Pyrolysis Process, Reactors, Products, and Applications: A Review

Prakhar Talwar, Mariana Alzate Agudelo and Sonil Nanda ()
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Prakhar Talwar: Department of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, Canada
Mariana Alzate Agudelo: Department of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, Canada
Sonil Nanda: Department of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, Canada

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 11, 1-32

Abstract: With the rapid growth of the global population, increasing per capita energy demands, and waste generation, the need for innovative strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and effective waste management has become paramount. Pyrolysis, a thermochemical conversion process, facilitates the transformation of diverse biomass feedstocks, including agricultural biomass, forestry waste, and other carbonaceous wastes, into valuable biofuels such as bio-oil, biochar, and producer gas. The article reviews the benefits of pyrolysis as an effective and scalable technique for biofuel production from waste biomass. The review describes the different types of pyrolysis processes, such as slow, intermediate, fast, and catalytic, focusing on the effects of process parameters like temperature, heating rate, and residence time on biofuel yields and properties. The review also highlights the configurations and operating principles of different reactors used for pyrolysis, such as fixed bed, fluidized bed, entrained flow, plasma system, and microwaves. The review examines the factors affecting reactor performance, including energy consumption and feedstock attributes while highlighting the necessity of optimizing these systems to improve sustainability and economic feasibility in pyrolysis processes. The diverse value-added applications of biochar, bio-oil, and producer gas obtained from biomass pyrolysis are also discussed.

Keywords: biochar; biomass; bio-oil; entrained flow reactor; fixed-bed reactor; fluidized-bed reactor; microwave reactor; plasma reactor; producer gas; pyrolysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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