Australia is one of the driest continents in the world with changing climatic conditions continuing to put a strain on potable water sources. The use of water saving technologies such as greywater systems in residential properties is an important water conservation tool in order to reduce the consumption of the finite potable water resources in Australia. To this end, Master Builders Association Victoria with the assistance of RMIT University investigated the current barriers that builders face with regard to the installation of greywater systems in residential properties. Builders like other property and construction professionals have a part to play in promoting the use of sustainable technologies. The main aims of the project were to firstly find out or identify barriers that are inhibiting builders from installing greywater systems and secondly to identify and formulate strategies to reduce or eliminate the barriers identified. The main barriers for builders are; high cost, government regulations, lack of builder awareness or knowledge, and low client demand. The potential solutions for the reduction or elimination of the barriers identified as part of the research include; economic and reliable greywater systems, creation of a website with link on greywater systems and educating the general public.

E-Cars challenge prevailing business practices, especially in industrial sectors that heavily depend on the use of fossil fuels such as the automobile industry. The sustainable powertrain has to fight against prejudices towards a lack of performance, long charging times, the fear of too short driving ranges and a long list of other concerns. However, hazardous environmental pollution in Chinese megacities as well as changes among the consumers’ mindsets and purchasing behavior claim for a change in the product portfolios of today´s car manufacturers. In the western world we can see a successive (although hesitant) penetration of the markets by E-Cars. However, the Chinese market is still almost untouched and car manufacturers have just started to show the first signs of action. This phenomenon is mainly based on differences among the markets, especially the customer segment, partnerships and the proposition of value in China differ compared to the western markets. Furthermore, there are dissimilarities between China and the western car markets when it comes to political, legal and social aspects. To successfully introduce E-Cars to China, car manufacturers have to develop business models that transform the specific characteristics of E-mobility to create economic value and overcome the barriers that preclude them from penetrating the market. Of course, not an entirely new Business Model is needed. However, car manufacturers have to consider various aspects to innovate among their existing ones. A key prerequisite to enter a market with new products or services is to understand it. Based on a qualitative analysis about the introduction of E-Cars to China we therefore conducted an in-depth PESTEL-Analysis by hand of secondary data as well as an interview with a Shanghainese Business Manager of the Auto Components Working Group from the European Chamber of Commerce in China. After this market description we analyzed the Business Models of two German car manufacturers from the premium segment, which on the one hand operate successfully in the Chinese market and on the other hand, already show some movement in terms of E-Cars – the BMW AG and the Daimler AG. In our analysis we give valuable information about the two companies’ current Business Models, according the nine building blocks of the business model canvas and in regard to the data emerging from the PESTEL-Analysis. The conclusion chapter gives an overall discussion of the most important findings emerging from the analysis with regard to the business operations and the existing business models of the two car manufacturers. Findings have been evaluated on a global level and substantially transferred to a national level on the Chinese market by hand of the information from the PESTEL-Analysis. Furthermore, we offer important implications for the adaption and adjustment of high consideration areas of a car manufacturer Business Model as well as the future of the Business Models of a car manufacturer to successfully introduce E-Cars to China.

The purpose of this research is to examine how rural areas in developing countries can strategically transit towards sustainable electricity generation and how this transition can help promote strategic progress towards sustainable rural communities. Luangwa district in Zambia is studied as a special case but an approach that is generic for rural areas in developing countries is strived for. Based on a literature review of existing and potentially sustainable technologies for electricity generation, other case studies, and a survey of local conditions, this study proposes Small Scale Hydro and Solar as appropriate for Luangwa district. A strategic implementation plan is suggested. Some barriers to the transition and possible ways of overcoming them are pointed out, e.g., through technical and public policy measures. Potential economic, socio-political and environmental benefits of this transition are highlighted. The study concludes that with a well structured vision of a sustainable rural electrification, it is possible to strategically implement existing technologies based on renewable energy sources. However, the type of technologies that are suitable for different areas will differ considerably due to different local conditions, such as geography and climate.

