Energy Production Through Gasification of Waste Biomass in Punjab Region

This paper presents useful energy (gas and power) production from the three waste biomass (dried grass, leaves, and dead branches) through gasification technology. These waste biomasses were collected in the Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Punjab and air-dried. The feasibility of the studied biomass for thermochemical conversion process in a downdraft biomass gasifier has been investigated by characterization of biomass. The average higher heating values based on the ultimate and proximate analysis correlation were evaluated as 15.58 MJ/kg for dried grass, 17.075 MJ/kg for leaves and 15.785 MJ/kg for dead branches. The performance of downdraft biomass gasifier has been investigated in terms of calorific valve (3.52 MJ/m³ for dried grass, 5.14 MJ/m³ for leaves and 4.15 MJ/m³ for dead branches) and cold gas efficiency (50.83%, for dried grass, 64.72% for leaves and 59.15% for dead branches). The results show that these waste biomass are a reliable source for energy production through gasification technology having dual benefits of easy waste management and low-cost power production.