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Fire
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Upgrading of Biomass Resources for Subsequent Combustion Use
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Upgrading of Biomass Resources for Subsequent Combustion Use

A special issue of Fire (ISSN 2571-6255). This special issue belongs to the section "Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Simulation of Combustion and Fire".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 6268

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Silvia Roman Suero

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Applied Physics, University of Extremadura, Avda. de Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
Interests: biomass; waste; thermochemical processing; activated carbons; adsorption; pyrolysis; HTC; combustion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biomass waste has been used as fuel in boilers at domestic and industrial scales for almost a century. However, as a result of the broadening of potential precursors due to increasing interest in the circular economy, it is now necessary to find ways to improve the properties of a wide range of materials.

The use of novel biomass materials as fuels is a challenge that can only be met by developing extensive knowledge regarding how to improve their specific features. This can involve modifications to carbon density, decrease in moisture, pelletization, minimization of sulfur, nitrogen, or other elements, or the tuning of ash composition, among other possibilities.

This Special Issue aims to serve as a collection of research works on the treatments that can be applied to biomass wastes to make them more suitable for use as fuels. Any physical or thermochemical methods, as well as blending processes, are of interest.

Dr. Silvia Roman Suero
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. Fire is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2400 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
  • combustion
  • fuel
  • carbon
  • wastes
  • thermochemical processing