There is an urgent need to adopt innovative sustainable technologies (ISTs) to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions whilst improving process efficiency of existing retail buildings, due to rising energy prices and the impacts of retail buildings on the environment. Despite their reported advantages, exhibited performance and numerous policies and legislations that encourage their adoption, there is a slow uptake of ISTs in the retail sector. This is due to the fact that the majority of stakeholders consider the task of selecting ISTs as a complex multi-attribute, multi-valued problem involving a large number of stakeholders with numerous, often conflicting objectives. To overcome this problem, the thesis develops a Decision Support Framework to assist stakeholders in the selection of ISTs for delivering low carbon retail buildings. Firstly focusing on the wider retail construction industry, followed by an in-depth case study of a leading UK retail contractor, the drivers and barriers faced by stakeholders in the retail construction industry during the selection of ISTs were identified. The underlying cause to the slow uptake of ISTs (complex decision-making problem) and the need to optimise the use of ISTs were investigated. The results identified the lack of a Decision Support Framework for the selection of ISTs for stakeholders in the retail construction industry. To address the problem, the research developed a Decision Support Framework to assist stakeholders in the complex decision-making task of selecting ISTs. The developed Decision Support Framework was first validated with a leading UK retail contractor and proved favourable; facilitating the decision-makers in the selection process and resulting in the successful selection of eight ISTs. A more general validation was conducted to ensure the Decision Support Framework was applicable to the wider construction industry. The results indicated that the framework was an effective mechanism to optimise the selection of ISTs by improving the decision-making process; it could be used by other stakeholders and also transferable to other building types for selecting ISTs. The thesis contributes to the knowledge related to decision-making and construction management research by developing a Decision Support Framework to assist stakeholders in the selection of ISTs to deliver low carbon retail buildings. In addition, it identifies the drivers for and barriers to selecting ISTs for existing retail buildings; key stakeholders in the selection of ISTs, a set of selection criteria used by clients/developers and designers/constructors and a database of ISTs that can be implemented by stakeholders to achieve low carbon retail buildings.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The production and dissemination of knowledge on environmental issues, considering the social and economic aspects, including the reuse of water used for non-potable purposes meets the assumptions of sustainable planet. As, when properly handled, greywater can be used for non-potable consumption in buildings, for example, discharge of toilets, washing floors, washing sidewalks, watering gardens, ornamental uses such as water features and fountains, since that does not provide health risks to users. In this study was evaluated in laboratory scale the potential treatment of greywater coming from the washing machine, and the possibility of reuse of this water for non-potable purposes in popular residences. The methodology was based on the experimental research, using research strategy involving data collection and analysis parameters, quantifying the production of drinking water, greywater demand, analysis of physical, chemical and microbiological parameters, evaluating the performance of synthetic greywater and chemical process by using coagulation, flocculation, fluctuation and flotation, filtration through granular media and post-treatment by adsorption on activated charcoal. A preliminary step of qualitative characterization of greywater collected from the washing machine, from the point physicochemical and microbiological was carried out in a single-family residence. It were collected 43 samples in the period of six months and carried out at laboratory scale, greywater showed electrical conductivity of 364 ± 196 μScm-1; apparent color of 362±201uC; true color of 157 ± 102uC; total solids of 391 ± 215mgL-l; suspended solids of 40 ± 29 mgL-l; dissolved solids of 347 ± 201 mg L-l; settling solids of 1.0 ± 0.8; temperature of 25 ± 3.5°C; turbidity