Gasification and Combustion of Biomass for IC Engines

Due to increasing environmental concerns especially related with the use of fossil fuels, new solutions to limit the greenhouse gas effect are continuously sought. Among the available alternative energy sources to mitigate greenhouse emissions, biomass is the only carbon-based sustainable option. Biomass is recognized to be the major potential source for energy production. There are ranges of biomass utilization technologies that produce useful energy from biomass. Gasification is one of the important techniques out of direct combustion, anaerobic digestion - Biogas, ethanol production. Gasification enables conversion of these materials into combustible gas (producer gas), mechanical and electrical power, synthetic fuels, and chemical. The gasification of biomass into useful fuel enhances its potential as a renewable energy resource. This paper gives a comprehensive review of the techniques used for utilizing biomass, experimental investigation on biomass fuels, characterization, merits, demerits and challenges faced by biomass fuels.