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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2023) | Viewed by 10874

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Antonio Avalos Ramirez

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Guest Editor

Centre National en Électrochimie et Technologies Environnementales-CNETE, Shawinigan, QC, Canada
Interests: biofuels; anaerobic digestion; biohydrogen; bioethanol; valorization of residual biomasses

Dr. Carlos S. Osorio-González

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, North York, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
Interests: fermentation technology; microbiology; molecular biology; environment; biofuel; bioenergy; biocatalysis; residues management; bioprocess; sustainability; biostatistics; data analysis; modeling
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Energy and biofuels obtained from biomasses will contribute to the transition from a fossil carbon to green energy economy. This will represent a concomitant reduction in pollutants and greenhouse gases emissions. The use of biomasses as a feedstock to produce bioenergy may be an exceptional opportunity for the exploitation renewable resources. Nevertheless, within the several routes to produce and mitigate some of the deficiencies during energy production using biomasses as feedstock, it is necessary to develop new technologies and optimise those in operation.

This Special Issue aims to provide and disseminate the most recent advances in bioenergy production, including the development and optimisation of technologies; social, economic, and technical challenges; industrial scale-up; as well as the approaches and current efforts to commercialize bioenergy.

Dr. Antonio Avalos Ramirez
Dr. Carlos S. Osorio-González
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

lignocellulosic biomass
residual biomasses
bioenergy
thermochemical conversion
biochemical conversion
oleochemical conversion
biogas
biohydrogen
liquid biofuels (bioethanol, biodiesel, bio-oil)
microbial fuel cells
life cycle assessment

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 6859 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biogas Production—The Effect of the Zinc Concentration on the Profile of Volatile Fatty Acids in Fermentation Mixtures

by Marcin Cichosz, Sławomir Łazarski, Andrzej Butarewicz and Urszula Kiełkowska

Energies 2023, 16(21), 7425; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16217425 - 3 Nov 2023

Viewed by 616

Abstract

The development of renewable energy sources is one of the most important paths for today’s economy to follow. Currently, the process of obtaining energy from the combustion of methane extracted by methane fermentation is gaining importance. To improve its efficiency and the speed of the fermentation process and enzyme activation, this study analyzed the effect of the addition of zinc as a micronutrient to fermentation processes using corn silage. The zinc concentration in the fermenter required to stimulate fermentation processes was determined. Studies were conducted to determine inhibitory and toxic concentrations. The determination of the influence of zinc ions on the VFA profile and the value of the carbon-to-methane conversion coefficient is important for the economic aspects of obtaining biogas with the highest methane content. The carbon-to-methane conversion factor and the effect of the addition of zinc on the value of this factor were determined. During the course of the research, modern analytical chemistry methods and techniques were used. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal concentration of zinc in the digester to maximize the methane yield of the fermentation process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioenergy)

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24 pages, 2299 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microbial Oil Production from Alkali Pre-Treated Giant Reed (Arundo donax L.) by Selected Fungi

by Stefano Cianchetta, Enrico Ceotto and Stefania Galletti

Energies 2023, 16(14), 5398; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16145398 - 15 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1012

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the microbial oil production by three selected strains, Mortierella isabellina, Cunninghamella echinulata, and Thamnidium elegans, after fermentation of an enzymatic hydrolysate from alkali pre-treated giant reed biomass, in comparison to a semi-synthetic medium, at three increasing nitrogen supplementation levels (0.14, 0.25, and 0.47 g/L). M. isabellina showed the fastest sugar consumption, the highest final cell and oil concentrations (10.9 and 5.6 g/L, respectively), as well as the highest cellular oil content, oil yield/g sugar consumed, and oil productivity (63.4%, 0.19 g/g, and 1 g/L/day, respectively) in the giant reed hydrolysate. The oil yield tended to decrease with an increasing nitrogen content in the cultures. Oleic acid was the most copious fatty acid in the oil for all the fungi. On the contrary, T. elegans exhibited the poorest performances. In particular, M. isabellina showed, respectively, the highest and lowest values of oleic and γ-linolenic acid (52.2 and 3.1%, on average). In comparison, C. echinulata and T. elegans showed much higher γ-linolenic acid content (15.3 and 21.6%, on average). Notably, the C. echinulata cultures showed by far the highest γ-linolenic acid concentration in both substrates (345 and 595 g/L in the giant reed hydrolysate and in the synthetic medium, respectively). Finally, the estimated biodiesel properties of all the oils fell within the limits of the U.S. standards, while the oil of M. isabellina only respected the tighter limits fixed by the E.U. regulations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioenergy)

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19 pages, 7574 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

A Mass Balance-Based Method for the Anaerobic Digestion of Rice Straw

by Maurizio Bressan, Elena Campagnoli, Carlo Giovanni Ferro and Valter Giaretto

Energies 2023, 16(11), 4334; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16114334 - 25 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1735

