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Recent Advances in Biofuels: Biorefinery toward Sustainability
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Recent Advances in Biofuels: Biorefinery toward Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Resources and Sustainable Utilization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (18 October 2021) | Viewed by 18908

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Abd El-Fatah Abomohra

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu 610106, China
Interests: biofuels; algae; biomass conversion; environmental engineering; CO2 sequestration; waste-to-energy conversion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mahdy Elsayed

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt
Interests: anaerobic digestion, 2nd generation biofuels, waste-to-energy, biofuels from insects, environmental and agricultural engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The growing global demand for energy security combined with the environmental impacts of using non-renewable sources is creating the need to explore new feedstocks for biofuels and biobased products. Although bio-energy production from different kinds of biomass is receiving a great amount of attention on the research community level, it is not accepted as much in the social level compared to other clean energies, such as solar and wind energy. In that context, biorefinery is becoming more relevant to enhance the economic feasibility of biofuels in order to compete fossil fuels. A biorefinery includes all those technologies for obtaining biofuels and other added-value compounds from biomass and organic wastes. Currently, biorefinery is considered a sustainable bioprocessing of fractionation and conversion of biowastes into a spectrum of marketable biobased products and green energy with minimal or zero-waste emissions/products.

Thus, different biorefinery routes have significant impacts and can solve a variety of environmental and economic issues, in addition to enhanced economic feasibility. This Special Issue aims to discuss the pros and cons of each biorefinery process during biofuel production, and their impacts on gross bioenergy production, taking into account the technical, economic, cultural, energy, and environmental policies of different countries and the repercussions of COVID-19 around the world. This Special Issue seeks original contributions on the developments of biorefinery technologies of different biomass/biowaste, and its involvement at an environmental and bioeconomy level. Potential topics include but are not limited to thermochemical conversion of biomass and derived wastes, conversion of waste plastic, sequential biofuel production, phyto-/phyco-remediation for wastewater treatment and biofuel production, and insect-based bioconversion with estimation of the carbon footprint for all biorefinery processes.

Possible research topics

  1. Sequential routes of biomass conversion for marketable biofuels
  2. Circular bioeconomy for zero-waste/emissions
  3. Anaerobic biorefinery
  4. Routes of whole biomass utilization
  5. Thermochemical conversion of biomass and derived wastes
  6. Biofuel combined with phyto-/phyco-remediation
  7. Energy recovery from fat, oil, and grease (FOG)
  8. Microbial-mediated lignocellulose conversion to biodiesel
  9. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) for waste recycling and energy production
  10. Waste energy recovery
  11. Insect farming for sustainable feed and food production

Prof. Dr. Abd El-Fatah Abomohra
Dr. Mahdy Elsayed
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. Sustainability 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 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

  • biofuels
  • microbial conversion
  • sequential routes
  • thermochemical conversion
  • waste management
  • whole biomass utilization

