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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 December 2021) | Viewed by 23739
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Dr. Javier Fermoso

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Thermochemical Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy Institute, 28935 Móstoles, Spain
Interests: thermochemical biomass conversion; catalytic pyrolysis; bio-oil upgrading; biofuels; gasification; hydrogen production; plastic waste thermochemical valorization; activated biochars; NOx adsorption; biofilters

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are calling for submissions of research and review papers to a Special Issue of Energies entitled “Advanced Technologies on Biomass Conversion”.

This Special Issue aims to present a compilation of recent developments on novel and emerging technologies and future trends in the thermochemical/catalytic conversion processes of residues (biomass, plastic wastes, or USW) to produce fuels and/or high added-value chemicals that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the dependence on conventional fossil resources.

The management of USW and plastic wastes is a problem of utmost importance in our continuously growing society that principally lives in cities and is highly energy- and commodity-demanding, in which landfilling can no longer be used as a solution. Fast pyrolysis is an example of a promising thermochemical technology that breaks down a solid residue into a primary liquid product in seconds. This liquid product can be catalytically upgraded into transportation fuels and/or multiple commodity chemicals. The development of waste-to-chemical technologies (e.g., building blocks, new plastics, fuels) employing residues as feedstock will contribute to the development of the circular economy, thereby avoiding, or at least reducing, landfilling and disposal problems.

In this Special Issue, we intend to bring together a broad range of strategies of processes for the thermochemical conversion of residues. Topics such as, but not limited to, the following will be included:

Biomass thermal/catalytic pyrolysis;
Bio-oil catalytic upgrading (aldol condensation, esterification, hydrodeoxygenation, etc.);
Biorefineries;
Biomass gasification (syngas and/or H₂ production);
Plastic waste thermochemical valorization (pyrolysis, catalytic cracking, etc.);
USW thermochemical conversion.

Dr. Javier Fermoso
Guest Editor

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Keywords

residues
biomass
plastic waste
USW
waste-to-chemicals
thermochemical conversion
pyrolysis
catalysts
gasification
cracking
biorefinery
bio-oil
chemicals
biofuels

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 248 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Some Results of Poultry Litter Processing into a Fertilizer by the Wet Torrefaction Method in a Fluidized Bed

by Rafail Isemin, Alexander Mikhalev, Oleg Milovanov and Artemy Nebyvaev

Energies 2022, 15(7), 2414; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15072414 - 25 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1655

Abstract

Poultry litter mass is formed in large quantities at poultry farms producing poultry meat (1–3 kg of litter mass per 1 kg of produced meat). These wastes represent a threat to the environment because of the presence of pathogenic microflora in them and the greenhouse gas emitted during the storage of these wastes. The procedure of poultry litter mass processing by wet torrefaction in a superheated water vapor environment at a temperature of 150–260 °C is studied. It is shown that after torrefaction at a temperature of 150 °C, the poultry litter mass retains high humidity, i.e., it represents an environment suitable for the re-development of pathogenic microflora. Only after wet torrefaction at a temperature of 260 °C does the humidity of the poultry litter mass decreases to 4%, and the risk of re-infection with pathogenic microflora decreases sharply. The absence of nitrates in the samples after torrefaction at a temperature of 260 °C indicates the termination of the activity of nitrifying bacteria. After torrefaction at a temperature of 260 °C, the poultry litter mass has a pH close to 7. This increases the mobility and availability of microelements for plants. Torrefaction at a temperature of 260 °C increases the content of ash, phosphorus and potassium by 30–40% and nitrogen by 15–20%, which makes the fertilizer more concentrated and optimizes the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. After wet torrefaction, due to the burning of the most easily degradable nitrogen-containing organic compounds and the destruction of some organophosphorus compounds, the mobility of nitrogen decreases, and the mobility of phosphorus increases. As a result of the research, it was found that the treatment of poultry manure by wet torrefaction in an environment of superheated water vapor at a temperature not lower than 260 °C makes it possible to obtain organic fertilizer with the most optimal nutrient content. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Biomass Conversion)

13 pages, 3566 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison of Characteristics of Poultry Litter Pellets Obtained by the Processes of Dry and Wet Torrefaction

by Rafail Isemin, Alexander Mikhalev, Oleg Milovanov, Dmitry Klimov, Vadim Kokh-Tatarenko, Mathieu Brulé, Fouzi Tabet, Artemy Nebyvaev, Sergey Kuzmin and Valentin Konyakhin

Energies 2022, 15(6), 2153; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15062153 - 15 Mar 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2151

