Biomass Gasification is a very old art ... and there isn't enough science in it, but we're working on that here at BEF and other places. Visit our Biomass Books to learn most of what is currently known about about wood and other biomass gasification, and what you can do with the gas. Lots of practice, lots of science, some gasifier plans and other related subjects there. Visit our History page for a quick overview of gasification. 

Tom Reed has been working in this field since the first energy crisis in 1974 and knows all the names that have been used for the gases produced by various processes. However, in his casual conversation, he calls it "WOODGAS", a term easily understood and acknowledging the first renewable source, wood since >100,000 years ago. So he has chosen this for the name of this renewable energy web site. In practice it includes gas from agricultural and forest residues and even Municipal Solid Waste as well, though these materials are harder to gasify. 

Briefly biomass can be gasified pyrolytically by heating to >400 C, yielding also 25% charcoal and LOTS of condensibles - tars). Or it can be gasified with air to make "producer gas" (typically CO 22%; H2 18%; CH4 3%, CO2 6% and N2 51%). During World War II there were over a million small gasifiers running cars, trucks, boats and buses (see HISTORY). OR it can be gasified with oxygen to make synthesis gas (typically 40% CO, 40% H2, 3% CH4 and 17% CO2, dry basis) which can be used to make methanoI, ammonia and diesel fuel with known commercial catalytic processes. I expect that gasification will be even more useful in the future as we deplete our low cost fossil fuels. For more on this, visit SYNTHETIC FUELS. 

I have been particularly interested in small gasifiers for distributed power, cookstoves or transportation. Visit that site if you are interested in kW rather than MW. 

The animation above is our first attempt to show what happens inside a gasifier running an engine. The air and fuel are fed in at the top, they meet a rising "flaming pyrolysis" flame front and are converted to gas and charcoal, which is consumed making more gas. The gas is sucked out at the right along with spent char-ash particles. We are working on a more detailed animation, but this gives a good general idea.