Course overview
This course will establish the fundamental understanding on the characteristics of biomass resources, and the design and operations of the biomass energy systems. Key topics covered include the basics in production, availability and sustainability of biomass resources; characteristics of biomass as a fuel; design aspects on the pre-treatment, thermochemical conversion and biochemical conversion processes of biomass. In particular, the environmental aspects of biomass energy, economics and life-cycle analysis with case studies on biomass energy production will be emphasised.
Course learning outcomes
- Describe the nature and principle of different biomass energy extraction systems and know how to choose the suitable biomass fuels for different bio-energy applications
- Address the desirable features of these biomass energy sources and their advantages over traditional fuels such as coal and oil and
- Identify their limited scope in terms of suitable sites, dependence on the elements, capital costs, and cost effectiveness compared with traditional sources.