Thermo-Catalytic Reforming (TCR)–An important link between waste management and renewable fuels as part of the energy transition

Review of the Current State of Pyrolysis and Biochar Utilization in Europe: A Scientific Perspective

“…Unlike traditional approaches that rely on forest wood or energy crops from agricultural land, TCR allows the utilization of alternative feedstocks, such as sewage sludge, digestate from AD plants, or livestock slurries/manure, to produce valuable biofuels. In the context of anaerobic digestion, TCR can optimize the economic feasibility by processing the solid residue fraction from AD as a feedstock, thus producing valuable biofuels [41].…”

“…This process has been widely used for biochar production, primarily due to its operational characteristics and the temperature range at which it operates. The TCR system consists of two critical steps: intermediate pyrolysis carried out at temperatures ranging from 400 to 500 • C, with solid residence times between 5 and 10 min, where the feedstock undergoes thermal heating in the absence of oxygen; and a reforming (treatment) step, conducted at elevated temperatures above 600 • C, promoting vapor catalytic cracking to enhance the formation of syngas and organic vapors with enhanced physicochemical properties [41]. In the first stage of the process, gas, vapors, and char are obtained during the pyrolysis phase.…”

“…However, the extent of biochar's effects on soil and phosphorus availability varies significantly with the type of biochar, mainly the raw material, pyrolysis temperature, and P extractor used, as there are several methodologies for this [51]. In one part of the TO-SYN-FUEL project [41], ryegrass biomass was cultivated in pot trials using different fertilizers: TCR sewage sludge biochar, pyrolysis ashes, and full fertilization. The plant growth with the different fertilizers demonstrated that biomass production in the first growth cycle was highest with full fertilization, closely followed by TCR fertilization.…”