Waste Biomass Fast Pyrolysis in a Drop-Tube Reactor Using Concentrated Solar Power

CIRCULAR FUELS - EU PROJECT

Abstract

Solar-assisted pyrolysis is a sustainable process for the conversion of biomass into bio-oil using renewable solar-thermal energy with potentially zero carbon footprint. The EU’s target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions to at least 55% by 2030 leads the way to effective measures in limiting carbon emissions for a climate-neutral future. This study focuses on the initial design and development of a drop-tube fast pyrolysis reactor that performs the conversion of waste biomasses into bio-oil at 600°C, by using concentrated solar power. This work is part of the European Union-funded project, Circular Fuels, which focuses on the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs). The numerical CFD simulations were performed using the ANSYS FLUENT 2020 commercial CFD solver for the sizing and design optimization of the experimental solar reactor prototype.