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New Advances in Biomass Conversion and the Environmental Implications

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemoenvironment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 April 2023) | Viewed by 14820

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Peng Liu

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Guest Editor

1. National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biomass Refining and High-Quality Utilization, Institute of Urban and Rural Mining, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China
2. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Process Enhancement & New Energy Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Technology, Nanjing 211816, China
Interests: biomass energy; hydrogen production; carbon utilization; VOCs control
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Dr. Dongze Niu

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Guest Editor

Changzhou Key Laboratory of Biomass Green, Safe & High Value Utilization Technology, Institute of Urban and Rural Mining, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China
Interests: biomass; fermentation; microbiology; enzyme; biodegradation; bioconversion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As carbon neutralization goals are proposed around the world, biomass, as the only renewable carbon source, has gained increasing attention for preparing fuels, animal feeds, beneficial chemicals, or materials for environmental applications. Biomass conversion creates no carbon dioxide emissions in life cycle applications. However, the backward technology for the utilization of biomass, such as non-standard combustion and general landfill, result in secondary pollution. The green, safe and high-value utilization of biomass and solid waste has been proposed. Research on new advances in biomass conversion and its environmental implications requires intense efforts.

This Special Issue, entitled “New Advances in Biomass Conversion and the Environmental Implications”, mainly covers research in the fundamental and applied sciences of biomass conversion, bio-materials, and utilization, with the aim of the development of technology for carbon neutrality and the control of environmental pollution. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics: (1) fuel, fertilizer, and feed production from the optimized process of biomass, (2) advances in the conversion of biomass to chemicals and materials, (3) fundamental and applied sciences of biomass biochemical conversion, (4) the environmental implications of bio-materials, (5) low-carbon economy sustainability based on biomass processing, and (6) pollution control.

Dr. Peng Liu
Dr. Dongze Niu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

biomass conversion
energy production
pollution control
environmental implications
fermentation

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3983 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Magnetic Biochar Addition on Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge

by Li Jiang, Yanru Zhang, Yi Zhu, Zhongliang Huang, Jing Huang, Zijian Wu, Xuan Zhang, Xiaoli Qin and Hui Li

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4278; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054278 - 28 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1438

Abstract

As a low-cost additive to anaerobic digestion (AD), magnetic biochar (MBC) can act as an electron conductor to promote electron transfer to enhance biogas production performance in the AD process of sewage sludge and has thus attracted much attention in research and industrial applications. In the present work, Camellia oleifera shell (COS) was used to produce MBC as an additive for mesophilic AD of sewage sludge, in order to explore the effect of MBC on the mesophilic AD process and its enhancement mechanism. Analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) further confirmed that biochar was successfully magnetized. The yield of biogas from sewage sludge was enhanced by 14.68–39.24% with the addition of MBC, and the removal efficiency of total solid (TS), volatile solids (VS), and soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) were 28.99–46.13%, 32.22–48.62%, and 84.18–86.71%, respectively. According to the Modified Gompertz Model and Cone Model, the optimum dosage of MBC was 20 mg/g TS. The maximum methane production rate (R_m) was 15.58% higher than that of the control reactor, while the lag-phase (λ) was 43.78% shorter than the control group. The concentration of soluble Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ were also detected in this study to analyze the function of MBC for improving biogas production performance from sewage sludge. The biogas production was increased when soluble Fe³⁺ was reduced to soluble Fe²⁺. Overall, the MBC was beneficial to the resource utilization of COS and showed a good prospect for improving mesophilic AD performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Biomass Conversion and the Environmental Implications)

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12 pages, 3336 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Preparation and Electrochemical Performance of Bio-Oil-Derived Hydrochar as a Supercapacitor Electrode Material

by Juntao Wei, Jiawei Sun, Deliang Xu, Lei Shi, Miao Wang, Bin Li, Xudong Song, Shu Zhang and Hong Zhang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1355; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021355 - 11 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1279

Abstract

The rapid consumption of fossil energy and the urgent demand for sustainable development have significantly promoted worldwide efforts to explore new technology for energy conversion and storage. Carbon-based supercapacitors have received increasing attention. The use of biomass and waste as a carbon precursor is environmentally friendly and economical. In this study, hydrothermal pretreatment was used to synthetize coke from bio-oil, which can create a honeycomb-like structure that is advantageous for electrolyte transport. Furthermore, hydrothermal pretreatment, which is low in temperature, can create a low graphitization degree which can make heteroatom introduction and activation easier. Then, urea and KOH were used for doping and activation, which can improve conductivity and capacitance. Compared with no heteroatom and activation hydrothermal char (HC) (58.3 F/g at 1 A/g), the prepared carbon material nitrogen doping activated hydrothermal carbon (NAHC₁) had a good electrochemical performance of 225.4 F/g at 1 A/g. The specific capacitance of the prepared NAHC₁ was improved by 3.8 times compared with that of HC. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Biomass Conversion and the Environmental Implications)

