Chemical and Thermal Processes in Energy and Combustion
Summary
Chemical and thermal processes underlie the conversion of primary resources into usable energy and materials, spanning combustion, pyrolysis, gasification and advanced catalysis. Combustion remains the dominant route for heat and power production, yet the drive to decarbonise has spurred innovations in combustion optimisation, pollutant control and co‐processing of renewables. Thermochemical routes such as pyrolysis and gasification enable the transformation of biomass and waste into bio‐oils, syngas and biochar, providing flexible intermediates for downstream fuels, chemicals or carbon capture. At the same time, emerging catalytic systems—ranging from solid catalysts in thermal reactors to photo‐ and electrocatalytic fuel cells—offer pathways to valorise low‐value streams, degrade pollutants and recover energy under mild conditions. Life‐cycle perspectives and techno‐economic analyses are increasingly integrated to quantify environmental trade‐offs, balance system costs and guide policy and investment. Across these processes, key challenges include enhancing selectivity towards target products, improving energy efficiency, managing deposit formation and ensuring reliability under variable feedstocks and operating conditions.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent assessments of emerging bio‐based materials demonstrate average life‐cycle greenhouse‐gas savings of 45 % compared with fossil analogues, while highlighting significant variability across product classes and unintended eutrophication impacts. Findings underscore the necessity of product‐specific evaluation and more radical feedstock‐to‐product innovations to reach climate‐neutral objectives.
Studies of termite‐processed biomass reveal that lignin‐rich droppings yield biochars with higher fixed carbon content and greater surface area than cellulose‐rich boards, translating into markedly enhanced adsorption of hexavalent chromium. Spectroscopic characterisation links pyrolysis‐induced molecular restructuring to adsorption performance, pointing to novel valorisation of insect‐modified feedstocks for water purification.
Advances in photocatalytic fuel‐cell architectures have shown that UiO66‐NH2‐TiO2 coated on nickel foam photoanodes can simultaneously remove antibiotics from water (over 90 % degradation) and generate power (open‐circuit voltages up to 644 mV). Robust charge‐separation and mass‐transfer in porous electrodes enable stable photocurrent responses and highlight routes towards integrated wastewater treatment and decentralised energy recovery.
Chemical and Thermal Processes in Energy and Combustion publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in chemical and thermal processes in energy and combustion across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Pyrolysis: Thermal decomposition of organic feedstocks in the absence of oxygen to produce biochar, bio‐oil and syngas.
Gasification: Partial oxidation of carbonaceous materials at elevated temperatures to generate a combustible mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
Life‐Cycle Assessment (LCA): A systematic framework to quantify environmental impacts of a product or process from raw material extraction through end‐of‐life.
Photoelectrocatalytic Fuel Cell: A device that degrades organic pollutants at a light‐activated photoanode while generating electricity through coupled redox reactions.
Heterojunction: An interface between two semiconductors with different band structures, designed to enhance charge‐carrier separation in photocatalytic systems.
Fouling: The accumulation of deposits on heat‐transfer surfaces that reduces thermal efficiency and necessitates cleaning interventions.
Techno‐Economic Analysis: An approach combining technical performance metrics with economic evaluation to assess the feasibility and cost‐effectiveness of technologies.
References
- Life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis of sustainable bioenergy production: a review. Environmental Chemistry Letters (2024).
- Comprehensive Assessment of Thermochemical Processes for Sustainable Waste Management and Resource Recovery. Processes (2023).
- Photocatalytic Fuel Cells for Simultaneous Wastewater Treatment and Power Generation: Mechanisms, Challenges, and Future Prospects. Energies (2022).
- The potential of emerging bio-based products to reduce environmental impacts. Nature Communications (2023).
- Influence of lignin and cellulose from termite-processed biomass on biochar production and evaluation of chromium VI adsorption. Scientific Reports (2024).
- UiO66-NH2-TiO2/NiF photoanode for photocatalytic fuel cell by towards simultaneous treatment of antibiotic wastewater and electricity generation. Scientific Reports (2023).
- Towards standardized grid emission factors: methodological insights and best practices. Energy & Environmental Science (2024).
- Fouling monitoring in a circulating fluidized bed boiler using direct and indirect model-based analytics. Fuel (2023).
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