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Biomass Resources to Bioenergy

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A: Sustainable Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2025 | Viewed by 4743

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Shiplu Sarker

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Manufacturing and Civil Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Teknologivegen 9, 2815 Gjøvik, Norway
Interests: renewable energy; biomass; anaerobic digestion; waste treatment; environment; solid waste management; biomass conversion; sustainability; energy engineering; energy conversion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bioresources are renewable and vast, and among all the renewable resources, it is the only candidate that can be transformed into liquid fuel, mandating its suitability to replace liquid fossil fuel-based applications such as for transportation. Converting biomass resources to bioenergy typically involves processes like anaerobic digestion, fermentation, combustion, gasification and pyrolysis, which make use of a range of biomass sources spanning from energy crops and waste biomass resources to algae-based biomass. These processes operate under a variety of processing conditions—employing either heat, pressure, micro-organisms, or combinations of those, and other miscellaneous conditions. However, bioresources are still underexploited and plants or living organisms, which may have enormous potential as sustainable energy carriers and for use in biofuel production, are likely to remain undiscovered. Within this context, dedicated research on mapping biomass resources, which are relatively untapped and underutilized or yet to be utilized or genetically modified, is critical for understanding their potential toward maximizing energy conversion and to develop a future sustainable and bioeconomy framework.  

The Special Issue titled “Biomass resources to Bioenergy” particularly focuses on this aspect and solicits short and full-length research and review papers with potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Sustainable biomass production including all value chains involved;
  • Genetically modified biomass resources towards bioenergy generation;
  • Bioenergy, biofuels and biochemicals production from all conversion routes (i.e., bio-chemical, thermo-chemical and mechanical processes) utilizing all kinds of biomass resources (i.e., terrestrial and algae biomass, bio-residues and bio-wastes);
  • Novel technological advancements in biomass resource based processes like bio-chemical looping combustion, torrefaction, biomass co-combustion (i.e., biomass with coal, shale oil and other fossil-based fuels) and photo- and dark fermentation;
  • Technoeconomic, environmental and safety analysis of bioenergy and biorefinery processes employing commercial and open-source software (i.e., Aspen HYSIS, MATLAB, SuperPro, HOMER, RETScreen modeling, LCA tools and similar) including various other mathematical modeling approaches;
  • Machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging approaches to predict performance and optimization of bioenergy and biorefining processes;
  • Cases and concepts revolving around hybrid, smart and future-bioenergy energy systems.

Dr. Shiplu Sarker
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biomass resources
  • genetically modified biomass
  • bioeconomy
  • biofuels
  • bioconversion processes
  • novel bioresource technologies
  • computational analysis of bioenergy processes
  • LCA analysis of bioenergy processes
  • machine learning and AI approaches on bioenergy processes
  • bioenergy systems

