Technology readiness level assessment of pyrolysis of trygliceride biomass to fuels and chemicals

Highlights: • Thermochemical conversion of triglycerides is promising for obtaining renewable fuels and chemicals. • TRL assessment was adapted to pyrolysis conversion of triglycerides (TG) biomass to examine current technology maturity. • Insights on the next challenges that need to be addressed were obtained based on the TRL assessment. -- Abstract: Fuels produced from triglyceride biomass have been extensively studied in recent decades. However, despite these efforts, there is still a gap between the bench scale and higher production rates that would help these renewable fuels to become a commercial reality. In this study, the technology readiness level (TRL) assessment technique was employed to examine the development of thermochemical conversion processes in recent decades, especially focusing on pyrolysis. The assessment included most of the relevant articles and patents published, dividing them into the levels of the scale. This assessment provides insights into the challenges that still need to be addressed. Further technological developments in specific areas and the actions of policy-makers were found to be crucial to enable the commercial use of biofuels from triglyceride biomass in the near future.