Biochemicals from Pyrolysis

Syngas from biomass gasification may contain hundreds of different biochemical substances. Some of these can be quite valuable and therefore it would be wasteful to simply use the syngas only for energy. Depending on the amount of syngas produced, it may be worthwhile to separate out the complex biochemicals from simpler components (e.g. methane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen). The spectrum of biochemicals varies with feedstock and conditions (e.g. gasifier temperature, duration, pressure etc.).

The syngas is first cooled down for distillation ("gas-to-liquid"). As coolants, water or external air may be used. Simple, low-tech, open-source methods of separation are needed. Biological methods for catalysis of CO and H to ethanol have been described (e.g. Coskata), which turn the syngas into ethanol in a bioreactor. Methanol is another useful product. Upgrading to biodiesel is possible but may not be practical. The big question is: can this be scaled DOWN to village-scale ? If so, the products (incl. biochar from pyrolysis) may become important sources of revenue for the resilient community.

Possible Applications

• Pharmaceuticals
• Bioplastics

Links

• Enerkem [1]