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 407 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Organic Waste Long-Term Effects on Cellulose, Hemicellulose and Lignin Content in Energy Grass Species Grown in East-Central Poland
by Elżbieta Malinowska and Stanislav Torma
Energies 2024, 17(22), 5598; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17225598 - 9 Nov 2024
Viewed by 679
Abstract
Biomass can be used for electricity generation, especially in developing countries, but also in developed ones, where the utilization of renewable energy sources is being integrated into a sustainable economy. There are considerable differences in the scale of biomass use and in the [...] Read more.
Biomass can be used for electricity generation, especially in developing countries, but also in developed ones, where the utilization of renewable energy sources is being integrated into a sustainable economy. There are considerable differences in the scale of biomass use and in the technology of its processing. One of the most important sources of biofuel is the biomass of grass. This research aimed to determine the long-term effects of organic fertilizers on cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin content in the biomass of three grass species: giant miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus), prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata), and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) in the first three years of growth. The experiment was established in four replications on microplots of 2 m2 in April 2018. Before planting grass rhizomes, municipal sewage sludge (SS) and spent mushroom substrate (SMS) were introduced into the soil in various combinations. Biomass is harvested in December every year. The content of structural polysaccharides in the grass species statistically significantly varied in response to organic waste. Compared to other fertilizer combinations, SS application increased the content of cellulose in the biomass of Miscanthus giganteus (43.66% of DM) and Spartina pectinata (37.69% of DM) and hemicellulose in Spartina pectinata (27.80% of DM) and Panicum virgatum (23.64% of DM). Of the three species of grass, the chemical composition of Miscanthus giganteus cell walls was the most favorable for biofuel production, with the most cellulose and hemicellulose and the least lignin compared to other grass species. The content of lignin in the biomass of Miscanthus × giganteus and Spartina pectinata was the greatest on the plot with SMS and amounted to 7.79% of DM and 12.32% of DM, respectively. In the case of Panicum virgatum, the average content of lignin was similar across all fertilized plots, with 15.42% DM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Resources to Bioenergy)
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22 pages, 4725 KiB  
Article
Conceptual Design Study of a Coffee Stem Gasification Scheme in the Context of a Biorefinery
by Camilo Andrés Guerrero-Martin, Leyder Alejandro Prieto-Moreno, Jaime Eduardo Arturo-Calvache, Stefanny Camacho-Galindo, Laura Estefanía Guerrero-Martin, William Alberto Guerrero, Oswaldo Hideo Ando Junior, John Carlos Arevalo and Elizabete Fernandes Lucas
Energies 2024, 17(19), 4972; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17194972 - 4 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1006
Abstract
A conceptual design of coffee stem biomass gasification was developed using the Aspen Plus process simulator, which was analyzed based on energy criteria such as the lower heating value of the produced synthesis gas and cold gas efficiency. The results yielded a lower [...] Read more.
A conceptual design of coffee stem biomass gasification was developed using the Aspen Plus process simulator, which was analyzed based on energy criteria such as the lower heating value of the produced synthesis gas and cold gas efficiency. The results yielded a lower heating value of 5.07 kJ/MJ, with a cold gas efficiency of 77.45% and a yield of 2.75 kg gas/kg biomass, all operating under optimal conditions with studied parameters including an air-to-biomass ratio between 1.8 and 2.5, gasifying agent temperature of 260 °C, and biomass moisture content below 10%. A sensitivity analysis was conducted on the formation of the most important compounds for synthesis gas quality (H2, CO, CO2, H2O, CH4). This involved understanding the reactions occurring throughout the gasification reactor and evaluating process parameters such as feed moisture content, gasification section temperature, and the ratio between feed and gasifying agent flows to optimize the process with the aim of improving product quality and reducing residue formation. The simulation scheme was validated against experimental data, yielding results consistent with reality. This contributed valuable information towards process optimization for projects targeting the Colombian coffee sector, paving the way for future gasifier designs tailored to the quantity of raw material to be processed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Resources to Bioenergy)
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24 pages, 747 KiB  
Article
Quantifying Agricultural Residues Biomass Resources and the Energy Potentials with Characterization of Their Nature and Ethiopian Case Consumption Inference
by Angesom Gebrezgabiher Tesfay, Asfafaw Haileselassie Tesfay and Muyiwa Samuel Adaramola
Energies 2024, 17(18), 4736; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17184736 - 23 Sep 2024
Viewed by 876
Abstract
As the Ethiopian energy demand urges for fuel options, it is essential to identify biomass fuels and estimate their energy potential. This study quantified the agricultural residues’ biomass resources and their energy potential. Further analyzed and characterized the potential nature through quantitative and [...] Read more.
