Thermal gasification of municipal solid waste (MSW) is a chemical process that generates a gaseous, fuel-rich product. This product can then be combusted in a boiler, producing steam for power generation. Just as with combustion of MSW, thermal MSW gasification does not necessarily compete with recycling programmes, but should be considered complementary in any generically constructed MSW plan.
Alcohol burning stoves based on methanol can be used to supply a cooking service, water heating and heating of buildings. The technology can be applied in households, institutions (e.g. schools) and industries where it is used for boiler heating.
This article explains the basics of black liquor gasification in the pulp and paper industry. Black liquor, which accounts for most of the fuel consumed in Kraft mills, is usually combusted in recovery boilers to recover chemicals and to produce process steam and on-site electricity (via a steam turbine). The efficiency of such boilers is, however, low (around 65%-70%). Black liquor gasification is a process in which a clean synthesis gas (syngas) is produced from black liquor by converting its biomass content into a gaseous energy carrier.