Abstract

Torrefaction is a technology for the preliminary thermochemical treatment of biomass in order to improve its fuel characteristics. The aim of this work is to conduct comparative studies and select the optimal operating conditions of fluidized bed torrefaction for the processing of poultry litter (PL) into an environmentally friendly fuel. PL torrefaction was evaluated according to three different process configurations: (1) torrefaction of PL pellets in a fixed bed in a nitrogen medium at temperatures of 250 °C, 300 °C and 350 °C (NT1, NT2 and NT3); (2) torrefaction of PL pellets in a fluidized bed of quartz sand in a nitrogen medium at temperatures of 250 °C, 300 °C and 350 °C (NT4, NT5 and NT6); and (3) torrefaction of PL pellets in a fluidized bed of quartz sand in an environment of superheated steam at temperatures of 250 °C, 300 °C and 350 °C (ST1, ST2 and ST3). The duration of the torrefaction process in all experiments was determined by the time required for completion of CO₂, CO, H₂, and CH₄ release from the treated biomass samples. The gas analyzer (Vario Plus Syngaz) was used to measure the concentration of these gases. The torrefaction process began from the moment of loading the PL sample into the reactor, which was heated to the required temperature. After the start of the torrefaction process, the concentration of CO₂, CO, H₂, and CH₄ in the gases leaving the reactor initially increased and, subsequently, dropped sharply, indicating the completion of the torrefaction process. The chemical composition of the obtained biochar was studied, and it was found that the biochar contained approximately equal amounts of oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and ash, regardless of the torrefaction method. Furthermore, the biogas yield of the liquid condensate, obtained from the cooling of superheated steam used in the torrefaction process, was evaluated. The results highlight the efficiency of fluidized bed torrefaction, as well as the performance of superheated steam as a fluidization medium. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Biomass Conversion)

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27 pages, 4773 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Process Analysis of PMMA-Based Dental Resins Residues Depolymerization: Optimization of Reaction Time and Temperature

by Paulo Bisi dos Santos, Jr., Haroldo Jorge da Silva Ribeiro, Armando Costa Ferreira, Caio Campos Ferreira, Lucas Pinto Bernar, Fernanda Paula da Costa Assunção, Douglas Alberto Rocha de Castro, Marcelo Costa Santos, Sergio Duvoisin, Jr., Luiz Eduardo Pizarro Borges and Nélio Teixeira Machado

Energies 2022, 15(1), 91; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15010091 - 23 Dec 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3662

Abstract

This work aims to optimize the recovery of methyl methacrylate (MMA) by depolymerization of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) dental resins fragments/residues. In order to pilot the experiments at technical scale, the PMMA dental resins scraps were submitted by thermogravimetric analysis (TG/DTG/DTA). The experiments were conducted at 345, 405, and 420 °C, atmospheric pressure, using a pilot scale reactor of 143 L. The liquid phase products obtained at 420 °C, atmospheric pressure, were subjected to fractional distillation using a pilot scale column at 105 °C. The physicochemical properties (density, kinematic viscosity, and refractive index) of reaction liquid products, obtained at 345 °C, atmospheric pressure, were determined experimentally. The compositional analysis of reaction liquid products at 345 °C, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 110 min, at 405 °C, 50, 70, and 130 min, and at 420 °C, 40, 50, 80, 100, 110, and 130 min were determined by GC-MS. The morphology of PMMA dental resins fragments before and after depolymerization was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX). The experiments show that liquid phase yields were 55.50%, 48.73%, and 48.20% (wt.), at 345, 405, and 420 °C, respectively, showing a first order exponential decay behavior, decreasing with increasing temperature, while that of gas phase were 31.69%, 36.60%, and 40.13% (wt.), respectively, showing a first order exponential growth, increasing with temperature. By comparing the density, kinematic viscosity, and refractive index of pure MMA at 20 °C with those of liquid reaction products after distillation, one may compute percent errors of 1.41, 2.83, and 0.14%, respectively. SEM analysis showed that all the polymeric material was carbonized. Oxygenated compounds including esters of carboxylic acids, alcohols, ketones, and aromatics were detected by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in the liquid products at 345, 405, and 420 °C, atmosphere pressure. By the depolymerization of PMMA dental resins scraps, concentrations of methyl methacrylate between 83.454 and 98.975% (area.) were achieved. For all the depolymerization experiments, liquid phases with MMA purities above 98% (area.) were obtained between the time interval of 30 and 80 min. However, after 100 min, a sharp decline in the concentrations of methyl methacrylate in the liquid phase was observed. The optimum operating conditions to achieve high MMA concentrations, as well as elevated yields of liquid reaction products were 345 °C and 80 min. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Biomass Conversion)

