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Going Carbon Neutral and Carbon Negative through Thermochemical Conversion of...
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Going Carbon Neutral and Carbon Negative through Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A4: Bio-Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2024) | Viewed by 2023

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Vera Marcantonio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Unit of Process Engineering, Department of Engineering, University “Campus Bio-Medico” di Roma, Via Álvaro Del Portillo 21, 00128 Rome, Italy
Interests: biomass; hydrogen; gasification; renewable energy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Enrico Bocci

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Studies Guglielmo Marconi, 00193 Rome, Italy
Interests: energy; renewable energy; biomass; hydrogen; gasification; solar power; automotive
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Mauro Capocelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Unit of Process Engineering, Department of Engineering, University “Campus Bio-Medico” di Roma, Via Álvaro Del Portillo 21, 00128 Rome, Italy
Interests: chemical process engineering; carbon capture storage and utilization; hydrogen; water-energy nexus
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A viable alternative to fossil fuels is represented by biomass, which is an abundant and dispatchable source of renewable energy. Moreover, this energy source enables a net-zero carbon balance, since the amount of carbon dioxide produced during the combustion process is virtually entirely used for oxygen production during photosynthesis. Additionally, capturing CO2 during the production of energy or energy vectors from biomasses enables carbon removal because the carbon dioxide that is absorbed during growth is not re-released but, instead, captured and removed from the natural carbon cycle.

Encouraging ways to transform biomass into energy and energy vectors are pyrolysis and gasification processes, which have been demonstrated to be efficient and environmentally friendly methods.

For this Special Issue, we invite papers that consider the various aspects of converting biomass waste by means of pyrolysis and gasification into valuable products, with special attention to experimental and simulation works that investigate new processes and technologies at relatively high technological readiness levels (industrial and pilot scales) as well as the pretreatment and upgrading processes realized to enhance the productivity and efficiency of thermochemical conversion.

Topics of interests include but are not restricted to:

  • biomass pyrolysis and upgrading processes;
  • integrated pyrolysis systems;
  • hydrogen from biomasses;
  • advanced biomass pretreatment (e.g., hydrothermal carbonization, torrefaction);
  • advanced cleaning and conditioning (e.g., plasma-enhanced catalytic oxidation, membranes);
  • gas treatment and carbon capture processes;
  • advanced/integrated electrical/thermal energy cogeneration (e.g., chemical looping gasification; carbon capture, storage, and use; power to gas);
  • techno-economic assessment studies for optimization of the integrated system and life cycle assessment;
  • modeling, thermodynamics, and process simulation.

Dr. Vera Marcantonio
Dr. Enrico Bocci
Prof. Dr. Mauro Capocelli
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. Energies 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 2600 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
  • gasification
  • pyrolysis
  • hydrogen
  • biochar
  • biomass pretreatment

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1998 KiB  
Article
Modelling of Biomass Gasification Through Quasi-Equilibrium Process Simulation and Artificial Neural Networks
by Vera Marcantonio, Marcello De Falco, Luisa Di Paola and Mauro Capocelli
Energies 2024, 17(23), 6089; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17236089 - 3 Dec 2024
Viewed by 486
Abstract
In the past two decades, advancements in thermochemical technologies have improved biomass gasification for distributed power generation, enhancing efficiency, scalability, and emission control. This study aims to optimize syngas production from biomass gasification by comparing two computational models: a quasi-equilibrium thermodynamic model implemented [...] Read more.
In the past two decades, advancements in thermochemical technologies have improved biomass gasification for distributed power generation, enhancing efficiency, scalability, and emission control. This study aims to optimize syngas production from biomass gasification by comparing two computational models: a quasi-equilibrium thermodynamic model implemented in Aspen Plus and an artificial neural network (ANN) model. Operating at 850 °C with varying steam-to-biomass (S/B) ratios, both models were validated against experimental data. Results show that hydrogen concentration in syngas increased from 19.96% to 43.28% as the S/B ratio rose from 0.25 to 0.5, while carbon monoxide concentration decreased from 24.6% to 19.1%, consistent with the water–gas shift reaction. The ANN model provided rapid predictions, showing a mean absolute error of 3% for hydrogen and 2% for carbon monoxide compared to experimental data, though it lacks thermodynamic constraints. Conversely, the Aspen Plus model ensures mass and energy balance compliance, achieving a cold gas efficiency of 95% at an S/B ratio of 0.5. A Multivariate Statistical Analysis (MVA) further clarified correlations between input and output variables, validating model reliability. This combined modelling approach reduces experimental costs, enhances gasification process control and offers practical insights for improving syngas yield and composition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Going Carbon Neutral and Carbon Negative through Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass)
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13 pages, 1847 KiB  
Article
Energy Efficiency of Lignocellulosic Biomass Pyrolysis in Two Types of Reactors: Electrical and with Primary Forest Biomass Fuel
by Juan-Carlos Cobos-Torres, Juan Izquierdo and Manuel Alvarez-Vera
Energies 2024, 17(12), 2943; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17122943 - 14 Jun 2024
Viewed by 890
Abstract
In this industrialized world, in which the daily consumption of fossil fuels occurs, companies seek to prioritize energy generation through renewable energy sources with minimal environmental impact to improve their energy efficiency. The research objective was to calculate CO2 emissions for the [...] Read more.
In this industrialized world, in which the daily consumption of fossil fuels occurs, companies seek to prioritize energy generation through renewable energy sources with minimal environmental impact to improve their energy efficiency. The research objective was to calculate CO2 emissions for the pyrolysis process (conventional low-temperature pyrolysis) in two types of reactors, electric and traditional, where solar panels power the electric reactor. In addition, the amount of polluting gases and the energy consumption necessary to convert biomass into biochar were compared. Residual lignocellulosic biomass (RLB) from various species present in the southern region of Ecuador (eucalyptus, capuli, and acacia) was used, with three replicates per reactor. The electrical reactor (ER) consumed 82.60% less energy than the primary forest biomass fuel “traditional reactor (TR)” and distributed heat better in each pyrolytic process. The TR generated more pollution than the ER; it generated 40.48% more CO, 50% more NO2, 66.67% more SO2, and 79.63% more CH4. Undoubtedly, the pyrolysis process in an ER reduces environmental pollution and creates new bioproducts that could replace fossil fuels. This study provides relevant information on the residual biomass pyrolysis of plant species. These species are traditionally grown in the southern Ecuadorian region. In addition, an analysis of polluting gases for the TR and ER is presented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Going Carbon Neutral and Carbon Negative through Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass)
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