Recent Modeling Approaches to Biomass Pyrolysis: A Review

Biomass pyrolysis is a thermochemical conversion process that undergoes a complex set of concurrent and competitive reactions in oxygen-depleted conditions. A considerable amount of the literature uses lumped kinetic approaches to predict pyrolysis products. Despite the prolonged studies, the science of pyrolysis chemistry and models’ capability to simulate the exact conversion phenomenon has unraveled yet. In this review, an initiative was made by compiling existing mathematical models for biomass pyrolysis viz., lumped and distributed kinetic models, particle, and reactor models. An absolute analysis of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), artificial neural network (ANN), and ASPEN Plus models was also conducted. It was observed that the coupling of distributed kinetic models with CFD provides a better understanding of the hydrodynamic reaction of particles under reactive flow with the influence on reactor performance and predicts exact product yield. Furthermore, the pros and cons of each modeling technique are also highlighted individually. Finally, considering the future perspective of biomass pyrolysis with respect to the modeling approach, suggestions have been incorporated.