Feasibility study of wood biomass gasification/molten carbonate fuel cell power system—comparative characterization of fuel cell and gas turbine systems

The conversion of biomass by means of gasification into a fuel suitable for a high-temperature fuel cell has recently received more attention as a potential substitute for fossil fuels in electric power production. However, combining biomass gasification with a high-temperature fuel cell raises many questions with regard to efficiency, feasibility and process requirements. In this study, a biomass gasification/molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) system is modelled and compared with a relatively well-established biomass gasification/gas turbine (GT), in order to understand the peculiarities of biomass gasification/MCFC power systems and to develop a reference MCFC system as a future biomass gasification/MCFC power station.