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Energy Production from Biomass Valorization

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 15031

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Ilona Sárvári Horváth

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor

Swedish Centre for Resource Recovery, University of Borås, 501 90 Borås, Sweden
Interests: utilization of different biomass feedstock; pretreatment technologies; bioethanol and biogas production; biomaterials, bioenergy, and biofuels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Cigdem Yangin-Gomec

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey
Interests: design of anaerobic systems and microbial identification; biogas recovery from organic wastes; sludge treatment, management, and disposal

Prof. Dr. Carlos Martín

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

1. Department of Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, 2317 Hamar, Norway
2. Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
Interests: lignocellulosic materials; pretreatment; enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose; biorefineries; biochemical conversion of lignocellulose; cellulosic ethanol; biofuels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Renewable energy production has gained increasing interest and will play an important role in our pursuit to achieve a carbon neutral future.

Over the years, biomass has become an alternative energy source with great potential to be both reliable and consistent. Although various biomass sources (e.g., agricultural and lignocellulosic residues, livestock manure, domestic and industrial wastes) are widely available, the development and implementation of economically feasible valorization techniques to convert biomass into valuable fuels, products, chemicals, and materials remains challenging. This has highlighted the constant need for seeking novel technologies in order to economize these processes.

This Special Issue of Energies aims to collect original research, review, or shorter perspective articles on all aspects related to biological, thermo, and catalytic routes for the conversion of various types of biomass feedstock to renewable energy. Emphasis will be given to the most up-to-date pretreatment/treatment technologies and valorization processes.

Relevant topics include but are not limited to:

Combustion
Gasification
Pyrolysis
Anaerobic digestion
Pretreatment
Fermentation
Biodiesel production
Furan biofuels
Hydrothermal liquefaction

Prof. Ilona Sárvári Horváth
Prof. Dr. Cigdem Yangin-Gomec
Dr. Carlos Martín
Guest Editors

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 valorization
pretreatment
biomethanization
biofuels
biorefinery
syngas
hydrolysis

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 1703 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Oxygen/Steam Addition on the Quality of Producer Gas during Direct (Air) Gasification of Residual Forest Biomass

by Helena G. M. F. Gomes, Manuel A. A. Matos and Luís A. C. Tarelho

Energies 2023, 16(5), 2427; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16052427 - 3 Mar 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1946

Abstract

Biomass gasification is a relevant option to produce a gaseous fuel, it faces, however, several barriers regarding its quality for energetic applications. Therefore, in this study, air-steam and O₂-enriched air mixtures were used as gasification agents during the gasification of residual biomass from eucalyptus to improve the producer gas quality. The steam addition promoted an increase in CO₂ and H₂ concentrations, whilst decreasing the CO and CH₄ concentrations. The steam addition had no evident impact on the lower heating value of the dry producer gas and a positive effect on gas yield and the H₂:CO molar ratio, attaining the later values up to 1.6 mol_H₂∙mol⁻¹_CO. The increase in O₂ concentration in the gasification agent (φ) promoted an increase in all combustible species and CO₂ concentrations. The lower heating value of the dry producer gas underwent an increase of 57%, reaching a value of 7.5 MJ∙Nm⁻³_dry gas, when the φ increased from 20 to 40 %vol._{O₂, dry GA}. The gas yield had a significant decrease (33%) with φ increase. This work showed that the addition of steam or O₂ during air gasification of residual biomass improved producer gas quality, overcoming some of the barriers found in conventional air gasification technology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Production from Biomass Valorization)

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14 pages, 1547 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Microbial Diversity during Thermophilic Anaerobic Co-Digestion for an Effective Valorization of Food Waste and Wheat Straw

by Cigdem Yangin-Gomec, Swarnima Agnihotri, Päivi Ylitervo and Ilona Sárvári Horváth

Energies 2023, 16(1), 55; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16010055 - 21 Dec 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1683

Abstract

In this study, predominant bacterial and archaeal populations and their roles during anaerobic mono-digestion of food waste (FW) and co-digestion of FW with straw pellets (SP) at thermophilic temperature (53 ± 1 °C) were assessed by Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) analysis at organic loading rates (OLRs) of 3.0 and 7.0 gVS/L/d. Depending on the seed; results revealed that Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria were, respectively the most prevalent bacterial phyla at both OLRs investigated. On the other hand, Euryarchaeota was dominated by methanogens playing crucial role in biogas production and correlated mainly with the activities of Methanobacteria and Methanomicrobia at class level. Acetoclastic Methanosaetae was the predominant genus at OLR = 3.0 gVS/L/d; however, shared the same predominance with hydrogenotrophic methanogens Methanospirillium at the highest OLR. Although no clear effect in response to straw addition at OLR of 3.0 gVS/L/d could be seen in terms of methanogenic archaea at genus level, hydrogenotrophic methanogens revealed some shift from Methanobacterium to Methanospirillium at higher OLR. Nevertheless, no prominent microbial shift in the presence of wheat straw at increased OLR was likely due to adapted inoculation at start-up which was also demonstrated by relatively stable biogas yields during co-digestion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Production from Biomass Valorization)

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21 pages, 2809 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Charcoal Production in Portugal: Operating Conditions and Performance of a Traditional Brick Kiln

by Felix Charvet, Arlindo Matos, José Figueiredo da Silva, Luís Tarelho, Mariana Leite and Daniel Neves

Energies 2022, 15(13), 4775; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15134775 - 29 Jun 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3371

