Gasification

Gasification is a process that converts biomass or fossil-fuel carbonaceous materials into a gas mixture called syngas, or producer gas, made up largely of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide, by reacting the feedstock at high temperature, typically above 700 degrees Celsius, without combustion, while controlling the oxygen or steam present. Syngas is itself a fuel because of the flammability of its hydrogen and carbon monoxide content, and can be burned directly in gas engines, used to produce methanol and hydrogen, or converted into synthetic fuel through the Fischer-Tropsch process. Gasification of fossil fuels is widely used industrially to generate electricity, and gasification of biomass feedstock is considered a source of renewable energy, while for some materials it can serve as a lower-emission alternative to landfilling or incineration.