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15 pages, 3986 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Co-Thermal Oxidation of Lignite and Rice Straw for Synthetization of Composite Humic Substances: Parametric Optimization via Response Surface Methodology

by Yanling Li, Xi Chen, Zhen Zhuo, Xueqin Li, Tanglei Sun, Peng Liu and Tingzhou Lei

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16875; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416875 - 15 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1155

Abstract

In this study, Baoqing lignite (BL) and rice straw (RS), which were the representatives of low-rank coal and biomass, were co-thermally oxidized to produce composite humic substances (HS), including humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA). Taking HS content as the output response, the co-thermally oxidizing conditions were optimized through single factor experiment and response surface methodology (RSM). The structures of HA and FA prepared under optimized conditions were analyzed by SEM, UV, and FTIR. Results showed that HS content was clearly influenced by the material ratio, oxidation time, and oxidation temperature, as well as their interactions. The optimized co-thermal oxidization condition was as follows: BL and RS pretreated with a material ratio of 0.53, oxidation time of 59.50 min, and oxidation temperature of 75.63 °C. Through verification, the experimental value (62.37%) had a small relative error compared to the predicted value (62.27%), which indicated that the developed models were fit and accurate. The obtained HA had a tightly packed block structure; FA had a loosely spherical shape. The molecular weight of FA was 2487 Da and HA was 20,904 Da; both had a smaller molecular weight than that reported in other literature. FA showed strong bands at 1720 cm⁻¹, thus confirming the presence of more oxygen-containing functional groups. The appearance of double peaks at 2900~2980 cm⁻¹ indicated that HA contains more aliphatic chains. The co-thermal oxidation of BL and RS gives a new method for the synthesis of HS, and the optimization of co-thermal oxidation conditions will provide fundamental information for the industrialization of composite HS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Biomass Conversion and the Environmental Implications)

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14 pages, 1583 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fast Pyrolysis of Cellulose and the Effect of a Catalyst on Product Distribution

by Tanglei Sun, Lu Zhang, Yantao Yang, Yanling Li, Suxia Ren, Lili Dong and Tingzhou Lei

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16837; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416837 - 15 Dec 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1467

Abstract

Fast pyrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose (MC) was carried out by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). The effects of temperature, time, and a catalyst on the distribution of the pyrolysis products were analyzed. The reaction temperature and time can significantly affect the types and yields of compounds produced by cellulose pyrolysis. A pyrolysis temperature of 500–600 °C and pyrolysis time of 20 s optimized the yield of volatile liquid in the pyrolysis products of cellulose. In all catalytic experiments, the relative contents of alcohols (1.97%), acids (2.32%), and esters (4.52%) were highest when K₂SO₄ was used as a catalyst. HZSM-5 promoted the production of carbohydrates (92.35%) and hydrocarbons (2.20%), while it inhibited the production of aldehydes (0.30%) and ketones (1.80%). MCM-41 had an obvious catalytic effect on cellulose, increasing the contents of aldehydes (41.58%), ketones (24.51%), phenols (1.82%), furans (8.90%), and N-compounds (12.40%) and decreasing those of carbohydrates (5.38%) and alcohols (0%). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Biomass Conversion and the Environmental Implications)

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11 pages, 2628 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Evolution of Carbon Structure during Torrefaction in Woody Biomass on Thermal Degradation

by Peng Liu, Panpan Lang, Ailing Lu, Yanling Li, Xueqin Li, Tanglei Sun, Yantao Yang, Hui Li and Tingzhou Lei

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16831; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416831 - 15 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1058