Abstract

Charcoal is produced in large quantities in the Portuguese region of Alentejo mainly using traditional brick kilns. Information about this type of carbonization technology is scarce, which makes it urgent to characterize the process as a starting point for performance improvements. In this context, this study aims to characterize the operation of a cylindrical brick kiln (≈80 m³) during regular wood carbonization cycles. Relevant process parameters were monitored along with the yields and/or composition of the main products (carbonization gas, charcoal, and charcoal fines) to evaluate the mass balance of the process. The results show that the bulk of the kiln operates at temperatures below 300 °C, which greatly limits the quality of the charcoal. For instance, the fixed carbon content of charcoal can easily be as low as 60 wt.%. The yield of charcoal is also low, with values below 25 wt.% of dry wood feed. This means that significant quantities of by-products are generated in the process with little or no commercial value. Modifications in the carbonization process are needed to improve efficiency, charcoal quality, and environmental acceptance to sustain this activity in regions where it still represents vital income related to wood-waste management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Production from Biomass Valorization)

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20 pages, 12177 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ash Behaviour during Combustion of Agropellets Produced by an Agro-Industry—Part 2: Chemical Characterization of Sintering and Deposition

by Javier Royo, Paula Canalís, Sebastián Zapata, Maider Gómez and Carmen Bartolomé

Energies 2022, 15(4), 1499; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15041499 - 17 Feb 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1721

Abstract

Eight different pellets (one woody and seven blends of woody and herbaceous biomass) produced by an agro-industry were tested in a fixed-bed reactor to characterize their behaviour during their combustion process. The objective was to analyze the possible problems that could arise and, thus, achieve advances in the greater penetration of these agropellets in the energy market. The blends’ design and tests results are presented in the first part of this article. The results of the bottom ash and fly ash samples obtained from the combustion tests using SEM-EDS and P-XRD techniques were analyzed in order to delve into the sintering and deposition phenomena, respectively. Regarding the sintering, a clear relationship has been found between the results of the SEM-EDS analysis and the initial composition of the ash of the fuels. Additionally, the analysis of the results confirms a different ash behaviour regarding the sintering phenomenon depending on the ratio between the amounts of Si, Ca + Mg and K + Na. With respect to deposition, it has been determined that in woody pellets, showing the lower sintering degree, the predominant deposition mechanism is by inertial impact, while in blend pellets it is by condensation, which increases when the percentage of herbaceous in the mixture increases. It has been proved that, in order to compensate (at least partially) for the negative effect of the herbaceous components in the blends, working with a higher λ value is interesting, as it achieves a decrease in the combustion temperature (with λ >1), which implies both a decrease in the sintering degree and in the deposition, improving therefore the ash behaviour in the combustion of agropellets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Production from Biomass Valorization)

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25 pages, 3486 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ash Behaviour during Combustion of Agropellets Produced by an Agro-Industry—Part 1: Blends Design and Experimental Tests Results

by Sebastián Zapata, Maider Gómez, Carmen Bartolomé, Paula Canalís and Javier Royo

Energies 2022, 15(4), 1479; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15041479 - 17 Feb 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1649

Abstract

Agropellets are presented as a suitable product to be produced in certain agro-industries which could become Integrated Biomass Logistic Centres (IBLC) by taking advantage of its current resources during those periods in which their facilities are underused. Wheat straw and maize stalk were selected to be blended with forestry wood in an agro-industry dedicated to animal feed production. The materials were characterized to assess the quality of the input material. Taking into account the former, different pellets (blends of woody and herbaceous biomass) were produced and tested in a fixed bed reactor in order to study their combustion behaviour. Additionally, several predictive indexes were also calculated to assess sintering and deposition occurrence probability. Ash sintering degree was found to be directly related to composition and highly dependent on Si content. Moreover, an increase of the wood content in the blend did not proportionally imply a higher quality of the final blend, as would be expected. Regarding deposition, due to the high number of factors involved in this phenomenon, it has not been possible to draw clear conclusions. To do this, it was necessary to delve into the deposition mechanisms, which is addressed in the second part of this paper. Thus, despite the appearance of sintering and deposition phenomena, the combustion behaviour was satisfactory in the test carried out. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that agro-industries can act as IBLCs, producing blended pellet for the energy market that aligns with the standard ISO 17225-6. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Production from Biomass Valorization)

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24 pages, 3131 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Efficiency of a Batch Boiler and Emissions of Harmful Substances during Combustion of Various Types of Wood

by Grzegorz Pełka, Mateusz Wygoda, Wojciech Luboń, Przemysław Pachytel, Artur Jachimowski, Marcin Paprocki, Paweł Wyczesany and Jarosław Kotyza

Energies 2021, 14(20), 6783; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14206783 - 18 Oct 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2903

Abstract

In the paper, the authors focused on the environmental problems of pollution emissions caused by households using batch boilers fired with solid fuels. The aim of this study is to analyse the course of changes in the actual efficiency and emission of a solid fuel updraft boiler, the most popular type of batch boilers used in Poland in recent years. The subject of analysis is the comparison of the values of atmospheric emissions of harmful substances depending on the type of wood burnt in the boiler. The investigation comprises the combustion characteristics of three types of woody biomass (in billets), i.e., pine, birch, and beech. Based on the carried out research of all billets, the beech has the lowest values of CO (3497 mg/m³) and particulate matter (116.9 mg/m³). Despite this, obtained results exceed the current permissible limits based on the standard PN:EN 303-5:2012. The highest efficiency (54.13%) was obtained for birch billets, the lowest for pine (45.13%). The research has shown that the real heating efficiency during the combustion of wood, irrespective of the type of wood being burnt, is low. To summarise, the outdated installations contribute to air pollution several times higher, which indicates the need to replace inefficient heat sources using solid fuels with modern equipment that meets the most stringent standards. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Production from Biomass Valorization)

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