processes Review Advances in Biomass Co-Combustion with Fossil Fuels in the European Context: A Review Miroslav Variny 1,* , Augustín Varga 2, Miroslav Rimár 3,Ján Janošovský 1,Ján Kizek 3 , Ladislav Lukáˇc 2 , Gustáv Jablonský 2 and Otto Mierka 1 1 Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Radlinského 9, 812 37 Bratislava, Slovakia;
[email protected] (J.J.);
[email protected] (O.M.) 2 Department of Thermal Technology and Gas Industry, Institute of Metallurgy, Faculty of Materials, Metallurgy and Recycling, Technical University of Kosice, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia;
[email protected] (A.V.);
[email protected] (L.L.);
[email protected] (G.J.) 3 Department of Process Technique, Faculty of Manufacturing Technologies of the TU of Kosice with a Seat in Prešov, Technical University of Kosice, Štúrova 31, 080 01 Prešov, Slovakia;
[email protected] (M.R.);
[email protected] (J.K.) * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +421-910-966-199 Abstract: Co-combustion of biomass-based fuels and fossil fuels in power plant boilers, utility boilers, and process furnaces is a widely acknowledged means of efficient heat and power production, offering higher power production than comparable systems with sole biomass combustion. This, in combination with CO2 and other greenhouse gases abatement and low specific cost of system retrofit to co-combustion, counts among the tangible advantages of co-combustion application. Technical and operational issues regarding the accelerated fouling, slagging, and corrosion risk, as well as optimal combustion air distribution impact on produced greenhouse gases emissions and ash properties, belong to intensely researched topics nowadays in parallel with the combustion aggregates design optimization, the advanced feed pretreatment techniques, and the co-combustion life cycle assessment.