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1488 KiB  
Article
Fire Risk Reduction and Recover Energy Potential: A Disruptive Theoretical Optimization Model to the Residual Biomass Supply Chain
by Tiago Bastos, Leonor Teixeira and Leonel J. R. Nunes
Fire 2024, 7(8), 263; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7080263 - 23 Jul 2024
Viewed by 831
Abstract
Rural fires have been a constant concern, with most being associated with land abandonment. However, some fires occur due to negligent attitudes towards fire, which is often used to remove agroforestry leftovers. In addition to the fire risk, this burning also represents a [...] Read more.
Rural fires have been a constant concern, with most being associated with land abandonment. However, some fires occur due to negligent attitudes towards fire, which is often used to remove agroforestry leftovers. In addition to the fire risk, this burning also represents a waste of the energy present in this residual biomass. Both rural fires and energy waste affect the three dimensions of sustainability. The ideal solution seems to be to use this biomass, avoiding the need for burning and recovering the energy potential. However, this process is strongly affected by logistical costs, making this recovery unfeasible. In this context, this study aims to propose an optimization model for this chain, focusing on the three dimensions of sustainability. The results of the present study comprise a summary of the current state of the art in supply-chain optimization, as well as a disruptive mathematical model to optimize the residual biomass supply chain. To achieve this objective, a literature review was carried out in the first phase, incorporating the specificities of the context under study to arrive at the final model. To conclude, this study provides a review covering several metaheuristics, including ant colony optimization, genetic algorithms, particle swarm optimization, and simulated annealing, which can be used in this context, adding another valuable input to the final discussion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Upgrading of Biomass Resources for Subsequent Combustion Use)
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18 pages, 3176 KiB  
Article
Upgrading Carthamus by HTC: Improvement of Combustion Properties
by José Manuel Díaz-Rasero, Beatriz Ledesma, María Alonso and Silvia Román
Fire 2024, 7(4), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7040106 - 22 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1160
Abstract
This study investigated the fuel potential and combustion behavior of hydrochars derived from a unique precursor: Carthamus pomace. Initially, the hydrothermal carbonization process of this novel feedstock was examined across various temperature ranges (180–240 °C) and durations (15–180 min). The impact of these [...] Read more.
This study investigated the fuel potential and combustion behavior of hydrochars derived from a unique precursor: Carthamus pomace. Initially, the hydrothermal carbonization process of this novel feedstock was examined across various temperature ranges (180–240 °C) and durations (15–180 min). The impact of these processing conditions was analyzed in terms of degradation mechanisms and their correlation with the resulting properties of the hydrochars (HCs) produced. Then, the combustion performance of these materials was studied by means of thermogravimetry, and the differences in reactivity and activation energy were analyzed and associated with preparation processes. Finally, the most promising HTC parameters were identified and a thermoeconomic study on the use of selected HCs on a thermal plant devoted to the production of electricity was evaluated including energy savings associated with the implementation of heat exchangers using the heat of the flue gases to partially supply the energy needs associated with HTC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Upgrading of Biomass Resources for Subsequent Combustion Use)
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18 pages, 2649 KiB  
Article
Alteration of Organic Matter during Wildfires in the Forests of Southern Siberia
by Olga A. Shapchenkova, Sergei R. Loskutov and Elena A. Kukavskaya
Fire 2023, 6(8), 304; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire6080304 - 6 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1687
Abstract
Large areas of forests burn annually in Siberia. Pyrogenic organic matter (PyOM) generated by wildfires acts as a stable carbon deposit and plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. Little is known about the properties of PyOM formed during fires in [...] Read more.
Large areas of forests burn annually in Siberia. Pyrogenic organic matter (PyOM) generated by wildfires acts as a stable carbon deposit and plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. Little is known about the properties of PyOM formed during fires in Siberian forests. In this work, we report the results of thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy applied to the study of the chemical composition, structure, and thermal stability of PyOM formed during surface and crown fires of moderate to high severity in southern Siberia. We studied the PyOM produced from the forest floor, down wood, cones, and outer bark of tree stems in Scots pine, larch, spruce, and birch forests. We calculated the thermal recalcitrance indexes (R50, Q3) based on TG/DSC data. We found that wildfires resulted in a strong decrease in thermolabile components in burned fuels, enrichment by aromatic structures, and a significant increase in thermal stability (T50) compared to unburned samples. In all the studied forests, bark PyOM revealed the highest value of T50 while forest floor PyOM had the lowest one. At the same time, our results indicated that the properties of PyOM were more strongly driven by wildfire severity than by fuel type. Overall, the thermal recalcitrance R50 index for PyOM samples increased by 9–29% compared to unburned plant residues, indicating a shift from low to intermediate carbon sequestration potential class in the majority of cases and hence less susceptibility of PyOM to biodegradation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Upgrading of Biomass Resources for Subsequent Combustion Use)
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14 pages, 5058 KiB  
Article
A Study on the Spontaneous Ignition of Some Ligneous Pellets
by Tânia Ferreira, Edmundo Marques, João Monney Paiva and Carlos Pinho
Fire 2023, 6(4), 153; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire6040153 - 12 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1906
Abstract
A preliminary non-exhaustive study was conducted on the ignition of some ligneous biomass pellets inside a laboratory scale traveling bed furnace. The experiments consisted in the measurement of the ignition time of volatiles released by six different types of pellets, obtained from wood [...] Read more.
A preliminary non-exhaustive study was conducted on the ignition of some ligneous biomass pellets inside a laboratory scale traveling bed furnace. The experiments consisted in the measurement of the ignition time of volatiles released by six different types of pellets, obtained from wood species found in the Portuguese forest, namely Pinus pinaster, Acacia dealbata, Cytisus scoparius, Cistus ladanifer, Paulownia cotevisa and Eucalyptus globulus. The experiments were carried out at corrected furnace temperatures of 359, 381, 403, 424 and 443 °C, using two different pellet sizes and with batches of 6 and 8 g of pellets. The ignition time was determined measuring the time elapsed between placing the batch of pellets on the traveling grate and the volatiles’ ignition moment. Its dependency was linear, and an increase in ignition time with the furnace temperature was verified. Pinus pinaster was the species that presented a higher ignition time and Cytisus scoparius the shortest. For the same pellets size, an increase in the mass of batches led to shorter ignition times. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Upgrading of Biomass Resources for Subsequent Combustion Use)
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