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14 pages, 2416 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison of Pyrolysis Liquids from Continuous and Batch Biochar Production—Influence of Feedstock Evidenced by FTICR MS

by Wolfram Buss, Jasmine Hertzog, Julian Pietrzyk, Vincent Carré, C. Logan Mackay, Frédéric Aubriet and Ondřej Mašek

Energies 2021, 14(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14010009 - 22 Dec 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2866

Abstract

Bio-oils from biomass pyrolysis can be a resource for upgrading to chemicals or fuels. Here, for the first time, we compare the composition of bio-oils produced from two feedstocks (wheat straw, softwood) in pyrolysis units of different mode of operation (continuous—rotary kiln vs. batch) using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR MS) in different ionization modes (APPI (+), ESI (+/−)). Our results demonstrate that the pyrolysis unit design had only a minor influence on the composition of bio-oils produced from low-mineral containing wood biomass. Yet, the wheat straw-derived bio-oil produced in the continuous unit comprised lower molecular weight compounds with fewer oxygen-containing functional groups and lower O/C and H/C ratios, compared to bio-oils from batch pyrolysis. Longer residence time of vapours in the heated zone in the rotary kiln and a higher mineral content in wheat straw resulted in increased catalytically-mediated secondary reactions that favoured further bio-oil decomposition. This work shows for the first time that it is possible to produce distinct bio-oils without the need for external catalyst addition, by matching reactor type/design and feedstock. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Biomass Conversion)

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10 pages, 7161 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Stimulation of Lipid Extraction Efficiency from Sewage Sludge for Biodiesel Production through Hydrothermal Pretreatment

by Jongkeun Lee, Oh Kyung Choi, Dooyoung Oh, Kawnyong Lee, Ki Young Park and Daegi Kim

Energies 2020, 13(23), 6392; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13236392 - 3 Dec 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2574

Abstract

In this study, two types of sewage sludge (primary sludge and waste activated sludge) were hydrothermally treated at 125–250 °C to enhance the lipid extraction efficiency and obtain a higher biodiesel yield. The enhanced efficiency of the lipid extraction method was compared with the efficiency of the organic solvent extraction method. The results confirmed that a hydrothermal reaction could be an appropriate option for disrupting sludge cell walls and increasing the lipid extraction from sewage sludge. The highest lipid recovery efficiency was observed at 200 °C, and the lipid recovery efficiency of primary sludge and waste activated sludge increased from 7.56% and 5.35% to 14.01% and 11.55% by weight, respectively. Furthermore, transesterified lipids, such as biodiesel from sewage sludge, mostly consist of C16 and C18 methyl esters, and have features similar to those of jatropha oil-based biodiesel. During the hydrothermal treatment, the carbon content in the sludge decreased as the carbon transformed into lipids and the lipids were extracted. The volatile matter and fixed carbon content in the solid residue decreased and increased, respectively, through chemical dehydration and decarboxylation reactions under hydrothermal reaction conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Biomass Conversion)

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17 pages, 3930 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Hydrogen Yield Evolution in Gaseous Fraction and Biochar Structure Resulting from Walnut Shells Pyrolysis

by Elena David

Energies 2020, 13(23), 6359; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13236359 - 2 Dec 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2002

Abstract

Conversion experiments of wet and dry walnut shells were performed, the influence of moisture content on the hydrogen yield in the gas fraction was estimated and the resulted biochar structure was presented. Measurements of the biochar structures were performed using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy methods. The results demonstrate that heating rate played a key role in the pyrolysis process and influenced the biochar structure. Under fast heating rate, the interactions between the water vapors released and other intermediate products, such as biochar was enhanced and consequently more hydrogen was generated. It could also be observed that both biochar samples, obtained from wet and dry walnut shells, had an approximately smooth surface and are different from the rough surface of the raw walnut shell, but there are not obvious differences in shape and pores structure between the two biochar samples. The increasing of the biochar surface area versus pyrolysis temperature is due tothe formation of micropores in structure. The biochar shows a surface morphology in the form of particles with rough, compact and porous structure. In addition the biochar structure confirmed that directly pyrolysis of wet walnut shells without predried treatment has enhanced the hydrogen content in the gas fraction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Biomass Conversion)