of 49 ± 36 NTU; pH of 7.4 ± 1.2, COD of 300 ± 142 mg/L, BOD of 101 ± 142 mg/L; surfactants of 0.6 ± 0.5 mg/L; coliforms ranged from ND to 9,6x105 and tolerant coliforms term ranged from ND to 1.8x 105. Treatability tests carried out with jar tests, the best conditions of coagulation are defined concentrations of 160 mg/L of aluminum sulfate (Al2(SO4)3), resulting pH coagulation of 5.0 and turbidity of 14.1 NTU, optimization of rapid mixing, Gf of 1200s-1, time of 8s and optimization of flocculation with better performance Gf 40s-1 and the ti me 6 to 10 min. For the above defined conditions were passed by several granular media, selecting the best material, which was the sand grains 0.42mm (effective size). The results indicate that the system of chemical pretreatment by coagulation, flocculation and flotation with subsequent passage through sand and activated carbon adsorption filter, have been successful for the removal of the evaluated parameters. Comparing the initial parameters of the sample and the results improved efficiency of the treatment, we have respective indexes, remove turbidity, 37 NTU to 0.04 NTU; apparent color 276uC to 20uC; COD 228mg/L to 34mg/L and surfactants 1.09mg/L 0.20mg/L. Results showed the potential of the application of this treatment for greywater reuse in residences. / A produção e disseminação do conhecimento para as questões ambientais, considerando os aspectos sociais e econômicos, entre eles, o reúso de águas, aplicado para fins não potáveis vem ao encontro das premissas de planeta sustentável. As águas cinzas, quando devidamente tratadas, podem ser utilizadas para consumo não potável em edificações como, por exemplo, descarga de vasos sanitários, lavagem de pisos, lavagem de calçadas, irrigação de jardins, usos ornamentais como espelhos d água e chafarizes, desde que não proporcione riscos à saúde dos usuários. Neste estudo foi avaliado em escala laboratorial o potencial de tratamento de águas cinzas oriundas da máquina de lavar roupas e a possibilidade de reúso dessas águas para fins não potáveis em residências populares. A metodologia teve como base a pesquisa experimental, empregando estratégia de investigação envolvendo coleta de dados e análises de parâmetros, quantificando a produção de água potável, demanda de águas cinzas, análises de parâmetros físico-químicos e microbiológicos, avaliação do desempenho da água cinza sintética e real, utilizando processo químico através de coagulação, floculação, flutuação e flotação, filtração em meio granular e pós-tratamento por adsorção em carvão ativado. Foi realizada uma etapa preliminar de caracterização qualitativa de águas cinzas coletadas do efluente da máquina de lavar roupa, do ponto de vista físico-químico e microbiológico, em uma residência unifamiliar. Foram coletadas 43 amostras no período de 6 meses e feitas análises laboratoriais; a água cinza apresentou condutividade elétrica de 364±196 μScm-1; cor aparente de 362±201uC; cor verdadeira de 157±102uC; sólidos totais de 391±215mgL-l ; sólidos suspensos de 40±29 mgL-l ; sólidos dissolvidos de 347±201 mgL-l; sólidos sedimentáveis de 1,0±0,8; temperatura de 25±3,5 oC ; turbidez de 49±36 NTU; pH de 7,4 ± 1,2, DQO de 300±142 mg/L, DBO de 101±142 mg/L; surfactantes de 0,6±0,5 mg/L; coliformes totais variaram de ND a 9,6x105 e coliformes termo tolerantes de ND a 1,8x 105. Através de ensaios de tratabilidade utilizando teste de jarros, foram definidas as melhores condições de concentrações do coagulante, 160 mg/L de sulfato de alumínio (Al2(SO4)3), resultando o pH de coagulação de 5,0 e turbidez de 14 NTU, otimização da mistura rápida, Gf de 1200s-1, tempo de 8s e a otimização da floculação com melhor desempenho Gf 40s-1 com o tempo 6 a 10 min. Para as condições anteriores definidas foram passados por meios granulares diversos, selecionando o melhor material, que foi a areia de grãos 0,42mm (tamanho efetivo). Os resultados indicam que o sistema de pré-tratamento químico através da coagulação, floculação ou flotação com posterior passagem por filtro de areia e adsorção por carvão ativado, foram bem sucedidos para a remoção dos parâmetros avaliados. Comparando os parâmetros iniciais da amostra e os resultados de maior eficiência do tratamento, temos os respectivos índices: remoção de turbidez, 36,6NTU para 0,04NTU; cor aparente, 276uC para 20uC; DQO, 228mg/l para 34mg/L; e surfactantes 1,09mg/L para 0,20mg/L. Os resultados obtidos neste trabalho indicaram o potencial de aplicação desse tratamento visando o aproveitamento de águas cinzas em residências.