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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15 pages, 1212 KiB  
Article
Potential Use of Native Yeasts to Produce Bioethanol and Other Byproducts from Black Sugarcane, an Alternative to Increment the Subsistence Farming in Northern Ecuador
by Gabriela N. Tenea and Fabricio Veintimilla
Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10924; https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910924 - 30 Sep 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2118
Abstract
The high consumption of energy, mainly in the automotive sector, is supplied by fossil fuels, which, when combusted, generate polluting gases leading to the great problem of climate change. This has led society to seek alternatives. Bioethanol is a biofuel that can be [...] Read more.
The high consumption of energy, mainly in the automotive sector, is supplied by fossil fuels, which, when combusted, generate polluting gases leading to the great problem of climate change. This has led society to seek alternatives. Bioethanol is a biofuel that can be obtained from the fermentation of different raw materials rich in sucrose such as sugarcane, which can be mixed with gasoline and used to reduce polluting emissions. The following investigation focused on studying the efficiency of three selected native yeasts in the fermentation of black sugarcane POJ 27-14 variety juice to produce bioethanol and other byproducts of biotechnological interest. A comparison between the size of the inoculum of three selected native yeasts (Lev6, Lev9, and Lev30) and two reference commercial controls in the fermentation process was performed. The phylogenetic classification was carried out based on the analysis of the internal transcribed spacer 1 sequence, 5.8S ribosomal RNA, and internal transcribed spacer 2. Lev6 and Lev30 were classified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, while Lev9 was Candida intermedia, with 99% nucleotide sequence identity. The results showed that the optimal growth temperature was 30 °C with constant agitation (200 rpm) for biomass production. The Lev30 strain presented the highest yield in the production of biomass from sugarcane juice fermentation, while the Lev6 strain presented the highest yield in ethanol production. Additionally, among native yeasts, Lev6 registered the highest ethanol concentration (Q) and volumetric productivity (Qp) values of 0.61 (g/L/h) and 43.92 g/L, respectively, which were comparable with the control yeasts. The gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) indicated the presence of ethanol in all samples (98% to 99% relative percentages) along with some therapeutic substances such as (2-aziridinylethyl) amine and tetraacetyl-d-xylonic nitrile with greater efficiency than commercial controls from the alcoholic fermentation of black sugarcane juice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Biofuels: Biorefinery toward Sustainability)
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17 pages, 2916 KiB  
Article
Influence of Nutrient Manipulation on Growth and Biochemical Constituent in Anabaena variabilis and Nostoc muscorum to Enhance Biodiesel Production
by Shimaa M. El Shafay, Ahmed Gaber, Walaa F. Alsanie and Mostafa E. Elshobary
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9081; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169081 - 13 Aug 2021
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 2644
Abstract
The present study aims to improve biomass and biochemical constituents, especially lipid production of Anabaena variabilis and Nostoc muscorum by formulating an optimal growth condition using various concentrations of nutrients (NO3−, PO43− and CO32−) for [...] Read more.
The present study aims to improve biomass and biochemical constituents, especially lipid production of Anabaena variabilis and Nostoc muscorum by formulating an optimal growth condition using various concentrations of nutrients (NO3−, PO43− and CO32−) for biodiesel production. The supplementation of the three nutrients by +50% showed the maximum dry weight and biomass productivity, while the macromolecule contents were varied. The depletion of N-NO3− by 50% N-NO3− showed the maximum lipid yield (146.67 mg L−1) in A. variabilis and the maximum carbohydrate contents (285.33 mg L−1) in N. muscorum with an increase of 35% and 30% over control of the synthetic medium, respectively. However, variation in P-PO43− and C-CO32− showed insignificant improving results for all biochemical compositions in both cyanobacteria. A. variabilis was the superior species for lipid and protein accumulation; however, N. muscorum showed the maximum carbohydrate content. Accordingly, A. variabilis was selected for biodiesel production. In A. variabilis, −50% N-NO3− resulted in 35% higher lipid productivity compared to the control. Furthermore, the fatty acid profile and biodiesel quality-related parameters have improved under this condition. This study has revealed the strategies to improve A. variabilis lipid productivity for biodiesel production for small-scale in vitro application in terms of fuel quality under low nitrate levels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Biofuels: Biorefinery toward Sustainability)
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16 pages, 1502 KiB  
Article
Potential Applications of Native Cyanobacterium Isolate (Arthrospira platensis NIOF17/003) for Biodiesel Production and Utilization of Its Byproduct in Marine Rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis) Production
by Mohamed A. Zaki, Mohamed Ashour, Ahmed M. M. Heneash, Mohamed M. Mabrouk, Ahmed E. Alprol, Hanan M. Khairy, Abdelaziz M. Nour, Abdallah Tageldein Mansour, Hesham A. Hassanien, Ahmed Gaber and Mostafa E. Elshobary
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 1769; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13041769 - 6 Feb 2021
Cited by 47 | Viewed by 4100
Abstract
To achieve strong, successful and commercial aqua-biotechnological microalgae applications, screening, isolation, molecular identification, and physiological characterizations are needed. In the current study, a native cyanobacteria strain Arthrospira platensis NIOF17/003 was isolated from the surface water of El-Khadra Lake, a saline-alkaline lake located in [...] Read more.
