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Frontiers in Bio-Energy Production and Applications
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Frontiers in Bio-Energy Production and Applications

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2023) | Viewed by 23898

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xue Han

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CanmetMATERIALS, Natural Resources Canada, Hamilton, ON L8P 0A5, Canada
Interests: thermochemical conversion of biomass to produce bioenergy; bio-oil upgrading and application; materials corrosion in bio-refinery systems
Dr. Yulin Hu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, PE C1A 4P3, Canada
Interests: biomass valorization; thermochemical conversion; biofuels; microalgae; biorefinery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The high demand for energy as well as the greenhouse gas emission due to the combustion of fossil fuels promote the development of bioenergy. Bioenergy, either in the form of gas or liquid, is a type of sustainable energy resource that is derived from renewable biomass. Particularly, the feedstocks for bioenergy production include the waste streams from forestry and agricultural sectors, pulp and paper mills, food processing industries, etc., which turns waste into valuable energy and lays a solid foundation towards a circular and sustainable economy.

Bio-oil is a liquid form of bioenergy produced from thermochemical conversion of biomass, and it shows great potential as an alternative to petroleum oils. Since 2012, a few industrial-scale demonstration plants have been under operation to produce bio-oil from woody biomass via fast pyrolysis. The produced crude bio-oils are mostly used as fuel oils to produce heat rather than being directly applied as transportation fuels because of the significant amount of heteroatoms. Without any doubt, it is of utmost significance to remove heteroatoms, especially O and N content, from pyrolysis bio-oil prior to its use as drop-in fuels. Aside from liquid bio-oil, bio-hydrogen has been regarded as a clean and inexhaustible energy carrier. To date, bio-hydrogen can be produced via thermochemical, biological, and electrochemical conversion routes.

This Special Issue will focus on the above topics and will accept original work that includes, but is not limited to, the following topics of interest:

  • Catalyst development in biomass conversion, bio-oil upgrading, and bio-hydrogen production;
  • Advancements in the reactor design and configuration in biomass conversion, bio-oil upgrading, and bio-hydrogen production
  • Techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) for converting biomass and organic waste into bioenergy.

Dr. Xue Han
Dr. Yulin Hu
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

  • bioenergy production and application
  • biomass conversion
  • bio-oil upgrading
  • biorefinery reactor design
  • process scale-up

