1.1 INTRODUCTION

The potential offered by biomass and solid wastes for solving some of the world’s energy and environmental problems is widely recognised. The energy in biomass may be realised either by direct use as in combustion to give heat, or by conversion and upgrading into a more valuable and usable fuel such as fuel gas or fuel oil or higher value products for the chemical industry. Liquid products have significant advantages in handling, storage, transport and substitution for conventional fuels and pyrolysis is being rapidly developed for direct production of both crude liquids for direct fuel oil substitution and production of hydrocarbons for more technically demanding applications and transport fuels. There is a further advantage in electricity generation of being able to de-couple fuel production from electricity generation through fuel storage which is not possible in gasification or combustion systems.

Biomass has received considerable attention as a renewable energy resource after the oil crises of the last 20 years. Pyrolysis in particular has been researched and developed for the economic production of fuel products that may be readily integrated into the energy infrastructures of both industrialised and developing countries. More recently, attention has focussed onto much higher value chemicals either as unique specialities or as substitutes for petroleum derived products.