To achieve strong, successful and commercial aqua-biotechnological microalgae applications, screening, isolation, molecular identification, and physiological characterizations are needed. In the current study, a native cyanobacteria strain Arthrospira platensis NIOF17/003 was isolated from the surface water of El-Khadra Lake, a saline-alkaline lake located in Wadi El-Natrun, Egypt. The cyanobacterium was phylogenetically identified by 16S rRNA molecular marker and deposited in the GenBank database (accession number MW396472). The late exponential phase of A. platensis NIOF17/003 was reached at the 8th day of growth using Zarrouk medium, with a recorded dry weight (DW) of 0.845 g L−1. The isolated strain showed 52% of protein, 14% of carbohydrate, biomass productivity of 143.83 mg L−1 day−1, 8.5% of lipid, and lipid productivity of 14.37 mg L−1 day−1. In general, the values of cetane number, iodine value, cold filter plugging point (52.9, 85.5 g I2/100 g oil, and −2.2 °C, respectively) of the isolated fatty acid methyl esters are in accordance with those suggested by international standards. Besides, applying algal-free lipid (FL) as biodiesel byproduct in the production of rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis) revealed that a 0.6 g L−1 FL significantly increased the rotifer population females carrying eggs, confirming that FL can be used efficiently for B. plicatilis production. The current study concluded that the new isolate A. platensis NIOF17/003 is a promising strain for double sustainable use in biodiesel production and aquaculture feed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Biofuels: Biorefinery toward Sustainability)
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12 pages, 983 KiB  
Article
Effect of Phytohormones Supplementation under Nitrogen Depletion on Biomass and Lipid Production of Nannochloropsis oceanica for Integrated Application in Nutrition and Biodiesel
by Hussein El-Sayed Touliabah and Adel W. Almutairi
Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 592; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020592 - 9 Jan 2021
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3048
Abstract
Economic viability of biodiesel production relies mainly on the productivity of biomass and microalgal lipids. In addition, production of omega fatty acids is favorable for human nutrition. Thus, enhancement of lipid accumulation with high proportion of omega fatty acids could help the dual [...] Read more.
Economic viability of biodiesel production relies mainly on the productivity of biomass and microalgal lipids. In addition, production of omega fatty acids is favorable for human nutrition. Thus, enhancement of lipid accumulation with high proportion of omega fatty acids could help the dual use of microalgal lipids in human nutrition and biodiesel production through biorefinery. In that context, phytohormones have been identified as a promising factor to increase biomass and lipids production. However, nitrogen limitation has been discussed as a potential tool for lipid accumulation in microalgae, which results in simultaneous growth retardation. The present study aims to investigate the combined effect of N-depletion and 3-Indoleacetic acid (IAA) supplementation on lipid accumulation of the marine eustigmatophyte Nannochloropsis oceanica as one of the promising microalgae for omega fatty acids production. The study confirmed that N-starvation stimulates the lipid content of N. oceanica. IAA enhanced both growth and lipid accumulation due to enhancement of pigments biosynthesis. Therefore, combination effect of IAA and nitrogen depletion showed gradual increase in the dry weight compared to the control. Lipid analysis showed lower quantity of saturated fatty acids (SFA, 26.25%) than the sum of monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Under N-depletion, SFA decreased by 12.98% compared to the control, which recorded much reduction by increasing of IAA concentration. Reduction of SFA was in favor of PUFA, mainly omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids which increased significantly due to IAA combined with N-depletion. Thus, the present study suggests a biorefinery approach for lipids extracted from N. oceanica for dual application in nutrition followed by biodiesel production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Biofuels: Biorefinery toward Sustainability)
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24 pages, 1942 KiB  
Systematic Review
Opportunities for Waste to Energy in the Milk Production Industry: Perspectives for the Circular Economy
by Miguel Casallas-Ojeda, Luz Elba Torres-Guevara, Diana M. Caicedo-Concha and María F. Gómez
Sustainability 2021, 13(22), 12892; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212892 - 22 Nov 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4813
Abstract
Cheese whey is a waste produced in the dairy industry which generates problems if it is dumped directly into the sewer due to its high organic load. An alternative for cheese whey management is anaerobic digestion, a biological process that transforms organic matter [...] Read more.
Cheese whey is a waste produced in the dairy industry which generates problems if it is dumped directly into the sewer due to its high organic load. An alternative for cheese whey management is anaerobic digestion, a biological process that transforms organic matter into biogas and digestate, two products with significant energy and agricultural potential. This work was aimed at contributing to the building of knowledge about the anaerobic degradation of cheese whey, developing a bibliometric analysis, and tracing trends in related research from 2010 up to the present, using PRISMA® to develop a systematic review based on Scopus® and using Excel® and bibliometric software (VosViewer® and RefViz®) for the identification of information. Our results show that the research around cheese whey is relatively recent and that the highest percentage of publications is from 2018 onwards. Twelve variables of the anaerobic cheese whey degradation process were identified and grouped into five factors: substrate, reactor configuration, digestate analysis, microbiological analysis, and inoculum. Likewise, it was identified that most of the anaerobic processes allow the implementation of the circular economy into the dairy sector. In conclusion, the application of anaerobic digestion in the dairy sector can help to close the productive cycles, produce biofuels, and reduce pollution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Biofuels: Biorefinery toward Sustainability)
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