Biomass presents a widespread energy source with a huge variety of available feedstocks. Biomass materials can be simply combusted to produce heat or/and electricity or converted to a wide range of commodities which are traditionally produced from fossil fuels. Certain problems associated with biomass properties in comparison with fossil fuels makes biomass utilization challenging.
My research is concentrated with various techniques that help to improve biomass properties for energy utilization. Such processes, as hydrothermal carbonization, torrefaction, and gasification allow converting biomass fuels into more valuable product in terms of further energy conversion. Experimental activities with hydrothermal carbonization, torrefaction and gasification help to understand the main principles of the processes and develop the models for further research. The research also covers the possibilities to integrate pre-treatment processes with other processes: e.g., combined heat and power plant. The main goals of the research are evaluate the potential of biomass pre-treatment on biomass properties and explore the main factors affecting the efficiency of heat integration options.