Abstract

Current rice straw disposal practices have serious repercussions on the environment and, in addition, do not consider its energy potential. On the contrary, the anaerobic digestion of rice straw makes it possible to produce renewable energy and to reintroduce into the soil the nutrients present in the digestate, at the same time, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from paddies. For rice straw of different geographical origin, by applying a mass balance method to the digester, the minimum requirements in terms of conditioners (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) and water, which allow obtaining the maximum production of methane, were calculated. The results obtained show that after the first 30 days (hydraulic retention time) for each ton of rice straw digested, the daily water consumption varies considerably from one country to another, from a minimum value of 1.5 m³/d to a maximum of 4.3 m³/d. After the same time, the addition of nitrogen and phosphorus is only required for the optimal anaerobic digestion of Indian rice straw. The low presence of these elements in Indian straw requires an addition of 3 kg/d of urea and 1.5 kg/d of superphosphate to compensate for the lack of nitrogen and phosphorus, respectively. In all the examined cases, the concentration of potassium, even if higher than the optimal value, does not reach levels that can significantly affect the methane production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioenergy)

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Review

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15 pages, 701 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Critical Review of Growth Media Recycling to Enhance the Economics and Sustainability of Algae Cultivation

by Neha Arora, Enlin Lo, Noah Legall and George P. Philippidis

Energies 2023, 16(14), 5378; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16145378 - 14 Jul 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2314

Abstract

Microalgae hold promise as a sustainable source of biofuels and bioproducts but their commercial development is impeded by high cultivation costs, primarily for growth nutrients, and concerns about the water-intensive nature of algae cultivation. As a result, minimizing water and nutrient input is imperative to reducing algal operating costs, while enhancing the sustainability of future algal biorefineries. However, spent media recycling often results in the accumulation of growth inhibitors, such as free fatty acids, polysaccharides, polyunsaturated aldehydes, and humic acid, which negatively affect algal growth and productivity. In this review, we critically assess media recycling research findings to assess the advantages and disadvantages of spent media reuse for a wide range of algae strains. Particular emphasis is placed on strategies to overcome growth inhibition through spent media treatment processes, such as ultraviolet oxidation, activated carbon, ultrasonication, microfiltration, crop rotation, and nutrient replenishment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioenergy)

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19 pages, 3403 KiB

Open AccessReview

Review of Biofuel Effect on Emissions of Various Types of Marine Propulsion and Auxiliary Engines

by Theofanis D. Chountalas, Maria Founti and Dimitrios T. Hountalas

Energies 2023, 16(12), 4647; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16124647 - 11 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1488

Abstract

The International Maritime Organization aims to reduce the maritime industry’s carbon emissions by 40% in the next two decades and has introduced measures to control CO₂ emissions. These have significantly increased interest regarding biofuels, which can be used immediately on existing vessels, reducing their carbon footprint. The most common variant is B30, a blend of 70% crude oil and 30% biodiesel. Concerns exist for the potential effect on engine performance and NO_x emissions. Scientific works on the subject are limited for two-stroke marine engines, while some studies are available for four-stroke ones, usually auxiliaries. To increase information availability on the subject, in this work, we review the results of testing on multiple marine engine types, two-stroke propulsion and four-stroke auxiliary units using B30 and conventional fuels. The effect on emissions and fuel efficiency is examined and cross-referenced with the available literature. A small increase in specific fuel consumption was observed for B30 use that varied with engine type. The increase was on average 1% for two-stroke and 2.5% for four-stroke engines. The effect of B30 on NO_x emissions was low but varied between engines. For low-speed two-stroke engines, NO_x increase was on average 4% compared to crude oil, and 2.4% for four-stroke auxiliary units, albeit with higher variance. For some four-stroke units, a decrease in emissions was found. All previous results were in line with other published studies. Overall, it was found that while biofuel effect can vary considerably between applications, 30% biodiesel blends can be used with no concerns regarding emissions and fuel efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioenergy)

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36 pages, 1754 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Decoding Anaerobic Digestion: A Holistic Analysis of Biomass Waste Technology, Process Kinetics, and Operational Variables

by Oluwafunmilayo Abiola Aworanti, Oluseye Omotoso Agbede, Samuel Enahoro Agarry, Ayobami Olu Ajani, Oyetola Ogunkunle, Opeyeolu Timothy Laseinde, S. M. Ashrafur Rahman and Islam Md Rizwanul Fattah

Energies 2023, 16(8), 3378; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16083378 - 12 Apr 2023

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3143

Abstract

The continual generation and discharge of waste are currently considered two of the main environmental problems worldwide. There are several waste management options that can be applied, though anaerobic digestion (AD) process technology seems to be one of the best, most reliable, and feasible technological options that have attracted remarkable attention due to its benefits, including the generation of renewable energy in the form of biogas and biomethane. There is a large amount of literature available on AD; however, with the continuous, progressive, and innovative technological development and implementation, as well as the inclusion of increasingly complex systems, it is necessary to update current knowledge on AD process technologies, process variables and their role on AD performance, and the kinetic models that are most commonly used to describe the process-reaction kinetics. This paper, therefore, reviewed the AD process technologies for treating or processing organic biomass waste with regard to its classification, the mechanisms involved in the process, process variables that affect the performance, and the process kinetics. Gazing into the future, research studies on reduced MS-AD operational cost, integrated or hybrid AD-biorefinery technology, integrated or hybrid AD-thermochemical process, novel thermochemical reactor development, nutrient recovery from integrated AD-thermochemical process, and solid and liquid residual disposal techniques are more likely to receive increased attention for AD process technology of biomass wastes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioenergy)

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