Paul David Rey, Mujiyono, Didik Nurhadiyanto
The global energy transition requires renewable conversion routes that are efficient, low-emission, and deployable at a small scale. Biomass pyrolysis and gasification are among the most promising thermochemical routes for decentralized renewable energy production. However, performance is strongly governed by thermophysical properties and coupled heat and mass transfer, making purely experimental optimization costly and time-consuming. This study systematically reviews key thermophysical parameters and numerical simulation approaches for solid-biomass pyrolysis and gasification and evaluates their relevance to small-scale energy system design. A systematic literature review following PRISMA 2020 was conducted across Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, IEEE Xplore, and SpringerLink, yielding 46 eligible articles published between 2011 and 2025. The synthesis indicates that reaction temperature, particle size, and thermal conductivity are the most frequently reported and most influential parameters affecting conversion efficiency and product yields, with optimal operation typically observed at 450–500 °C. Temperatures above this range may reduce desirable yields for certain feedstocks due to secondary cracking, tar reforming, and heat-transfer limitations within larger particles. Regarding modeling, CFD and FEA provide higher spatial fidelity than one-dimensional approaches but impose a greater computational cost, whereas Aspen Plus is widely used for system-level mass and energy balances. Nevertheless, experimental validation remains uneven across studies. Stronger integration of measured thermophysical data with validated multiscale simulations is recommended to support robust, field-ready reactor designs for local residues in energy-constrained regions. These findings provide practical guidance on selecting model complexity and operating windows for micro-CHP and stove applications. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License
Doctoral Program, Engineering Science, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