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3115 KiB  
Article
Key Processing Factors in Hydrothermal Liquefaction and Their Impacts on Corrosion of Reactor Alloys
by Minkang Liu and Yimin Zeng
Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9317; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129317 - 09 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1616
Abstract
Despite intensive efforts to develop hydrothermal liquefaction for the conversion of wet biomass and biowaste feedstocks into valuable bio-oils, severe corrosion of conversion reactor alloys and other core components, induced by the pressurized hot water medium, catalysts, and inorganic and organic corrodants generated [...] Read more.
Despite intensive efforts to develop hydrothermal liquefaction for the conversion of wet biomass and biowaste feedstocks into valuable bio-oils, severe corrosion of conversion reactor alloys and other core components, induced by the pressurized hot water medium, catalysts, and inorganic and organic corrodants generated during the conversion process, has significantly hindered the industrial deployment of this attractive technology. In this paper, a general review of major operating parameters, including biomass feedstock types, temperature, pressure, and catalysts, was conducted to advance the understanding of their roles in conversion efficiency and the yield and properties of produced oils. Additionally, the corrosion performance of a representative constructional alloy (Alloy 33) was investigated in both non-catalytic and catalytic HTL environments at temperatures of 310 °C and 365 °C, respectively. The alloy experienced general oxidation in the non-catalytic HTL environment but suffered accelerated corrosion (up to 4.2 µm/year) with the addition of 0.5 M K2CO3 catalyst. The corrosion rate of the alloy noticeably increased with temperature and the presence of inorganic corrodants (S2− and Cl−) released from biowastes. SEM/XRD characterization showed that a thin and compact Cr-rich oxide layer grew on the alloy in the non-catalytic HTL environment, while the surface scale became a double-layer structure, composed of outer porous Fe/Cr/Ni oxides and inner Cr-rich oxide, with the introduction of the K2CO3 catalyst. From the corrosion perspective, the alloy is a suitable candidate for construction in the next phase of pilot-scale validation assessment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Bio-Energy Production and Applications)
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15 pages, 2441 KiB  
Article
Hydrodeoxygenation of Pyrolysis Oil in Supercritical Ethanol with Formic Acid as an In Situ Hydrogen Source over NiMoW Catalysts Supported on Different Materials
by Mingyuan Zhang, Xue Han, Huanang Wang, Yimin Zeng and Chunbao Charles Xu
Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 7768; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15107768 - 09 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1164
Abstract
Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) is one of the most promising approaches to upgrading pyrolysis oils, but this process normally operates over expensive noble metal catalysts (e.g., Ru/C, Pt/Al2O3) under high-pressure hydrogen gas, which raises processing costs and safety concerns. In this [...] Read more.
Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) is one of the most promising approaches to upgrading pyrolysis oils, but this process normally operates over expensive noble metal catalysts (e.g., Ru/C, Pt/Al2O3) under high-pressure hydrogen gas, which raises processing costs and safety concerns. In this study, a wood-derived pyrolysis oil was upgraded in supercritical ethanol using formic acid as an in situ hydrogen source at 300 °C and 350 °C, over a series of nickel–molybdenum-tungsten (NiMoW) catalysts supported on different materials, including Al2O3, activated carbon, sawdust carbon, and multiwalled nanotubes (MWNTs). The upgrading was also conducted under hydrogen gas (an ex situ hydrogen source) for comparison. The upgrading process was evaluated by oil yield, degree of deoxygenation (DOD), and oil qualities. The NiMoW/MWNT catalyst showed the best HDO performance among all the catalysts tested at 350 °C, with 74.8% and 70.9% of oxygen in the raw pyrolysis oil removed under in situ and ex situ hydrogen source conditions, respectively, which is likely owing to the large pore size and volume of the MWNT support material, while the in situ hydrogen source outperformed the ex situ hydrogen source in terms of upgraded oil yields and qualities, regardless of the catalysts employed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Bio-Energy Production and Applications)
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18 pages, 1687 KiB  
Article
Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Pinewood Sawdust: Influence of Reaction Atmosphere
by Haoyu Wang, Yipei Jiang, Evan Park, Xue Han, Yimin Zeng and Chunbao Xu
Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6698; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086698 - 15 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1125
Abstract
Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a thermochemical process for production of biocrude oils, commonly from wet biomass under inert atmosphere (N2). Influence of reaction atmosphere on HTL of pinewood sawdust was investigated in this work, at 300 °C for 60 min with [...] Read more.
Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a thermochemical process for production of biocrude oils, commonly from wet biomass under inert atmosphere (N2). Influence of reaction atmosphere on HTL of pinewood sawdust was investigated in this work, at 300 °C for 60 min with the presence of KOH or H2SO4 catalyst under N2, H2, and O2 atmosphere, respectively. Very interestingly, the reaction atmosphere showed significant influence on both products distribution and properties of the biocrude oils. Generally, H2 atmosphere enhanced biomass degradation in the presence of either KOH or H2SO4 catalyst, producing the highest biocrude oil yield, lowest solid residue yield, and the best oil quality in terms of total acid number (TAN), viscosity and average molecular weights (Mn, Mw). Whereas the HTL in O2 atmosphere showed the poorest performance in terms of yields and properties of biocrude oils. The highest quality of biocrude oil was produced using KOH catalyst in H2 atmosphere with the maximum biocrude yield (approx. 34 wt.%) and the highest energy recovery (ER) in biocrude (ER = 73.14%). The measured properties of the oil are as follows: TAN = 40.2 mg KOH/g, viscosity = 51.2 cp, Mn = 470 g/mol, Mw = 767 g/mol. In addition, the biocrude oils produced in H2 atmosphere contain more light oil (naphtha) fraction (23.9 wt.% with KOH and 16.5 wt.% with H2SO4) with lower boiling points, while those generated in O2 atmosphere have more carboxylic acid compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Bio-Energy Production and Applications)
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17 pages, 2306 KiB  
Article
The Cultivation of Biohydrogen-Producing Tetraselmis subcordiformis Microalgae as the Third Stage of Dairy Wastewater Aerobic Treatment System
by Magda Dudek, Marcin Dębowski, Joanna Kazimierowicz, Marcin Zieliński, Piera Quattrocelli and Anna Nowicka
Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12085; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912085 - 24 Sep 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1263
Abstract
The development of wastewater treatment systems, including competitive methods for nitrogen and phosphorus removal, is focused on intensifying final technological effects with due care taken for economic and environmental concerns. Given the possibility of integrating wastewater treatment processes with biofuel production, the prospective [...] Read more.
The development of wastewater treatment systems, including competitive methods for nitrogen and phosphorus removal, is focused on intensifying final technological effects with due care taken for economic and environmental concerns. Given the possibility of integrating wastewater treatment processes with biofuel production, the prospective seems to be technologies harnessing microalgal biomass. The present study aimed to verify the feasibility of applying T. subcordiformis genus microalgae as the third stage of the dairy wastewater treatment process and to determine microalgae biomass production effectiveness and hydrogen yield in the biophotolysis process. The study proved that microalgae cultivation with dairy wastewater was nearly 35% less effective compared to that with a chemically pure medium. Nitrogen and phosphorus compounds contaminating wastewater were found to represent an available source of nutrients for T. subcordiformis population. The volume of hydrogen produced ranged from 116 ± 7 cm3 to 162 ± 7 cm3, and the percentage of H2 content in the biogas ranged from 55.4 ± 2.2% to 57.2 ± 4.1%. A significantly higher hydrogen yield per initial biomass concentration, reaching 69 ± 4.2 cm3/go.d.m., was determined in the variant with wastewater accounting for 50% of the culture medium. The respective value noted in the control respirometer was 54 ± 2.1 cm3/go.d.m. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Bio-Energy Production and Applications)
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15 pages, 3806 KiB  
Article
Hydrothermal Carbonization of Spent Coffee Grounds for Producing Solid Fuel
by Yulin Hu, Rhea Gallant, Shakirudeen Salaudeen, Aitazaz A. Farooque and Sophia He
Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8818; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148818 - 19 Jul 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2063
Abstract
Spent coffee grounds (SCG) are industrial biowaste resulting from the coffee-brewing process, and they are often underutilized and end up in landfills, thereby leading to the emission of toxic gases and environmental damage. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is an attractive approach to valorize wet [...] Read more.
Spent coffee grounds (SCG) are industrial biowaste resulting from the coffee-brewing process, and they are often underutilized and end up in landfills, thereby leading to the emission of toxic gases and environmental damage. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is an attractive approach to valorize wet biomass such as SCG to valuable bioproducts (i.e., hydrochar). Thus, in this work, the HTC of SCG was carried out in a 500 L stainless steel vessel at 150, 170, 190, 210, and 230 °C for 30 min, 60 min, 90 min, and 120 min and a feedstock to water weight ratio of 1:5, 1:10, and 1:15, and the use of the resulting hydrochar as a solid fuel was evaluated. The results showed that a high energy recovery (83.93%) and HHV (23.54 MJ/kg) of hydrochar was obtained at moderate conditions (150 °C, 30 min, and feedstock to water weight ratio of 1:5) when compared with conventional approaches such as torrefaction. Following this, the surface morphology, functionality, and combustion behavior of this hydrochar were characterized by SEM, FTIR, and TGA, respectively. In short, it can be concluded that HTC is an effective approach for producing solid fuel from SCG and the resulting hydrochar has the potential to be applied either in domestic heating or large-scale co-firing plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Bio-Energy Production and Applications)
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Review