Abstract

Torrefaction is an effective method for upgrading biomass. Cedar torrefaction is carried out in a fixed bed reactor at the temperature of 200–300 °C. The structural parameters are obtained from elemental analysis and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Thermal degradation behavior of raw and torrefied cedar is monitored by thermogravimetry analysis. The results show that carbon structure varied during torrefaction has a significant effect on thermal degradation of cedar. Some unstable oxygen functional groups, such as C1 of hemicellulose, β-O-4 linked bonds, and amorphous C6 of cellulose, are decomposed at mild torrefaction of torrefied temperature ≤ 200 °C. The temperature of maximum weight loss rate increases from 348 °C of raw cedar to 373 °C of C-200. The amorphous cellulose is partly re-crystallized at moderate torrefaction of torrefied temperature 200–250 °C. The aromaticity of torrefied cedar increases from 0.45 of C-200 to 0.73 of C-250. The covalent bond in the side chain of aromatic rings in cedar was further broken during torrefaction at severe torrefaction of torrefied temperature 250–300 °C. The area percentage of DTG mainly signed at 387 °C of C-300. The proton aromatic carbon increases from 12.35% of C-250 to 21.69% of C-300. These results will further facilitate the utilization of biomass for replacing fossil fuel to drive carbon neutrality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Biomass Conversion and the Environmental Implications)

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19 pages, 4183 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bismuth-Decorated Beta Zeolites Catalysts for Highly Selective Catalytic Oxidation of Cellulose to Biomass-Derived Glycolic Acid

by Fenfen Wang, Dongxue Qu, Shaoshuai Wang, Guojun Liu, Qiang Zhao, Jiaxue Hu, Wendi Dong, Yong Huang, Jinjia Xu and Yuhui Chen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 16298; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192316298 - 5 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1327

Abstract

Catalytic conversion of cellulose to liquid fuel and highly valuable platform chemicals remains a critical and challenging process. Here, bismuth-decorated β zeolite catalysts (Bi/β) were exploited for highly efficient hydrolysis and selective oxidation of cellulose to biomass-derived glycolic acid in an O₂ atmosphere, which exhibited an exceptionally catalytic activity and high selectivity as well as excellent reusability. It was interestingly found that as high as 75.6% yield of glycolic acid over 2.3 wt% Bi/β was achieved from cellulose at 180 °C for 16 h, which was superior to previously reported catalysts. Experimental results combined with characterization revealed that the synergetic effect between oxidation active sites from Bi species and surface acidity on H-β together with appropriate total surface acidity significantly facilitated the chemoselectivity towards the production of glycolic acid in the direct, one-pot conversion of cellulose. This study will shed light on rationally designing Bi-based heterogeneous catalysts for sustainably generating glycolic acid from renewable biomass resources in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Biomass Conversion and the Environmental Implications)

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14 pages, 3678 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research Priorities and Trends on Bioenergy: Insights from Bibliometric Analysis

by Ruling Yuan, Jun Pu, Dan Wu, Qingbai Wu, Taoli Huhe, Tingzhou Lei and Yong Chen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15881; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315881 - 29 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1737

Abstract

Replacing fossil fuels with bioenergy is crucial to achieving sustainable development and carbon neutrality. To determine the priorities and developing trends of bioenergy technology, related publications from 2000 to 2020 were analyzed using bibliometric method. Results demonstrated that the number of publications on bioenergy increased rapidly since 2005, and the average growth rate from 2005 to 2011 reached a maximum of 20% per year. In terms of publication quantity, impact, and international collaboration, the USA had been leading the research of bioenergy technology, followed by China and European countries. Co-occurrence analysis using author keywords identified six clusters about this topic, which are “biodiesel and transesterification”, “biogas and anaerobic digestion”, “bioethanol and fermentation”, “bio-oil and pyrolysis”, “microalgae and lipid”, and “biohydrogen and gasification or dark fermentation”. Among the six clusters, three of them relate to liquid biofuel, attributing that the liquid products of biomass are exceptional alternatives to fossil fuels for heavy transportation and aviation. Lignocellulose and microalgae were identified as the most promising raw materials, and pretreating technologies and efficient catalysts have received special attention. The sharp increase of “pyrolysis” and “gasification” from 2011 to 2020 suggested that those technologies about thermochemical conversion have been well studied in recent years. Some new research trends, such as applying nanoparticles in transesterification, and hydrothermal liquefaction in producing bio-oil from microalgae, will get a breakthrough in the coming years. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Biomass Conversion and the Environmental Implications)

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11 pages, 3194 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Catalytic Pyrolysis of Sawdust with Desulfurized Fly Ash for Pyrolysis Gas Upgrading

by Jinling Song, Chuyang Tang, Xinyuan An, Yi Wang, Shankun Zhou and Chunhong Huang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15755; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315755 - 26 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1302

