Integration of waste heat recovery with biomass thermal conversion processes: A review

Growing reliance on fossil fuels has raised environmental concerns, increasing the demand for sustainable and green energy sources like biomass, which can be used to produce biofuels through various methods. One promising solution is biomass, which involves converting organic matter into energy or biofuels through thermal or biochemical methods. Biomass thermal conversion processes, including gasification, pyrolysis, torrefaction, and combustion, represent key pathways towards harnessing bioenergy. Recent research demonstrates that integrating heat recovery systems with biomass thermal conversion processes can significantly improve efficiency by utilizing unused energy. This paper provides a comprehensive review of recent studies examining the potential of waste heat recovery systems in biomass gasification, pyrolysis, torrefaction, and combustion processes, examining various integration methods and applications including combined heat and power plants and industrial processes. Different integration and optimization techniques are discussed such as Pinch analysis and programming methods, emphasizing the importance of proper waste energy utilization and heat integration for increasing process efficiency and reducing energy consumption.