Recovery of lignocellulosic wastes by thermochemical processes

Forests fires represent one of the most severe disruptions in all Mediterranean areas and numerous factors contribute to the origin of such fires. Some of these are related to climate change and global warming, but some are also related to the accumulation of biomass in forestry areas. Fire prevention is currently a significant expense for administrations and forestry clearance activities are not sufficient for the extensive areas that require silvicultural activities. Current activities in the relatively new high-density forest mass leave extracted biomass on the forest surface. This biomass largely consists of shrubbery and conifers and there is no use for this waste material.

Biomass waste is considered as the main renewable source for the production of fuels and raw materials for the manufacture of chemicals with high added value. These biomass wastes can be broken down by thermochemical processes such as pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is a thermal degradation process in the complete or partial absence of oxygen. Under these conditions biomass is converted by a cracking process into a liquid fraction, a gas phase that is mainly composed of non-condensable gases such as H2, CO, CO2 and CH4, and a solid fraction known as biochar.

Administrations, forest clearance companies, stakeholders related to the agricultural sectors and chemical companies are beneficiaries of this GP.