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BioEnergy and BioChemicals Production from Biomass and Residual Resources II: Focus on Unconventional Feedstocks

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A4: Bio-Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2019) | Viewed by 16188

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Danish Technological Institute, Biomass and Biorefinery, 2630 Taastrup, Denmark
Interests: biofuels; biorefinery; biotechnology; microorganisms
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Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Interests: microbial electrochemistry; biogeochemical cycles; gas fermentation and anaerobic digestion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research and technology development into next generation biorefinery systems are of the utmost importance for the establishment of next generation, highly efficient biomass conversion concepts maximizing the total bioenergy and biochemical output. The utilization of non-conventional and hazardous unexploited residual resources (e.g. petrol-processing residues, medical and municipal solid wastes, marine biomass, etc.), innovative solutions for online monitoring and process control, novel biochemical pathways, microbial platforms and bioreactor technologies are key issues to be addressed. Though emerging technologies are constantly developing and novel processes are continually emerging, major challenges still have to be solved, such as the design of high performance and cost-effective technologies for the production of bioenergy (gaseous, liquid, solid biofuels, heat, renewable electricity) and biochemicals in a biorefinery concept, where the potential of the biomass and residual waste streams are fully valorized. In this context, the evaluation of the environmental, technological, economical, and social sustainability of the concepts developed are of extreme importance. Therefore, the main objective of this second Special Issue is to continue exploring the recent developments in the field of bioenergy and biochemicals production from biomass and residual resources, but will focus more on unconventional feedstocks and hazardous waste valorization.

Dr. Dimitar Karakashev
Dr. Yifeng Zhang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Hazardous organic wastes/residues
  • Unconventional biomass feedstocks
  • Bioenergy
  • Biorefinery
  • Sustainability

