Biofuels Production—by Applying Thermochemical Energy Conversion Technologies

A special issue of Fermentation (ISSN 2311-5637). This special issue belongs to the section "Industrial Fermentation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 6297

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Division of Environmental Systems Analysis, Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
Interests: lignocellulosic ethanol production; waste biomass gasification; syngas fermentation; Process Simulation; system performance; waste to energy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Growing concerns about energy security and environmental impacts have encouraged the decision makers in the energy sector to consider renewable and sustainable energy alternatives to meet the increasing energy demands. Biomass, as a naturally available and abundant renewable energy sources, is considered for energy extraction in the sustainable energy supply.

Various types of biomasses like wood waste, agricultural crop residues, forestry residues, municipal solid waste (MSW) and animal manures can be used as feedstock to produce different biofuels like biochar, syngas, bio-oil, bioethanol, biodiesel, biohydrogen and biomethane. However, the compatibility of each biomass as feedstock is depending upon its properties, environmental, and economic factors. Typically, biofuels are obtained by applying thermochemical conversion technologies like pyrolysis, gasification, carbonization, under various process parameters. These technologies change the physical state and chemical composition of the feed through the several steps of decomposition, cracking and depolymerization reactions which lead to the biomass conversion into a solid fuel like charcoal referred to as biochar, with a condensable organic liquid known as bio-oil/ tar, and a non-condensable combustible gas including of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, light hydrocarbons and steam that is referred to as volatiles. The aim of this special issue is to cover various thermochemical conversion technologies for biofuel production in viewpoint of performance analysis, environmental and techno-economic assessment.

Dr. Sahar Safarian
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Biomass
  • Biowaste
  • Biochar
  • Syngas
  • Bio-oil
  • Bioethanol
  • Biodiesel
  • Biohydrogen
  • Pyrolysis
  • Gasification
  • Torrefaction
  • Carbonization
  • Microwave
  • Pre-treatment

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

21 pages, 3299 KiB  
Review
Emerging Technologies for Enhancing Microalgae Biofuel Production: Recent Progress, Barriers, and Limitations
by A. G. Olabi, Abdul Hai Alami, Shamma Alasad, Haya Aljaghoub, Enas Taha Sayed, Nabila Shehata, Hegazy Rezk and Mohammad Ali Abdelkareem
Fermentation 2022, 8(11), 649; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation8110649 - 17 Nov 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5805
Abstract
The world has heavily relied on fossil fuels for decades to supply energy demands. However, the usage of fossil fuels has been strongly correlated with impactful problems, which lead to global warming. Moreover, the excessive use of fossil fuels has led to their [...] Read more.
The world has heavily relied on fossil fuels for decades to supply energy demands. However, the usage of fossil fuels has been strongly correlated with impactful problems, which lead to global warming. Moreover, the excessive use of fossil fuels has led to their rapid depletion. Hence, exploring other renewable and sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels is imperative. One of the most sustainable fossil fuel alternatives is biofuel. Microalgae-based biofuels are receiving the attention of researchers due to their numerous advantages compared with those obtained from other types of feedstocks. Hence, it is essential to explore the recent technologies for biofuel produced from microalgae species and define the possible challenges that might be faced during this process. Therefore, this work presents the recent advancements in biofuel production from microalgae, focusing on emerging technologies such as those using nanomaterials and genetic engineering. This review focuses on the impact of nanoparticles on the harvesting efficiency of various microalgae species and the influence of nanoparticles on biofuel production. The genetic screening performed by genome-scale mutant libraries and their high-throughput screening may assist in developing effective strategies for enhancing microalgal strains and oil production through the modification of enzymes. Furthermore, the barriers that limit the production of biofuels from microalgae are introduced. Even though microalgae-based biofuels are perceived to engage with low negative impacts on the environment, this review paper touches on several environmental issues associated with the cultivation and harvesting of microalgae species. Moreover, the economic and technical feasibility limits the production of microalgae-based biofuels. Full article
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