Abstract:
Currently the thermal effect of light has received extensive attention in the field of concentrating solar power gasification, but the non-thermal effect of light has been neglected. In this study, a high-flux solar simulator was coupled with a thermogravimetric analyzer and the thermal effects of concentrating solar power were effectively controlled. The non-thermal effect of concentrating solar power on the gasification of char was studied for the first time. It was found that the non-thermal effect of concentrating solar power significantly reduced the gasification reaction temperature and activation energy of the samples. The reaction mechanism of non-thermal effect was proposed by analyzing the microstructure and chemical structure of the samples with equal conversion rate. The self-catalysis of graphite carbon under high radiation intensity promotes the pyrolysis of biomass carbon to form a highly active carbon chain structure to promote the gasification reaction. This study proves the importance of non-thermal effects in the field of concentrating solar power gasification research, and direct irradiation may have higher economic benefits than indirect irradiation. However, the quantitative description of this non-thermal effect needs further study.

Deng Zhao, Tianyu Wu, Jiantao Wang, Shuo Ling, Huashan Wang, Hua Liu, Hui Liu, Shuai Guo, Xiudong Wei, Study of enhanced gasification of biochar by non-thermal concentrating solar power using novel high-flux solar simulator thermogravimetric analyzer system, Renewable Energy, Volume 242, 2025, 122436, ISSN 0960-1481, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2025.122436