Biomass - Quality energy for rural areas in China

Over 80% of China’s population live in the rural areas. Biomass such as stalks and firewood are the main fuels in daily life. At the same time, the number of families in the rural areas using liquefied petroleum gas and electricity for cooking has more than doubled from 15.78 million to 49.37 million, accounting for an annual increase of 17.7%. The increase rate is more than six times that of the overall growth rate of rural economy. The demand for quality fuel in the rural areas has become more and more pressing and the conversion and use of biomass is imperative.

Process loose farm and forest leftovers after grinding and being graded into shaped fuels. Combined with the development of special techniques and equipment, this will have a fairly big market in China. Promotion of the application of fuel products shaped into pellets for heating of housing and greenhouses will be a hotspot in the research and development of shaped fuel products of biomass.

The research and development of the new technology of biomass energy, such as the research of highly efficient and low cost conversion and application of biomass energy, the making of liquefied oils at normal pressure by fast liquefaction, the research of the technology of catalytic chemical transformation and equipment for the transformation of biomass energy as well as fluidized gasification techniques are the focuses of research. Once breakthroughs are made they will promote the development and application of biomass energy.

Hydrocracking for better quality fuels

Hydrocracking is a process used to convert heavy petroleum cuts into lighter cuts such as petrol, diesel motor fuel and sustainability0. Since its introduction in the 1980s, this technology has been constantly improved to convert heavy oil cuts into more valuable products. Total is evaluating an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) project to produce electricity, process steam and hydrogen.