Johann F. Gorgens, Marion Carrier, and Maria P. Garcia-Aparicio

7.1 Introduction

The rendering of bioenergy products such as heat, fuel and electricity requires the conversion of sustainably produced biomass feedstock by means of thermochemical and biological processes. Such processes convert feedstocks into higher energy — value products amenable to industrial and domestic applications. This chapter deals with the nature of the conversion processes, the biomass feedstock requirements for these processes and the resulting quality of bioenergy products. In addition, the present chapter will also consider the application potential of different conversion technologies to both industrial and rural areas in the Southern Hemisphere.

Conversion of biomass feedstocks is a key step in bioenergy production. The value of bioenergy products is related to their suitability for particular energy applications, which is determined by the interaction between characteristics of the feedstock and the conversion process applied. Thermochemical conversion processes are primarily combustion, pyrolysis, gasification and direct liquefaction, while biochemical conversion of biomass involves hydrolysis to monomeric sugars and organic acids, followed by fermentation/digestion to liquid and gaseous bio­fuels.

Technology selection for biomass conversion represents a key decision in the formulation and selection of a bioenergy production process. These decisions are driven to a large extent by the availability of feedstocks and market demands. The present chapter will consider technologies applicable to tree-based biomass produced in tropical regions, as discussed in Chaps. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, while serving as an introduction to Chap. 8, where the impact of tree-quality on these

J. F. Gorgens (H) • M. Carrier • M. P. Garcia-Aparicio

Department of Process Engineering, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

T. Seifert (ed.), Bioenergy from Wood: Sustainable Production in the Tropics, Managing Forest Ecosystems 26, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-7448-3__7,

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014 conversion processes is investigated. Aspects of technology selection and feedstock are included in the global bioenergy analysis in Chaps. 9, 10 and 11 as well as case studies presented in Chap. 12.