Systematic Review of Biomass Supercritical Water Gasification for Energy Production

Filipe Neves, Armando A. Soares () and Abel Rouboa
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Filipe Neves: ECT-UTAD School of Science and Technology, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Armando A. Soares: ECT-UTAD School of Science and Technology, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Abel Rouboa: INEGI/LAETA Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 20, 1-25

Abstract: Due to the growing global population, rising energy demands, and the environmental impacts of fossil fuel use, there is an urgent need for sustainable energy sources. Biomass conversion technologies have emerged as a promising solution, particularly supercritical water gasification (SCWG), which enables efficient energy recovery from wet and dry biomass. This systematic review, following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, analyzed 51 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025. The number of publications has increased over the decade, reflecting rising interest in SCWG for energy production. Research has focused on six biomass feedstock categories, with lignocellulosic and wet biomasses most widely studied. Reported energy efficiencies ranged from ~20% to >80%, strongly influenced by operating conditions and system integration. Integrating SCWG with solid oxide fuel cells, organic Rankine cycles, carbon capture and storage, or solar input enhanced both energy recovery and environmental performance. While SCWG demonstrates lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventional methods, many studies lacked comprehensive life cycle or economic analyses. Common limitations include high energy demand, modeling simplifications, and scalability challenges. These trends highlight both the potential and the barriers to advancing SCWG as a viable biomass-to-energy technology.

Keywords: supercritical water gasification; biomass; energy production; energy efficiency; exergy efficiency; electricity (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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