Thermochemical Platform

Photo of Thermochemical Users Facility at National Renewable Energy Laboratory, with fluidized bed reactor for pyrolysis or gasification in foreground and feed hopper on catwalk.

Photo of NREL's Thermochemical Users Facility main reactor and feed hopper.

Biomass combustion, such as burning wood, has been one of man's primary ways of deriving energy from biomass from prehistoric times to the present. It is not, however, very efficient. Converting the solid biomass to a gaseous or liquid fuel by heating it with limited oxygen prior to combustion can greatly increase the overall efficiency, and also make it possible to instead convert the biomass to valuable chemicals or materials. U.S. Department of Energy Biomass Program researchers help lead a national effort to develop thermochemical technologies to more efficiently tap the enormous energy potential of lignocellulosic biomass. In addition to gasification, pyrolysis, and other thermal processing, program research focuses on cleaning up and conditioning the converted fuel, a key step for effective commercial use of thermochemical platform chemicals.