Biomass co-firing technology with policies, challenges, and opportunities: A global review

The urgency of reducing Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission is increasing and countries around the world have begun investing a substantial amount of resources into renewable energy sources. Biomass co-firing can have a very influential role in achieving this new energy target as it can reduce the potential environmental impacts associated with the combustion of fossil fuels. Greenhouse gases such as CO₂, NO_x, and SO_x emissions can be reduced by replacing a portion of coal with biomass during co-firing. The purpose of this article is to review major policies that have promoted biomass co-firing around the world. Furthermore, this article investigates the existing co-firing plants with technologies and availability of biomass resources in different countries of the world. Finally, this paper summarizes the major global biomass co-firing initiatives and the prospects of biomass co-firing in securing renewable energy target.