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12 pages, 279 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pyrolysis Conversion of Polymer Wastes to Noble Fuels in Conditions of the Slovak Republic

by Michal Holubčík, Ivana Klačková and Peter Ďurčanský

Energies 2020, 13(18), 4849; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13184849 - 16 Sep 2020

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3414

Abstract

This paper deals with the pyrolysis conversion of synthetic waste materials into noble fuels, i.e., heating oils, gasoline, diesel, and carbon. The following article presents the principle and use of pyrolysis conversion of waste tires and plastics. The core of the paper is the determination of energy properties of noble fuels obtained from pyrolysis conversion and the possibility of their real use in industry. The aim of this paper is a technical-economic evaluation of the use of waste pyrolysis in practice in the Slovak Republic. Unlike various methods of waste management, there are also more efficient methods, which primarily have a positive effect on the ecology of our Earth and at the same time can be effectively used for the production of alternative fuels. One of these methods is the pyrolysis conversion of synthetic waste materials into noble fuels. It is an ecological, waste-free, economical, and economical disposal of waste with a full recovery of its energy and material components with reduced emissions, and therefore this direction of using synthetic waste for the conversion of alternative fuels contributes to sustainable development. A significant advantage of this waste management is considered to be the fact that only waste tires or chlorine-free plastics are used as input materials without other necessary raw materials obtained by other economic activity. Tires and plastics are generated daily as waste in every household. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Biomass Conversion)

15 pages, 2271 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Stability of Li-LSX Zeolite in the Catalytic Pyrolysis of Non-Treated and Acid Pre-Treated Isochrysis sp. Microalgae

by Nur Adilah Abd Rahman, Javier Fermoso and Aimaro Sanna

Energies 2020, 13(4), 959; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13040959 - 20 Feb 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2703

Abstract

This paper investigates the use of Li-LSX-zeolite catalyst over three regeneration cycles in presence of non-treated and acid pre-treated Isochrysis sp. microalgae. The spent and regenerated catalysts were characterised by surface analysis, elemental analysis (EA), SEM-EDS, and XRD to correlate their properties with the bio-oil yield and quality. The acid pre-treatment removed alkali metals, reducing gas yield in favour of bio-oil, but, at the same time, led to catalyst deactivation by fouling. Differently, the non-treated microalgae resulted in a bio-oil enriched in C and H and depleted in O, compared to the pre-treated ones, denoting higher deoxygenation activity. After 3 pyrolysis/regeneration cycles, the analyses suggest that there are no major changes on catalyst using non-treated microalgae. Regeneration at 700 °C has been shown to be able to remove most of the coke without damaging the Li-LSX zeolite structure. In summary, Li-LSX zeolite was effective in maintaining deoxygenation activity over three cycles in the pyrolysis of non-treated Isochrysis microalgae, while the algae pre-treatment with sulphuric acid was detrimental on the catalyst activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Biomass Conversion)

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14 pages, 702 KiB

Open AccessReview

Bioengineering and Molecular Biology of Miscanthus

by Evgeny Chupakhin, Olga Babich, Stanislav Sukhikh, Svetlana Ivanova, Ekaterina Budenkova, Olga Kalashnikova, Alexander Prosekov, Olga Kriger and Vyacheslav Dolganyuk

Energies 2022, 15(14), 4941; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15144941 - 6 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1797

Abstract

Miscanthus is a perennial wild plant that is vital for the production of paper and roofing, as well as horticulture and the development of new high-yielding crops in temperate climates. Chromosome-level assembly of the ancient tetraploid genome of miscanthus chromosomes is reported to provide resources that can link its chromosomes to related diploid sorghum and complex polyploid sugarcane. Analysis of Miscanthus sinensis and Miscanthus sacchariflorus showed intense mixing and interspecific hybridization and documented the origin of a high-yielding triploid bioenergetic plant, Miscanthus × giganteus. The Miscanthus genome expands comparative genomics functions to better understand the main abilities of Andropogoneae herbs. Miscanthus × giganteus is widely regarded as a promising lignocellulosic biomass crop due to its high-biomass yield, which does not emit toxic compounds into the environment, and ability to grow in depleted lands. The high production cost of lignocellulosic bioethanol limits its commercialization. The main components that inhibit the enzymatic reactions of fermentation and saccharification are lignin in the cell wall and its by-products released during the pre-treatment stage. One approach to overcoming this barrier could be to genetically modify the genes involved in lignin biosynthesis, manipulating the lignin content and composition of miscanthus. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies on Biomass Conversion)

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