As the Ethiopian energy demand urges for fuel options, it is essential to identify biomass fuels and estimate their energy potential. This study quantified the agricultural residues’ biomass resources and their energy potential. Further analyzed and characterized the potential nature through quantitative and qualitative methodologies with descriptive, comparative, explanatory, and exploratory studies. Five-year crop yield data of 27 crops were collected from the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia. Conversion factors into energy were surveyed from the literature. Subsequently, the residues available and their energy potentials were estimated. Mathematical and statistical analysis methods were considered in an Excel sheet. A new measure of natural potential capacity for energy was defined in two views (resource and application). Accordingly, their potential capacities were rated and prioritized comparatively. The gross energy potential of all the residues was estimated to be 494.7 PJ. With 30% collecting efficiency, it corresponds to the imported petroleum fuel in 2018. Five major crops contributed to 80% of this gross potential. Maize and sorghum presented the highest potential due to their superior yields and good natural potential capacities. They are also well distributed in all the regions. Cotton and maize’s natural potential capacities are the best in both views. Generally, commercial crops presented better capacities than the major cereal crops. However, major crops’ energy potentials dominated due to their yields. These resources need mobilization into modern and commercially accessible fuel forms that await intervention. Densified and carbonized forms of consumption in nearby industries and households are most viable for the Ethiopian case. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Resources to Bioenergy)
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18 pages, 1080 KiB  
Article
The Determination of Woody Biomass Resources and Their Energy Potential from Hazelnut Tree Cultivation
by Anna Borkowska, Grzegorz Maj, Kamila E. Klimek and Magdalena Kapłan
Energies 2024, 17(18), 4536; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17184536 - 10 Sep 2024
Viewed by 739
Abstract
The aim of this study was to estimate the shoot weight of four selected hazelnut cultivars and to see if the morphological characteristics of the cultivar and the age of the shoots affect their quality when used as fuel. This study shows that [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to estimate the shoot weight of four selected hazelnut cultivars and to see if the morphological characteristics of the cultivar and the age of the shoots affect their quality when used as fuel. This study shows that the cultivar ‘Olga’ generated the highest amounts of woody biomass (6507 t·ha−1), while ‘Olbrzymi z Halle’ generated the lowest (3843 t·ha−1). ‘Olbrzymi z Halle’ had the highest calorific values (HHVs) (18.08 MJ·t·ha−1 for annual shoots and 18.03 MJ·kg−1 for perennial shoots) and ‘Olga’ had the lowest calorific values (16.64 MJ·kg−1 for annual shoots and 16.39 MJ·kg−1 for perennial shoots). The age of the shoots had a minimal effect on the chemical and energy parameters. Emissions were the highest for ‘Olbrzymi z Halle’ (CO: 57.74 MJ·kg−1 for perennial shoots, CO2: 1414.05 MJ·kg−1) and lowest for ‘Olga’ (CO: 50.57 MJ·kg−1, CO2: 1238.46 MJ·kg−1). The cultivar ‘Olbrzymi z Halle’, which generated the least amount of biomass compared to the other cultivars, stands out for its high energy value due to its low moisture and ash contents and its high carbon and hydrogen contents, making it attractive for the purposes of biofuel production and supporting sustainable agriculture. The practical implications of the research findings include the selection of suitable varieties for biofuel production, the management of biomass moisture content, and the optimisation of combustion techniques to reduce emissions. The potential for using hazelnut shoots as a biofuel highlights the importance of sustainable agriculture and renewable energy production. The results provide valuable information that can support decisions regarding the cultivation and use of hazelnut shoots for biofuel production while minimising negative environmental impacts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Resources to Bioenergy)
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20 pages, 1424 KiB  
Article
The Potential Diversity of Agricultural Biomass in the Context of the Organization of Agricultural Production and Circular Agriculture in Poland
by Dorota Janiszewska and Luiza Ossowska
Energies 2024, 17(14), 3368; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17143368 - 9 Jul 2024
Viewed by 842
Abstract
Agriculture is one of the key sectors of the economy, but it also generates many residues and waste that are only partially used (as, for example, feed, litter, and fertilizer). The resulting residues and waste can be valuable components for other sectors of [...] Read more.
Agriculture is one of the key sectors of the economy, but it also generates many residues and waste that are only partially used (as, for example, feed, litter, and fertilizer). The resulting residues and waste can be valuable components for other sectors of the economy (e.g., energy), contributing to the implementation of a circular economy. The main aim of the research is to assess the diversity of the biomass potential from agricultural residues in the context of the level of organization of agricultural production and circular agriculture in Poland at the local level (314 counties). The level of organization of agricultural production was determined using the synthetic measure based on four variables (average farm size, number of tractors per farm, share of farms producing for the market, and the number of AWU per 100 ha of UAA). The potential of agricultural biomass was estimated on the basis of existing surpluses of straw, hay, energy crops grown on marginal lands, and residues from orchard maintenance. The data came from the General Agricultural Census conducted by the Polish Statistical Office in 2020. The conducted research showed that over 75% of counties are characterized by a high and medium level of organization of agricultural production. However, unused biomass resources from agricultural production residues are common (2/3 of counties are characterized by high and medium potential). There is a positive relationship between the level of biomass potential from agricultural residues and the level of organization of agricultural production at the local level in Poland, but the strength of this relationship is weak. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Resources to Bioenergy)
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