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30 pages, 3233 KiB  
Review
Current and Future Trends for Crude Glycerol Upgrading to High Value-Added Products
by Muhammad Harussani Moklis, Shou Cheng and Jeffrey S. Cross
Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 2979; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15042979 - 07 Feb 2023
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4365
Abstract
Crude glycerol is the main byproduct of biodiesel manufacturing from oleaginous crops and other biomass-derived oils. Approximately 10% crude glycerol is produced with every batch of biodiesel. Worldwide, there is a glut of glycerol and the price of it has decreased considerably. There [...] Read more.
Crude glycerol is the main byproduct of biodiesel manufacturing from oleaginous crops and other biomass-derived oils. Approximately 10% crude glycerol is produced with every batch of biodiesel. Worldwide, there is a glut of glycerol and the price of it has decreased considerably. There are real opportunities for valorizing crude glycerol into higher value-added chemicals which can improve the economic viability of biodiesel production as an alternative fuel. Exploring new potential applications of glycerol in various sectors is needed such as in pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, cosmetics, and as a transportation fuel. However, crude glycerol produced directly from biodiesel often contains impurities that hinder its direct industrial usage and thus, a refining process is needed which is typically expensive. Hence, this review reports on current upgrading crude glycerol technologies—thermo-, bio-, physico-, and electrochemical approaches—that valorize it into higher value-added chemicals. Through comparison between those viable upgrading techniques, future research directions, challenges, and advantages/disadvantage of the technologies are described. Electrochemical technology, which is still underdeveloped in this field, is highlighted, due to its simplicity, low maintenance cost, and it working in ambient condition, as it shows promising potential to be applied as a major glycerol upgrading technique. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Bio-Energy Production and Applications)
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20 pages, 2103 KiB  
Review
Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC): A Potential Game-Changer in Renewable Energy Development
by Tonni Agustiono Kurniawan, Mohd Hafiz Dzarfan Othman, Xue Liang, Muhammad Ayub, Hui Hwang Goh, Tutuk Djoko Kusworo, Ayesha Mohyuddin and Kit Wayne Chew
Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16847; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416847 - 15 Dec 2022
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 6120
Abstract
Currently, access to electricity in the cities of the Global South is so limited that electrification remains low in rural areas. Unless properly tackled, one-third of the world’s cities will suffer from energy scarcity. The emergence of microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology accelerates [...] Read more.
Currently, access to electricity in the cities of the Global South is so limited that electrification remains low in rural areas. Unless properly tackled, one-third of the world’s cities will suffer from energy scarcity. The emergence of microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology accelerates the deployment of decentralized and sustainable energy solutions that can address the looming energy shortage. This review consolidates scattered knowledge into one article about the performance of MFC in optimizing electricity generation from phosphorus (P)-laden wastewater, while removing the target nutrient from wastewater simultaneously. It is obvious from a literature survey of 108 published articles (1999–2022) that the applications of MFC for building a self-powered municipal water treatment system represents an important breakthrough, as this enables water treatment operators to generate electricity without affecting the atmospheric balance of CO2. Using a pyrite-based wetland MFC, about 91% of P was removed after operating 180 days, while generating power output of 48 A/m2. Unlike other techniques, MFCs utilize bacteria that act as micro-reactors and allow substrates to be oxidized completely. The Earth’s tiniest inhabitants can efficiently transform the chemical energy of organic matter in unused wastewater either into hydrogen gas or electricity. This facilitates wastewater treatment plants powering themselves in daily operation or selling electricity on the market. This MFC technology radically changes how to treat wastewater universally. By exploring this direction along the water–energy–food nexus, MFC technology could transform wastewater treatment plants into a key sustainability tool in the energy sector. This suggests that MFCs provide a practical solution that addresses the need of global society for clean water and electricity simultaneously. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Bio-Energy Production and Applications)
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18 pages, 1254 KiB  
Review
A Mini-Review: Biowaste-Derived Fuel Pellet by Hydrothermal Carbonization Followed by Pelletizing
by Rhea Gallant, Aitazaz A. Farooque, Sophia He, Kang Kang and Yulin Hu
Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12530; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912530 - 01 Oct 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1754
Abstract
This review article focuses on recent studies using hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) for producing hydrochar and its potential application as a solid fuel pellet. Due to the depletion of fossil fuels and increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the need for carbon-neutral fuel sources has [...] Read more.
This review article focuses on recent studies using hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) for producing hydrochar and its potential application as a solid fuel pellet. Due to the depletion of fossil fuels and increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the need for carbon-neutral fuel sources has increased. Another environmental concern relates to the massive amount of industrial processing and municipal solid waste, which are often underutilized and end up in landfills to cause further environmental damage. HTC is an appealing approach to valorizing wet biomass into valuable bioproducts (e.g., hydrochar), with improved properties. In this review, the effects of the main HTC reaction parameters, including reaction temperature, residence time, and feedstock to water ratio on the properties and yield of hydrochar are described. Following this, the pelletizing of hydrochar to prepare fuel pellets is discussed by reviewing the influences of applied pressure, processing time, pellet aspect ratio, moisture content of the hydrochar, and the type and dosage of binder on the quality of the resulting fuel pellet. Overall, this review can provide research updates and useful insights regarding the preparation of biowaste-derived solid fuel pellets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Bio-Energy Production and Applications)
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24 pages, 1756 KiB  
Review
Aerobic Granular Sludge as a Substrate in Anaerobic Digestion—Current Status and Perspectives
by Joanna Kazimierowicz and Marcin Dębowski
Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10904; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710904 - 31 Aug 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2725
Abstract
Even though many wastewater treatment systems have been applied so far, there is still a need to develop methods, the implementation of which are technologically and economically justified. The aerobic granular sludge (AGS) method, which has been developed for several years, may represent [...] Read more.
Even though many wastewater treatment systems have been applied so far, there is still a need to develop methods, the implementation of which are technologically and economically justified. The aerobic granular sludge (AGS) method, which has been developed for several years, may represent an alternative to traditional technologies. One of the barriers to AGS deployment is the limited knowledge on the determinants and efficiency of the anaerobic digestion (AD) of AGS, as little research has been devoted to it. Therefore, the aim of the present paper is to summarize the current state of knowledge on the subject, including a review of technological conditions, process performance, and AGS parameters that can impact AD, and currently used pre-treatment methods. The anaerobic stabilization performance of AGS is compared against conventional activated sludge (CAS). The paper also identifies avenues for further research and practical implementations to further optimize the process and to determine whether AD is viable in full-scale plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Bio-Energy Production and Applications)
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