During the 21st century, climatic change and non-climatic stressors are likely to impact forests leading to large-scale forest and biodiversity loss, and diminished ecological benefits. Assessing the vulnerability of forests and addressing the sources of vulnerability is an important risk management strategy. The overall goal of this research work is to develop methodological approaches at different scales and apply them to assess the vulnerability of forests in India for developing strategies for forest adaptation. Indicator-based methodological approaches have been developed for vulnerability assessment at local, landscape and national scales under current climate scenario, and at national scale under future climate scenario. Under current climate scenario, the concept of inherent vulnerability of forests has emerged by treating vulnerability as a characteristic internal property of a forest ecosystem independent of exposure. This approach to assess vulnerability is consistent with the framework presented in the latest report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR5 2014). Assessment of vulnerability under future climate scenario is presented only at national scale due to challenges associated with model-based climate projections and impact assessment at finer scales. The framework to assess inherent vulnerability of forests at local scale involves selection of vulnerability indicators and pair wise comparison method (PCM) to assign the indicator weights. The methodology is applied in the field to a 300-ha moist deciduous case study forest (Aduvalli Protected Forest, Chikmagalur district) in the Western Ghats area, where a vulnerability index value of 0.248 is estimated. Results of the study indicate that two indicators - ‘preponderance of invasive species’ and ‘forest dependence of community’ - are the major drivers of inherent vulnerability at present. The methodology developed to assess the inherent vulnerability at landscape scale involves use of vulnerability indicators, the pair wise comparison method, and geographic information system (GIS) tools. Using the methodology, assessment of inherent vulnerability of Western Ghats Karnataka (WGK) landscape forests is carried out. Four vulnerability indicators namely, biological richness, disturbance index, canopy cover and slope having weights 0.552, 0.266, 0.123 and 0.059, respectively are used. The study shows that forests at one-third of the grid points in the landscape have high and very high inherent vulnerability, and natural forests are inherently less vulnerable than plantation forests. The methodology used for assessment of forest inherent vulnerability at the national scale was same as used at landscape scale. 40% of forest grid points in India are assessed with high and very high inherent vulnerability. Except in pockets, the forests in the three biodiversity hotspots in India i.e., the Western Ghats in peninsular India, northeastern India, and the northern Himalayan region are assessed to have low to medium inherent vulnerability. Vulnerability of forests under future climate scenario at national scale is estimated by combining the results of assessment of climate change impact and inherent vulnerability. In the present study, ensemble climatology from five CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5) climate models for RCP (Representative Concentration Pathways) 4.5 and 8.5 in short (2030s) and long term (2080s) is used as input to IBIS (Integrated Biosphere Simulator) dynamic vegetation model. Forest grid points projected to experience vegetation-shift to a new plant functional type (PFT) under future climate are categorized under ‘extremely high’ vulnerability category. Such forest grid points in India are 22 and 23% in the short term under RCP4.5 and 8.5 respectively, and these percentages increase to 31 and 37% in the long term. IBIS simulated vegetation projections are also compared with LPJ (Lund-Potsdam-Jena) simulated projections. Both the vegetation models agree that forests at about one-third of the grid points could be impacted by future climate but the spatial distribution of impacted grid points differs between the models. Vulnerability assessment is a powerful tool for building long-term resilience in the forest sector in the context of projected climate change. From this study, three forest scenarios emerge in India for developing adaptation strategies namely: (a) less disturbed primary forests; (b) degraded and fragmented primary forests; and (c) secondary (plantation) forests. Minimizing anthropogenic disturbance and conserving biodiversity are critical to reduce forest vulnerability of less disturbed primary forests. For disturbed forests and plantations, adaptive management aimed at forest restoration is necessary to build resilience. Mainstreaming forest adaptation in India through Forest Working Plans and realignment of the forestry programs is necessary to manage the risk to forests under climate change.

Dumping of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated due to anthropogenic activities in any barren land or out fields causes severe hazards to human populations, ecosystems and the environment. In order to avoid this, it is required to design landfills in an engineered and scientific manner. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the behaviour of landfills over a period of time, to design landfills for site specific conditions. In this thesis such an attempt is made to evaluate performance of conventional landfill system using a large scale anaerobic reactor in the laboratory. The performance of the containment (bottom liner and final cover) systems is evaluated through numerical modelling and reliability based analysis. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is used to develop linear regression models. Influence of various parameters and their uncertainty on the reliability of the containment systems are studied for various scenarios and conditions. Reliability assessment of containment systems play a decisive role in taking remedial measures in order to reduce its adverse affects on the environment and human health in the vicinity of landfill sites. On the other hand, pre-assessment of risk guides the engineers, planners and decision makers in achieving the goal of sustainable solid waste management as well as safe landfills. The thesis also includes assessment of vulnerability of groundwater to contamination, identification and ranking of suitable sites for municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal in the Bengaluru district, using remote sensing and Geographic information system (GIS) integrated with analytical hierarchy process (AHP), a multi criteria decision making tool. The study considers various land use, geological, hydrogeological and environmental factors as criteria. As a result, two most suitable locations are identified around the Bengaluru city and their descriptions are provided. Further, reliability analysis of the suitability of sites is evaluated considering criteria as random variables. The proposed reliability based approach helps the decision makers and planners to choose site locations having low probability of environmental pollution. The provided methods in the thesis can be effectively used for engineered design of landfills.

