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Applied Sciences
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Advances in Biofuels and Bioenergy Production
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Advances in Biofuels and Bioenergy Production

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 July 2024 | Viewed by 2860

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Paul Musonge

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Institute of Systems Science, Durban University of Technology, Durban 4001, South Africa
2. Faculty of Engineering, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Durban 4031, South Africa
Interests: agro-waste; biodiesel; biofuels; optimization; mixed feedstocks
Dr. Yusuf M. Isa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg P.O. Box 2050, South Africa
Interests: heterogenous catalysts; bio hydrogen; biomass; sustainability; fuel hydrocarbons; ethanol; catalytic conversion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world dependency on fossil fuels and its undesired consequences in terms of sustainability and climate change are issues of global concern. There is a pressing need to look at alternative and sustainable fuel sources to satisfy the increasing energy demands. Biofuels offer one such alternative. This Special Issue focuses on the conversion of biomass to biofuels. The topics covered are wide-ranging, from potential biomass feedstocks to energy conversion pathways such as thermal and catalytic conversions of various biomass-derived hydrocarbons, transesterification, and pyrolysis. The use of green technology and process optimization and costing will also receive special attention. Topics of interest in this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

  • Production of biomass-derived fuels (solids, liquids and gases);
  • Bioenergy processes;
  • Optimization of sustainable energy systems;
  • Socio-economic implications of bioenergy production;
  • Green bioenergy technologies;
  • Life-cycle analysis of biofuels.

Prof. Dr. Paul Musonge
Dr. Yusuf M. Isa
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. Applied Sciences 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

  • renewable energy environmental sustainability
  • economic feasibility
  • bio-fuel technologies
  • alternative fuels
  • bio-conversion and processing
  • agro-based waste management

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 1073 KiB  
Article
Methodology for Selecting an Ideal Thermal Gasification Technique for Municipal Solid Waste Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis
by Zakariya Kaneesamkandi, Ateekh Ur Rehman, Yusuf Siraj Usmani, Abdul Sayeed and Hammed Sodiq Alabi
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(23), 12675; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132312675 - 26 Nov 2023
Viewed by 651
Abstract
Awareness of the consequences of waste mismanagement has resulted in urban planners looking for effective disposal techniques with the added benefit of energy generation. The decision regarding an energy conversion technique to adopt on a community level is based on different technology assessment [...] Read more.
Awareness of the consequences of waste mismanagement has resulted in urban planners looking for effective disposal techniques with the added benefit of energy generation. The decision regarding an energy conversion technique to adopt on a community level is based on different technology assessment factors with maximum weightage on environmental effects. Gasification techniques in general and thermal gasification strategies in particular are appropriate methods when environmental impacts are to be minimized. Thermal gasification techniques have evolved with different configurations, syngas generation rates, and other advantages and disadvantages; hence, the selection of the right technique is essential, and establishing guidelines for decision-makers is necessary. The six different gasifiers considered in the present study were updraft gasifiers, downdraft gasifiers, cross-draft gasifiers, bubbling fluidized bed gasifiers, circulating fluidized bed gasifiers, and dual-bed fluidized bed gasifiers. The assessments performed in the present study are based on the attributes of the different techniques using the multi-criteria decision method. Multi-criteria decision analysis is an appropriate method proven to be an ideal procedure in these situations. Attribute values for gasifier performance, environmental effects, economic performance indices, and fuel requirements were determined from collected waste assessment data and published information. Analysis was performed for both recycling and non-recycling scenarios of waste utilization by applying different weight scenarios for the attributes. Results of the study indicate that downdraft gasifiers showed the best performance in terms of environmental effects under the recycling scenario, with 0.1% and 0.0125% by volume of carbon dioxide and methane emissions, and under the non-recycling scenario, with 0.125% and 0.02% by volume of carbon dioxide and methane emissions. Downdraft gasifiers had high overall rankings in performance when evaluated against different entropy weights for both scenarios. The results of the study can be applied to urban communities in different climatic regions as well as for different scales of operation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Biofuels and Bioenergy Production)
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15 pages, 1917 KiB  
Article
Microwave Pyrolysis of Woody Biomass: Influence of Radiation Power on the Composition of Conversion Products
by Anatoliy Shvets, Ksenia Vershinina, Kirill Vinogrodskiy and Geniy Kuznetsov
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(13), 7926; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13137926 - 06 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1063
Abstract
Biomass is a promising resource for the production of renewable energy, liquid fuels, and chemicals. Microwave pyrolysis is one of the directions of multifunctional conversion of raw materials. In the present work, the effect of microwave power on the characteristics of sawdust pyrolysis [...] Read more.
Biomass is a promising resource for the production of renewable energy, liquid fuels, and chemicals. Microwave pyrolysis is one of the directions of multifunctional conversion of raw materials. In the present work, the effect of microwave power on the characteristics of sawdust pyrolysis is studied. With an increase in power, the maximum yield of combustible gases increased, and a large proportion of the total pyrolysis time included the useful time for the release of gases. An increase in power affected the yield of individual gases non-linearly and on a different scale. The average yield of CO and CO2 remained practically unchanged when the microwave power was increased from 840 to 1760 W. However, with a further increase in power to 2200 W, there was a significant increase in the average yield of CO and CO2 (2.5 and 1.4 times, respectively). An increase in power by 2.6 times contributed to an increase in the average yield of CH4 by 5 times and H2 by 3.8 times. The increased power of microwaves contributed to the degassing of wood and intensification of secondary pyrolysis reactions, which resulted in a decrease in the mass of the solid residue by 5.3 times and a decrease in the liquid product yield by 2.7 times. A comprehensive analysis using MCDA showed that an increase in energy costs with an increase in microwave power is integrally compensated by an improvement in pyrolysis performance. So, when the power was varied from 840 W to 2200 W, the pyrolysis efficiency indicator increased by 1.3–2.2 times, considering the growth in energy consumption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Biofuels and Bioenergy Production)
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Review

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17 pages, 1904 KiB  
Review
Pretreatments Applied to Wheat Straw to Obtain Bioethanol
by Carmen Otilia Rusănescu, Maria Ciobanu, Marin Rusănescu and Raluca Lucia Dinculoiu
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(4), 1612; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14041612 - 17 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 591
Abstract
This work is a comprehensive study focusing on various methods for processing wheat straw to enhance its suitability for bioethanol production. It delves into mechanical, physical, chemical, and biological pretreatments, each aimed at improving the enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation processes necessary for bioethanol [...] Read more.
This work is a comprehensive study focusing on various methods for processing wheat straw to enhance its suitability for bioethanol production. It delves into mechanical, physical, chemical, and biological pretreatments, each aimed at improving the enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation processes necessary for bioethanol production. Mechanical and physical pretreatments involve reducing the size of wheat straw to improve enzymatic hydrolysis. Physical methods include heating and irradiation, which alter the structural properties of wheat straw. Chemical pretreatments involve using acids, alkalis, and organic solvents to remove lignin and hemicellulose, making cellulose more accessible for hydrolysis. Biological pretreatments utilize microorganisms and fungi to degrade lignin and other complex compounds, enhancing the breakdown of cellulose. The study presents data on the effectiveness of these treatments in terms of lignin removal, sugar yield, and overall bioethanol production efficiency. The research is aligned with the global move towards renewable energy sources and emphasizes the importance of utilizing agricultural waste, like wheat straw, for sustainable energy production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Biofuels and Bioenergy Production)
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