Biomass Co-Firing Technologies in Power Generation

Biomass co-firing involves the simultaneous combustion of biomass materials alongside conventional fossil fuels in existing power plant boilers to reduce net carbon emissions and enhance sustainability. The approach exploits the mature infrastructure of coal-fired stations, requiring only moderate retrofits to accommodate biomass feedstocks such as agricultural residues, forestry by-products or municipal waste. Co-firing ratios typically range from low shares (5–20 %) to higher shares approaching 50 %, depending on fuel characteristics and boiler design. Technical advances in fuel pretreatment—for example torrefaction and pelletisation—improve homogeneity, calorific value and ash behaviour, mitigating fouling, slagging and corrosion risks. Economic assessments indicate that co-firing can be competitive where biomass prices are moderated by subsidies or carbon pricing, though levelised costs of electricity tend to rise with higher biomass fractions. Life-cycle assessments underscore the potential for significant greenhouse gas reductions, provided that biomass sourcing avoids land-use change emissions. Globally, co-firing has been deployed at scale in Europe and North America, and is emerging in Asia and Latin America, offering a transitional pathway towards deeper decarbonisation and integration with carbon capture technologies.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have quantified the impact of biomass and alternative low-carbon fuels in coal-fired power systems under stringent climate scenarios. Analysis of hydrogen co-firing demonstrates its limited role as a marginal balancing tool for variable renewables rather than a primary decarbonisation route, with retrofit potential concentrated in OECD and Asian markets. Another investigation in a biomass-rich archipelago assessed the viability of using solely waste-derived biomass for co-firing, finding minimal emission reductions at low mixing ratios and highlighting regional supply constraints and competition with other biomass applications. Both studies stress the need to align co-firing deployments with sustainable feedstock management and complementary decarbonisation measures.

Biomass Co-Firing Technologies in Power Generation publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in biomass co-firing technologies in power generation across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Biomass co-firing: Combustion of biomass together with fossil fuel in a single boiler.

Retrofitting: Modification of existing power plants to accommodate new fuels or technologies.

Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE): The average net present cost of electricity generation per unit over a plant’s lifetime.

Feedstock: The raw biomass material used for combustion or conversion.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): Technology to capture CO₂ emissions from combustion and store them underground.

Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA): Evaluation of environmental impacts across all stages of a product or process.

References

1. Limited impact of hydrogen co-firing on prolonging fossil-based power generation under low emissions scenarios. Nature Communications (2024).
2. The viability of co-firing biomass waste to mitigate coal plant emissions in Indonesia. Communications Earth & Environment (2024).
3. Economic feasibility assessment of coal-biomass co-firing power generation technology. Energy (2024).
4. Advances in Biomass Co-Combustion with Fossil Fuels in the European Context: A Review. Processes (2021).
5. Experimental Study and Design of Biomass Co-Firing in a Full-Scale Coal-Fired Furnace with Storage Pulverizing System. Agronomy (2021).