denise S. Ruzene: RENORBIO—Northeastern Biotechnology Network, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão 49107-230, Brazil
Isabelly P. Silva: CCET—Center for Exact Sciences and Technology, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão 49107-230, Brazil
Daniel P. Silva: RENORBIO—Northeastern Biotechnology Network, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão 49107-230, Brazil

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-42

Abstract: Gasification of lignocellulosic biomass has been widely highlighted as one of the most robust and promising low-carb approaches toward sustainable energy production. The gasification syngas obtained from agro-industrial residues can produce heat, power, biohydrogen, and other drop-in biofuels via F-T (Fischer-Tropsch) synthesis. However, the tar formation during the thermochemical process imposes severe limitations on the commercial scale of this technology. Tar elimination is a critical step for avoiding damage to equipment and not restricting the further application of syngas. In this context, this work sheds light on the biomass gasification field and reviews some aspects of tar formation and technologies for its reduction and removal. The approaches for dealing with tar are primary methods, which suppress or remove tar within the gasifier, and secondary methods, which remove tar in post-operation treatment. Catalytic reforming offers the most cost-effective pathway to removing tar. The bimetallic combination of nickel with other metals and using biochar as support have been intensely investigated, showing excellent tar conversion capacity. Recent research has provided new trends in non-thermal plasma-catalyzed biomass tar reforming. Future studies should focus on the integration of catalysts with multiple techniques to improve efficiency and reduce energy consumption.

Keywords: gasification; biomass; lignocellulosic residue; syngas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/1888/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/1888/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:5:p:1888-:d:1597697

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().