Abstract

In this study, the catalytic effects of desulfurized fly ash (DFA) on the gaseous products of sawdust (SD) pyrolysis were investigated in a tubular furnace. The results indicated that DFA catalyzed the process of SD decomposition to improve the hydrogen content and the calorific value of pyrolysis gas. As to its effect on pyrolysis products, DFA increased the non-oxide content of CH₄, C₃H₄, and H₂ in pyrolysis gas by 1.4-, 1.8-, and 2.3-fold, respectively. Meanwhile, the catalytic effect of DFA reduced the CO and CO₂ yields during DFA/SD pyrolysis. Based on the model compound method, CaSO₃ and Ca(OH)₂ in DFA was proved to have quite different catalytic effects on pyrolysis gas components. Ca(OH)₂ accelerated the formation of CH₄ and H₂ through the cracking of methoxyl during lignin and cellulose degradation, while CaSO₃ favored the generation of CO and CO₂ due to the carbonyl and carboxyl of lignin in SD. CaSO₃ also catalyzed SD pyrolysis to promote the C₃H₄ yield in pyrolysis gas. Overall, the catalytic pyrolysis of SD with DFA yielded negative-carbon emission, which upgraded the quality of the pyrolysis gas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Biomass Conversion and the Environmental Implications)

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15 pages, 2524 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Inorganic Passivators on Gas Production and Heavy Metal Passivation Performance during Anaerobic Digestion of Pig Manure and Corn Straw

by Xiaoliang Luo, Bincheng Zhao, Mingguo Peng, Rongyan Shen, Linqiang Mao and Wenyi Zhang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14094; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114094 - 28 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1315

Abstract

The treatment of livestock manure caused by the expansion of the breeding industry in China has attracted wide attention. Heavy metals in pig manure can pollute soil and water and even transfer to crops, posing harm to humans through the food chain. In this study, corn straw was selected as the additive and introduced into the anaerobic digestion. Sepiolite (SE), ferric oxide (Fe₂O₃), attapulgite (AT) and ferric sulfate (FeSO₄) were used as passivators to compare the effects of these inorganic passivators on gas production and passivation of heavy metals during the process of the anaerobic digestion. When the dry mass ratio of pig manure to straw is 8:2, the gas production efficiency is optimal. SE, AT and ferric sulfate have a much stronger ability to improve gas production performance than Fe₂O₃. The total gas production increased by 10.34%, 6.62% and 4.56%, and the average methane production concentration increased by 0.7%, 0.3% and 0.4%, respectively. The influence of SE, AT and ferric sulfate on the passivation of heavy metals is much better than Fe₂O₃, and the fractions in biological effective forms of Cu and Zn reduced by 41.87 and 19.32%, respectively. The anaerobic digestion of mixed materials is conducive to the gas production and the passivation of heavy metals. Therefore, SE, AT and ferric sulfate are selected as composite passivators, and the optimal ratio of inorganic composite passivators i: AT 7.5 g/L, ferric sulfate 5 g/L and SE 7.5 g/L, according to the results of orthogonal experiments. This study can provide a theoretical basis for the safe application of biogas fertilizers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Biomass Conversion and the Environmental Implications)

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Review

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25 pages, 5075 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review on N-Doped Biochar for Oxidative Degradation of Organic Contaminants in Wastewater by Persulfate Activation

by Yaxuan Gao, Wenran Gao, Haonan Zhu, Haoran Chen, Shanshan Yan, Ming Zhao, Hongqi Sun, Junjie Zhang and Shu Zhang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(22), 14805; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214805 - 10 Nov 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2084

Abstract

The Persulfate-based advanced oxidation process is the most efficient and commonly used technology to remove organic contaminants in wastewater. Due to the large surface area, unique electronic properties, abundant N functional groups, cost-effectiveness, and environmental friendliness, N-doped biochars (NBCs) are widely used as catalysts for persulfate activation. This review focuses on the NBC for oxidative degradation of organics-contaminated wastewater. Firstly, the preparation and modification methods of NBCs were reviewed. Then the catalytic performance of NBCs and modified NBCs on the oxidation degradation of organic contaminants were discussed with an emphasis on the degradation mechanism. We further summarized the detection technologies of activation mechanisms and the structures of NBCs affecting the PS activation, followed by the specific role of the N configuration of the NBC on its catalytic capacity. Finally, several challenges in the treatment of organics-contaminated wastewater by a persulfate-based advanced oxidation process were put forward and the recommendations for future research were proposed for further understanding of the advanced oxidation process activated by the NBC. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Biomass Conversion and the Environmental Implications)

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