Reactor Engineering for Biomass Feedstocks

Biomass differs from coal, peat, and other solid fuels in that it is composed of carbohydrate and lignin polymers whose chemistry overlaps that of food. Consequently, it is far more reactive than coal, and the design of reactors for its conversion into fuels, chemicals, and higher-value products demands detailed knowledge of the unique reaction chemistries of carbohydrates, lignin, and whole biomass composed thereof. This session welcomes presentations on the fundamentals of reactor design aimed at the unique properties of biomass feedstocks, including fermentation, pyrolysis, and gasification reactor designs, chemical kinetics, and numerical modeling.