Abstract Fluidized bed combustion is a widely adopted technology for fuel and waste processing, with bed material selection critically influencing process efficiency, operational stability, and emission profiles. This review systematically examines the four functional categories of bed materials – inert, sorbent, oxygen carrier, and catalytic – synthesizing current knowledge on their performance characteristics, degradation mechanisms, and application constraints. Quantitative analysis of operational parameters reveals that inert materials, such as silica‐based beds, require combustion temperatures of 1000–1200 °C to achieve complete fuel conversion, resulting in thermal NOx formation and agglomeration risks that initiate at temperatures between 660 and 980 °C depending on feedstock composition. In contrast, catalytic systems enable stable operation at 650–750 °C, achieving combustion efficiencies exceeding 99.9% while maintaining fluidization stability. Sorbent materials employed for carbon capture demonstrate CO 2 absorption capacity but exhibit progressive deactivation over multiple cycles, with mechanical attrition rates representing a limiting factor for long‐term application. Oxygen carriers utilized in chemical looping configurations exhibit oxygen transport capacities ranging from 2 to 8 wt%, with operational lifetimes estimated between 2000 and 5000 h under continuous fluidized bed conditions. Mechanical degradation through attrition and fragmentation constitutes a universal constraint across all material classes, directly impacting process economics and operational continuity. The review identifies the development of bed materials combining high mechanical durability, sustained functional activity, and resistance to agglomeration at reduced operating temperatures as the principal direction for future research and technological advancement. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Lyulyukin et al. (Thu,) studied this question.