Efficient and clean utilisation of biomass gasification technology

Energy Futures Lab host a talk from Professor Xiu-Li Yin, of the Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, on the status of biomass gasification technology and the benefits, and limitations, of different technologies.

Abstract

As an efficient and advanced technology, biomass gasification generates gas mixture (syngas) which might be used for heating, domestic cooking, power generating, and fuel/chemicals synthesizing etc.

Over the past decades, there has been great progress in the development of biomass gasification technologies in China; however,problems such as low gasification efficiency, high tar content, slagging etc. still exist.In recent years, with the increasing demand for clean energy and atmospheric environmental protection, gasification has been regarded as a promising technology for converting low-grade biomass waste into easy-to-use energy products (clean gas), and reducing the pollution of waste treatment process.

Professor Xiu-Li Yin’s talk will summarise the status of biomass gasification technology and detail the benefits and limitations of different technologies. The talk will include:

• An analysis of the characteristics of different biomass waste
• The research hotspots related to gasification technology (e.g., pretreatment, gasification, gas cleaning up)
• The current status of gasification application technologies (e.g., combined heat and power, substituting boiler/kiln fuel, synthesising liquid fuels/chemical, coupling of biomass gasification and coal fired generating unit)
• The current challenges facing the field of gasification and the future outlooks of this technology are presented.

Biography

Professor Xiu-Li Yin leads the Laboratory of Biomass Thermo-Chemical Conversion at the Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

She completed her Ph.D degree in Mechanical Engineering Department, the University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include pyrolysis, gasification and combustion of biomass, liquid fuels synthesis from biomass derived syngas, gasified gas instead of kiln/boiler fuel, CHP, and pollutant control in thermo-chemical conversion process.

She has published more than 150 papers and 20 patents in the field of biomass energy. She has received awards such as the second prize of the State Sciences and Technology Progress Award in the field of biomass gasification.

Laboratory of Biomass Thermo-Chemical Conversion

The Laboratory of Biomass Thermo-Chemical Conversion is one of the earliest research groups engaged in biomass energy and as the leading group in the biomass gasification field in China, specializes in gasification, pyrolysis and combustion processes for converting biomass to fuels, chemicals, heat and power.

Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion

The Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion was founded in 1978 and is devoted to the R&D of new energy and renewable energy, such as biomass energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, ocean energy, natural gas hydrate etc. Besides, energy conservation, environmental protection technologies and energy strategy research are also paid great attention in recent years.

Venue

The talk will be held in Room 611 of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (building 16 on the campus map). The room is known as the Gabor Suite.

If you are entering the building from Dalby Court/through the building’s main entrance take the lift to the sixth floor, turn right through the double doors and it is near the end on your left hand side.