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 1737 KiB  
Article
Triclosan Removal in Microbial Fuel Cell: The Contribution of Adsorption and Bioelectricity Generation
by Wenli Xu, Biao Jin, Shaofeng Zhou, Yanyan Su and Yifeng Zhang
Energies 2020, 13(3), 761; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13030761 - 9 Feb 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2934
Abstract
The occurrence of Triclosan (TCS) in natural aquatic systems has been drawing increasing attention due to its endocrine-disruption effects as well as for the development of antibiotic resistances. Wastewater discharge is the main source of water contamination by TCS. In this study, the [...] Read more.
The occurrence of Triclosan (TCS) in natural aquatic systems has been drawing increasing attention due to its endocrine-disruption effects as well as for the development of antibiotic resistances. Wastewater discharge is the main source of water contamination by TCS. In this study, the removal of TCS in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was carefully investigated. A 94% removal of TCS was observed with 60 mV electricity generation as well as a slight drop in pH. In addition, we found that adsorption also contributed to the removal of TCS in aqueous solution and 21.73% and 19.92% of the total mass was adsorbed to the inner wall of the reactor and to the electrode, respectively. The results revealed that the attenuation of TCS depends on both biodegradation and physical adsorption in the anode chamber. Thus, the outcomes of our study provide a better understanding of the TCS removal mechanism in MFCs. Full article
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16 pages, 3988 KiB  
Article
Effect of Bed Material on Bed Agglomeration for Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) Gasification in a Bubbling Fluidised Bed System
by Tanakorn Kittivech and Suneerat Fukuda
Energies 2019, 12(22), 4336; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12224336 - 14 Nov 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3491
Abstract
The high level of potassium compounds in Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) induces ash-related problems, such as bed agglomeration, which is caused by the formation of a low-melting-point sticky compound: K2On·SiO2, especially in fluidised bed gasification using silica sand as [...] Read more.
The high level of potassium compounds in Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) induces ash-related problems, such as bed agglomeration, which is caused by the formation of a low-melting-point sticky compound: K2On·SiO2, especially in fluidised bed gasification using silica sand as bed material. Dolomite was found to be an effective alternative bed material for preventing bed agglomeration by the release of CaO via calcination processes during gasification. CaO acts as a catalyst to inhibit bed agglomeration by possibly enhancing the formation of K2CO3 instead of K2O·nSiO2. Alumina sand was also found to be a suitable alternative bed material to prevent bed agglomeration; however, due to the relatively high density of alumina sand, high gas velocity was needed to ensure good mixing and fluidisation. Using both dolomite and alumina sand as bed materials yielded a product gas having similar higher heating value (HHV) to that when using silica sand (i.e., 3.8–3.9 MJ/Nm3). Full article
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21 pages, 4869 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Press Mud, Vinasse Powder and Extraction Sludge with Ethanol in a Pyrolysis Process
by John Steven Devia-Orjuela, Christian E Alvarez-Pugliese, Dayana Donneys-Victoria, Nilson Marriaga Cabrales, Luz Edith Barba Ho, Balazs Brém, Anca Sauciuc, Emese Gál, Douglas Espin, Martin Schichtel, Dimitrina Lang, Sebastiano Giardinelli and Maria Briceno
Energies 2019, 12(21), 4145; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12214145 - 30 Oct 2019
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5901
Abstract
The effluents of the sugar and bio-ethanol industry, mainly vinasse as well as lignocellulosic waste, are produced in high volumes. Therefore, their treatment and valorization would reduce the environmental impact and make this industry more productive and competitive. The purpose of this study [...] Read more.
The effluents of the sugar and bio-ethanol industry, mainly vinasse as well as lignocellulosic waste, are produced in high volumes. Therefore, their treatment and valorization would reduce the environmental impact and make this industry more productive and competitive. The purpose of this study was to determine the potential use of press mud (lignocellulosic waste), vinasse powder, and vinasse sludge from an extraction process with ethanol, as raw materials for conventional pyrolysis evaluating the physicochemical characteristics that affect this thermochemical process, such as calorific power, density, ash content, volatile material, moisture and nitrogen, sulfur, carbon and hydrogen content, thermogravimetric profile, and quantification of lignin cellulose and hemicellulose. The batch pyrolysis experiments showed that all three wastes could be converted successfully into more valuable products. The powder vinasse led to the formation of the lowest content of bio-char (42.7%), the highest production of volatiles (61.6 wt.%), and the lowest ash content (20.5 wt.%). Besides, it showed the high heating value of 15.63 MJ/kg. Meanwhile, the extraction sludge presented the highest liquid yield (32%) with the lowest gas formation (18.2 wt.%) and the lowest heating value of 8.57 MJ/kg. Thus, the sludge could be a good feedstock for production of bio-oil and bio-char. Full article
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20 pages, 1775 KiB  
Article
Low-Carbon Futures for Bioethylene in the United States
by Gillian Foster
Energies 2019, 12(10), 1958; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12101958 - 22 May 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3328
Abstract
The manufacture of the chemical ethylene, a key ingredient in plastics, currently depends on fossil-fuel-derived carbon and generates significant greenhouse gas emissions. Substituting ethylene’s fossil fuel feedstock with alternatives is important for addressing the challenge of global climate change. This paper compares four [...] Read more.
The manufacture of the chemical ethylene, a key ingredient in plastics, currently depends on fossil-fuel-derived carbon and generates significant greenhouse gas emissions. Substituting ethylene’s fossil fuel feedstock with alternatives is important for addressing the challenge of global climate change. This paper compares four scenarios for meeting future ethylene supply under differing societal approaches to climate change based on the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways. The four scenarios use four perspectives: (1) a sustainability-focused pathway that demands a swift transition to a bioeconomy within 30 years; (2) a regional energy-focused pathway that supports broad biomass use; (3) a fossil-fuel development pathway limited to corn grain; and (4) a fossil-fuel development pathway limited to corn grain and corn stover. Each scenario is developed using the latest scientifically informed future feedstock analyses from the 2016 Billion-Ton report interpreted with perspectives on the future of biomass from recent literature. The intent of this research is to examine how social, economic, and ecological changes determining ethylene supply fit within biophysical boundaries. This new approach to the ethylene feedstocks conundrum finds that phasing out fossil fuels as the main source of U.S. ethylene is possible if current cellulosic ethanol production expands. Full article
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