A joint study by researchers from Southeast University in China and Korea University has identified biomass chemical looping (BCL) as a promising bioenergy pathway that could support the production of renewable energy, hydrogen and low-carbon chemicals while improving the efficiency of biomass conversion systems.
As global efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels accelerate, bioenergy derived from biomass is gaining attention as a renewable solution for producing cleaner fuels and industrial feedstocks. However, conventional biomass conversion technologies continue to face challenges including complex product streams, high processing costs, tar generation and lower efficiency.
To address these limitations, a research team led by Professor Yong Sik Ok from the Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering at Korea University and Professor Xiangzhou Yuan from the School of Energy and Environment at Southeast University conducted a detailed review of biomass chemical looping technologies.
Their study, titled Biomass chemical looping: A sustainable pathway for energy and chemicals, was published in the Journal of Energy Chemistry on June 1, 2026.
The researchers describe BCL as a process that uses solid oxygen carriers to transfer oxygen between reactors, enabling controlled chemical reactions without direct contact between air and fuel. This configuration improves energy efficiency, supports carbon management and reduces the need for energy-intensive gas separation.
The review explored multiple biomass chemical looping routes including chemical looping gasification, combustion, reforming, hydrogen production and syngas optimisation for downstream chemical manufacturing.
According to the study, these approaches demonstrate the ability of BCL to function as a flexible platform for generating bioenergy while producing higher-value chemical products.
A major focus of the research was the production of hydrogen and methanol.
The researchers found that BCL-based hydrogen production could provide a renewable route for hydrogen generation while improving carbon conversion and process integration. Combined with methanol synthesis, this pathway could create lower-carbon feedstocks for industrial use and support broader energy transition efforts.
The study highlighted BCL-to-hydrogen pathways for green methanol production as particularly attractive due to their environmental and economic potential.
The review also identified oxygen carrier development as a key factor influencing the success of BCL technologies.
According to the researchers, oxygen carriers must provide strong oxygen transfer capability, maintain long-term stability, resist carbon build-up and remain cost-effective.
To accelerate progress, the study highlighted machine learning as an important tool for improving oxygen carrier discovery and optimisation.
Professor Yuan said combining data-driven approaches with process understanding could shorten development timelines and support more efficient and scalable renewable energy and chemical production systems.
Beyond material development, the researchers said machine learning could also improve reactor design, process control and overall system optimisation.
The study further emphasised lifecycle assessment and techno-economic analysis as essential tools for evaluating commercial viability, indicating that integrated BCL systems can deliver both environmental and economic gains when linked to downstream chemical manufacturing.
Professor Ok said biomass chemical looping should be viewed as an integrated platform connecting renewable feedstocks, advanced materials, artificial intelligence and sustainable chemical production.
The researchers concluded that future progress will depend on advances in low-cost oxygen carriers, long-term operational performance, real biomass adaptability, continuous reactor systems, machine learning-assisted optimisation and pilot-scale deployment to move BCL toward wider use in bioenergy, hydrogen, syngas and green chemical production.