The present investigation is focused on the thermal performance of building materials, specifically their thermal transmittance, and consequent impact on building envelope and building thermal performance. Thermal performance of building materials plays a crucial role in regulating indoor thermal comfort when suitably integrated as part of the building envelope. Studies into thermal performance of building materials are few, particularly in the context of designing building blocks to achieve a particular thermal transmittance in buildings. Such studies require both theoretical (numerical) investigations augmented with experimental investigation into material thermal performance. A unique contribution of this study has been assessing the temperature-dependent performance of building material and their influence on thermal conductivity. The thermal performance of conventional and alternative (low energy) building materials have also been investigated to assess their suitability for naturally ventilated building in salient climatic zones in India. The study has also investigated the impact of varying mix proportions in Cement Stabilized Soil Block on thermal performance. There is little evidence of such studies, involving both experimental and theoretical studies, tracing the thermal performance of building materials to building performance. The current study involves three parts: studying thermo-physical properties of building materials, building-envelope performance evaluation and case-study investigation on buildings in various climatic zones. The thermo-physical study involves understanding the role of materials mix-proportion, composition, and microstructure for its influence on building-envelope thermal performance. Studies into building envelope performance for conventional and alternative building materials, includes, steady and dynamic thermal performance parameters. As part of the study, a calibrated hot-box thermal testing facility has been tested to experimentally determine the thermal performance of building envelopes. Case-study investigation involves real-time monitoring and simulation based assessment of naturally ventilated buildings in three climatic zones of India. The study finds noticeable temperature-dependent performance for various building materials tested. However, their impact on overall thermal performance of buildings is limited for the climatic zones tested. Further, the study validates the hitherto unexplored possibility of customizing building materials for specific thermal performances.

The present work focuses on the study of biomass gasification process for generating hydrogen rich synthetic gas with oxy-steam as reactants using experiments and modeling studies. Utilization of the syngas as a fuel in general applications like fuel cells, Fischer-Tropsch FT) process and production of various chemicals like DME, etc. are being considered to meet the demand for clean energy. This study comprises of experiments using an open top down draft reactor with oxygen and steam as reactants in the co-current configuration. Apart from the standard gasification performance evaluation; parametric study using equivalence ratio, steam-to-biomass ratio as major variables towards generation of syngas is addressed towards controlling H2/CO ratio. The gasification process is modeled as a packed bed reactor to predict the exit gas composition, propagation rate, bed temperature as a function of input reactants, temperature and mass flux with variation in thermo-physical properties of biomass. These results are compared with the present experiments as well as those in literature. Experiments are conducted using modified open top downdraft configuration reactor with lock hoppers and provision for oxy-steam injection, and the exit gas is connected to the cooling and cleaning system. The fully instrumented system is used to measure bed temperatures, steam and exit gas temperature, pressures at various locations, flow rates of fuel, reactants and product gas along with the gas composition. Preliminary investigations focused on using air as the reactant and towards establishing the packed bed performance by comparing with the experimental results from the literature and extended the study to O2-N2 mixtures. The study focuses on determining the propagation rate of the flame front in the packed bed reactor for various operating conditions. O2 is varied between 20-100% (vol.) in a mixture of O2-N2 to study the effect of O2 fraction on flame propagation rate and biomass conversion. With the increase in O2 fraction, the propagation rates are found to be very high and reaching over 10 mm/s, resulting in incomplete pyrolysis and poor biomass conversion. The flame propagation rate is found to vary with oxygen volume fraction as XO22.5, and stable operation is achieved with O2 fraction below 30%. Towards introducing H2O as a reactant for enhancing the hydrogen content in the syngas and also to reduce the propagation rates at higher ER, wet biomass is used. Stable operating conditions are achieved using wet biomass with moisture-to-biomass (H2O:Biomass) ratio between 0.6 to 1.1 (mass basis) and H2 yield up to 63 g/kg of dry biomass amounting to 33% volume fraction in the syngas. Identifying the limitation on the hydrogen yield and the criticality of achieving high quality gas; oxy-steam mixture is introduced as reactants with dry biomass as fuel. An electric boiler along with a superheater is used to generate superheated steam