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Recent Advances in Catalyst Technology for Biomass Tar Model Reforming: Thermal, Plasma and Membrane Reactors

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Abstract

Biomass is an abundant source of energy, and its utilization will increase in the near future. One of the promising ways to recapture energy from biomass is by the gasification process. The primary product from biomass gasification (synthesis gas) can be used for a wide range of applications. By-products such as tar are also produced along with synthesis gas, which needs to be removed or converted catalytically. In recent times, a tremendous effort has been made to develop efficient and cheap catalysts for catalytic conversion of tar. Among many kinds of catalysts, the catalysts derived from natural minerals (olivine or dolomite) and solid waste (incinerated bottom ash or biochar) will make the process more sustainable. Therefore, in this review, the development of natural minerals and waste-derived catalysts for the biomass-derived tar reforming reaction was summarized. Besides tar conversion by thermal catalytic processes, the tar conversion is also highlighted using a low-temperature plasma process combined with catalysts. Furthermore, the possible process intensification by applying selective gas separable membranes was also summarized. The selective O2 permeable membrane at the tar reforming zone improves the stability of the catalyst and quality of syngas by gasifying the deposited coke during the reforming reaction. Finally, a conclusion section covering possible challenges associated with biomass tar reforming technology, membranes, and plasma catalysis was provided.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully thank the financial support from National University of Singapore, National Research Foundation, Prime Minister's Office, Singapore, the National Environment Agency under the Waste-to-Energy Competitive Research Program (WTE CRP 1501 103, WBS No. R-279-000-491-279), Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (AME-IRG A1783c0016, WBS No. R-279-000-509-305) and Ministry of Education (MOE2017-T2-2-130, WBS No. R-279-000-544-112)

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  1. Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117585, Singapore

    Sibudjing Kawi, Jangam Ashok, Nikita Dewangan, Subhasis Pati & Chen Junmei

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  1. Sibudjing Kawi
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Kawi, S., Ashok, J., Dewangan, N. et al. Recent Advances in Catalyst Technology for Biomass Tar Model Reforming: Thermal, Plasma and Membrane Reactors. Waste Biomass Valor 13, 1–30 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-021-01446-6

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