Energy consumption in kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is growing rapidly due to economic development with raised levels of population, urbanization and living standards. Fossil fuels are currently solely used to meet the energy requirements. The KSA government have planned to double its energy generating capacity (upto 120 GW) by 2032. About half of the electricity capacity of this targeted energy will come from renewable resources such as nuclear, wind, solar, waste-to-energy (WTE) etc. Natural zeolites are found abundantly in KSA at Jabal Shamah occurrence near Jeddah city, whose characteristics have never been investigated in energy related applications. This research aims to study the physical and chemical characteristics of natural zeolite in KSA and to review its potential utilization in selected WTE technologies and solar energy. The standard zeolite group of alumina-silicate minerals were found with the presence of other elements such as Na, Mg and K etc. A highly crystalline structure and thermal stability of natural zeolites together with unique ion exchange, adsorption properties, high surface area and porosity make them suitable in energy applications such as WTE and solar energy as an additive or catalyst. A simple solid-gas absorption system for storing solar energy in natural zeolites will be a cheap alternative method for KSA. In anaerobic digestion (AD), the dual characteristics of natural zeolite like Mordenite will increase the CH 4 production of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). Further investigations are recommended to study the technical, economical, and environmental feasibility of natural zeolite utilization in WTE technologies in KSA.

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Biomass pyrolysis is a thermochemical conversion process that undergoes a complex set of concurrent and competitive reactions in oxygen-depleted conditions. A considerable amount of the literature uses lumped kinetic approaches to predict pyrolysis products. Despite the prolonged studies, the science of pyrolysis chemistry and models’ capability to simulate the exact conversion phenomenon has unraveled yet. In this review, an initiative was made by compiling existing mathematical models for biomass pyrolysis viz., lumped and distributed kinetic models, particle, and reactor models. An absolute analysis of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), artificial neural network (ANN), and ASPEN Plus models was also conducted. It was observed that the coupling of distributed kinetic models with CFD provides a better understanding of the hydrodynamic reaction of particles under reactive flow with the influence on reactor performance and predicts exact product yield. Furthermore, the pros and cons of each modeling technique are also highlighted individually. Finally, considering the future perspective of biomass pyrolysis with respect to the modeling approach, suggestions have been incorporated.

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