Performance assessment and techno-economic analysis of the thermal plasma gasification of biomass using air and steam as gasification medium

Abstract

In this study, a techno-economic analysis of biomass gasification using a thermal plasma with air and steam as gasification media is presented. The analysis includes a parametric evaluation of various operating parameters, including process temperature, equivalence ratio and steam-to-fuel ratio. The aim is to determine the optimum gas composition characterized by a high proportion of combustible components and minimal harmful by-products. The parametric study covered a temperature range of 500–2000 K, equivalence ratios of 0.1–0.7 and steam-fuel ratios of 0.5–2.5. The results show that the optimum process temperature is around 1200 K. Furthermore, the analysis shows that the best energy properties of the producer gas are achieved at the lowest gasification medium-fuel ratios. The energy analysis favors steam plasma gasification over air plasma gasification. When using air, the produced gas has a heating value of 9.42 MJ/Nm3 and an H2/CO ratio of 1.03, whereas when using steam as the gasification medium, the heating value of the gas is higher, amounting to 10.36 MJ/Nm3, and the H2/CO ratio is 1.74. The economic analysis also favors steam gasification and shows significantly lower costs for energy production, estimated at 47.5 €/MWh compared to 74.5 €/MWh for air plasma gasification. The sensitivity analysis also shows that under certain conditions, when biomass is available at minimal or no cost, the cost of producer gas by steam plasma gasification can fall below the market price of natural gas. These results underline the techno-economic advantages of steam plasma gasification in converting biomass into a competitive and sustainable energy source. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd