Current Status and Future Direction of Gasification Technologies

Gasification technology has been around for almost 100 years and is in a position to be challenged by recent circumstances of climate-concerned demand and of sustainability in employed feedstock. Gasification has many advantages in converting low-grade organic materials into syngas with inherent features of lower pollutants and CO2 capturing potential as well as many drawbacks in terms of process complexity due to the nature of syngas and related high instrumentation. Application areas and fundamental issues encountered when gasification technologies are utilized are discussed, with further illustration regarding the future direction of gasification. Gasification can best use the achievements in syngas-related equipment like gas turbines, fuel cells, and membranes to overcome the economic limitations, and it can use the recent developments in catalysts, adsorbents, and separation areas. Recent gasification markets in using biomass and wastes provide a significant impetus for future gasification technologies that can evolve to be carbon-neutral and environmentally benign.