Pyrolysis Process, Reactors, Products, and Applications: A Review

With the rapid growth of the global population, increasing per capita energy demands, and waste generation, the need for innovative strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and effective waste management has become paramount. Pyrolysis, a thermochemical conversion process, facilitates the tra...

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Main Authors: Prakhar Talwar, Mariana Alzate Agudelo, Sonil Nanda
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/11/2979
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author Prakhar Talwar
Mariana Alzate Agudelo
Sonil Nanda
author_facet Prakhar Talwar
Mariana Alzate Agudelo
Sonil Nanda
author_sort Prakhar Talwar
collection DOAJ
description With the rapid growth of the global population, increasing per capita energy demands, and waste generation, the need for innovative strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and effective waste management has become paramount. Pyrolysis, a thermochemical conversion process, facilitates the transformation of diverse biomass feedstocks, including agricultural biomass, forestry waste, and other carbonaceous wastes, into valuable biofuels such as bio-oil, biochar, and producer gas. The article reviews the benefits of pyrolysis as an effective and scalable technique for biofuel production from waste biomass. The review describes the different types of pyrolysis processes, such as slow, intermediate, fast, and catalytic, focusing on the effects of process parameters like temperature, heating rate, and residence time on biofuel yields and properties. The review also highlights the configurations and operating principles of different reactors used for pyrolysis, such as fixed bed, fluidized bed, entrained flow, plasma system, and microwaves. The review examines the factors affecting reactor performance, including energy consumption and feedstock attributes while highlighting the necessity of optimizing these systems to improve sustainability and economic feasibility in pyrolysis processes. The diverse value-added applications of biochar, bio-oil, and producer gas obtained from biomass pyrolysis are also discussed.
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spelling doaj-art-b92d53858e3f40ada302bc96ae0b9cbf2025-08-20T03:46:49ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732025-06-011811297910.3390/en18112979Pyrolysis Process, Reactors, Products, and Applications: A ReviewPrakhar Talwar0Mariana Alzate Agudelo1Sonil Nanda2Department of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, CanadaDepartment of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, CanadaDepartment of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, CanadaWith the rapid growth of the global population, increasing per capita energy demands, and waste generation, the need for innovative strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and effective waste management has become paramount. Pyrolysis, a thermochemical conversion process, facilitates the transformation of diverse biomass feedstocks, including agricultural biomass, forestry waste, and other carbonaceous wastes, into valuable biofuels such as bio-oil, biochar, and producer gas. The article reviews the benefits of pyrolysis as an effective and scalable technique for biofuel production from waste biomass. The review describes the different types of pyrolysis processes, such as slow, intermediate, fast, and catalytic, focusing on the effects of process parameters like temperature, heating rate, and residence time on biofuel yields and properties. The review also highlights the configurations and operating principles of different reactors used for pyrolysis, such as fixed bed, fluidized bed, entrained flow, plasma system, and microwaves. The review examines the factors affecting reactor performance, including energy consumption and feedstock attributes while highlighting the necessity of optimizing these systems to improve sustainability and economic feasibility in pyrolysis processes. The diverse value-added applications of biochar, bio-oil, and producer gas obtained from biomass pyrolysis are also discussed.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/11/2979biocharbiomassbio-oilentrained flow reactorfixed-bed reactorfluidized-bed reactor
spellingShingle Prakhar Talwar
Mariana Alzate Agudelo
Sonil Nanda
Pyrolysis Process, Reactors, Products, and Applications: A Review
Energies
biochar
biomass
bio-oil
entrained flow reactor
fixed-bed reactor
fluidized-bed reactor
title Pyrolysis Process, Reactors, Products, and Applications: A Review
title_full Pyrolysis Process, Reactors, Products, and Applications: A Review
title_fullStr Pyrolysis Process, Reactors, Products, and Applications: A Review
title_full_unstemmed Pyrolysis Process, Reactors, Products, and Applications: A Review
title_short Pyrolysis Process, Reactors, Products, and Applications: A Review
title_sort pyrolysis process reactors products and applications a review
topic biochar
biomass
bio-oil
entrained flow reactor
fixed-bed reactor
fluidized-bed reactor
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/11/2979
work_keys_str_mv AT prakhartalwar pyrolysisprocessreactorsproductsandapplicationsareview
AT marianaalzateagudelo pyrolysisprocessreactorsproductsandapplicationsareview
AT sonilnanda pyrolysisprocessreactorsproductsandapplicationsareview