upto 700 K and pressure in the range of 0.4 MPa. Steam-to-biomass ratio (SBR) and ER is varied with towards generating hydrogen rich syngas with sustained continuous operation of oxy-steam gasification of dry biomass. The results are analysed with the variation of SBR for flame propagation rates, calorific value of product syngas, energy efficiency, H2 yield per kg of biomass and H2/CO ratio. Hydrogen yield of 104 g per kg of dry casuarina wood is achieved amounting to 50.5% volume fraction in dry syngas through oxy-steam gasification process compared to air gasification hydrogen yield of about 40 g per kg of fuel and 20% volume fraction. First and second law analysis for energy and exergy efficiency evaluation has been performed on the experimental results and compared with air gasification. Individual components of the energy input and output are analysed and discussed. H2 yield is found to increase with SBR with the reduction in energy density of syngas and also energy efficiency. Highest energy efficiency of 80.3% has been achieved at SBR of 0.75 (on molar basis) with H2 yield of 66 g/kg of biomass and LHV of 8.9 MJ/Nm3; whereas H2 yield of 104 g/kg of biomass is achieved at SBR of 2.7 with the lower efficiency of 65.6% and LHV of 7.4 MJ/Nm3. The energy density of the syngas achieved in the present study is roughly double compared to the LHV of typical product gas with air gasification. Elemental mass balance technique has been employed to identify carbon boundary at an SBR of 1.5. Controlling parameters for arriving at the desired H2/CO ratio in the product syngas have been identified. Optimum process parameters (ER and SBR) has been identified through experimental studies for sustained continuous oxy-steam gasification process, maximizing H2 yield, controlling the H2/CO ratio, high energy efficiency and high energy density in the product syngas. Increase in ER with SBR is required to compensate the reduction in O2 fraction in oxy-steam mixture and to maintain the desired bed temperature in the combustion zone. In the range of SBR of 0.75 to 2.7, ER requirement increases from 0.18 to 0.3. The sustained continuous operation is possible upto SBR of 1.5, till the carbon boundary is reached. Operating at high SBR is required for high H2 yield but sustained highest H2 yield is obtained as SBR of 1.5. H2/CO ratio in the syngas increases from 1.5 to 4 with the SBR and depending on the requirement of the downstream process (eg., FT synthesis), suitable SBR and ER combination is suggested. To obtain high energy density in syngas and high energy efficiency, operations at lower SBR is recommended. The modeling study is the extension of the work carried by Dasappa (1999) by incorporating wood pyrolysis model into the single particle and volatile combustion for the packed bed of particles. The packed bed reactor model comprises of array of single particles stacked in a vertical bed that deals with the detailed reaction rates along with the porous char spheres and thermo-physical phenomenon governed by the mass, species and energy conservation equations. Towards validating the pyrolysis and single particle conversion process, separate analysis and parametric study addressing the effects of thermo-physical parameters like particle size, density and thermal conductivity under varying conditions have been studied and compared with the available results from literature. It has been found that the devolatilisation time of particle (tc) follows closely the relationship with the particle diameter (d), thermal conductivity (k), density () and temperature (T) as: The complete combustion of a single particle flaming pyrolysis and char combustion has been studied and validated with the experimental results. For the reactor modeling, energy, mass and species conservation equations in the axial flow direction formulate the governing equations coupled to the detailed single particle analysis. Gas phase reactions involving combustion of volatiles and water gas shift reaction are solved in the packed bed. The model results are compared with the experimental results from wood gasification system with respect to the propagation rate, conversion times, exit gas composition and other bed parameters like conversion, peak bed temperatures, etc. The propagation rates compare well with experimental data over a range of oxygen concentration in the O2- N2 mixture, with a peak at 10 mm/s for 100 % O2. In the case of oxy-steam gasification of dry biomass, the results clearly suggest that the char conversion is an important component contributing to the bed movement and hence the overall effective propagation rate is an important parameter for co-current reactors. This is further analyzed using the carbon boundary points based on elemental balance technique. The model predictions for the exit gas composition from the oxy-steam gasification matches well with the experimental results over a wide range of equivalence ratio and steam to biomass ratio. The output gas composition and propagation rates are found to be a direct consequence of input mass flux and O2 fraction in oxy-steam mixture. The present study comprehensively addresses the oxy-steam gasification towards generating hydrogen rich syngas using experimental and model studies. The study also arrives at the parameters for design consideration towards operating an oxy-steam biomass gasification system. The following flow chart provides the overall aspects that are covered in the thesis chapter wise.