Bioconversion of Organic Waste to Energy

A special issue of Fermentation (ISSN 2311-5637). This special issue belongs to the section "Industrial Fermentation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 December 2023) | Viewed by 6614

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Health Sciences Environmental Health and Sustainability Program, Department of Agriculture, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
Interests: anaerobic digestion; air quality; bioenergy; biofiltration; waste management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The generation and handling of organic waste (also known as biodegradable waste) is a challenge facing society because of its large quantity and potential environmental and human impacts, including air pollution, water contamination, greenhouse gas emissions, and health hazards. This challenge, however, presents opportunities. Innovative methods are being developed to recycle organic waste through composting, extract valuable compounds to produce bioproducts, and convert organic waste into energy.

The bioconversion of organic waste to energy is recognized for its low-energy demand, mild operating conditions, and minimal waste production. Various technologies, such as fermentation, anaerobic digestion, enzymatic hydrolysis, microbial fuel cells, and photobiological hydrogen production, have been developed to convert organic waste to energy, with final products of biogas, hydrogen, alcohols, biodiesel, and electricity. Some of these technologies, such as the anaerobic digestion of animal waste for biogas production, have been commercialized, while many others are still under development.

The goal of this Special Issue is to publish innovative research results and review papers on the bioconversion of organic waste to energy. Studies focusing on food waste, sewage biosolids, human waste, animal manure, crop residues, biodegradable plastic, and slaughterhouse waste are welcomed for submission. Review papers on industrial applications are also of interest. Please feel free to contact one of the editors if you have any questions.

Dr. Liangcheng Yang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • bioconversion technology
  • biosynthesis
  • waste to energy
  • waste management
  • organic waste
  • biodegradable waste
  • bioenergy
  • fermentation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

15 pages, 460 KiB  
Review
A Review on Potential Biofuel Yields from Cover Crops
by Liangcheng Yang, Lucas D. Lamont, Shan Liu, Chunchun Guo and Shelby Stoner
Fermentation 2023, 9(10), 912; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9100912 - 17 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3620
Abstract
Millions of hectares of cover crops are planted in the U.S. and European Union to manage soil erosion, soil fertility, water quality, weeds, and climate change. Although only a small percentage of cover crops are harvested, the growing cover crop planting area provides [...] Read more.
Millions of hectares of cover crops are planted in the U.S. and European Union to manage soil erosion, soil fertility, water quality, weeds, and climate change. Although only a small percentage of cover crops are harvested, the growing cover crop planting area provides a new biomass source to the biofuel industry to produce bioenergy. Oilseed crops such as rapeseed, sunflower, and soybean are commodities and have been used to produce biodiesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Other cover crops such as cereal rye, clover, and alfalfa, have been tested on small or pilot scales to produce cellulosic ethanol, biogas, syngas, bio-oil, and SAF. Given the various biofuel products and pathways, this review aimed to provide a comprehensive comparison of biofuel yield from different cover crops and an overview of the technologies that have been employed to improve biofuel yield. It was envisioned that gene-editing tools might be revolutionary to the biofuel industry, the work on cover crop supply chain will be critical for system scaleup, and high-tolerant technologies likely will be needed to handle the high compositional heterogeneity and variability of cover crop biomass for biofuel. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioconversion of Organic Waste to Energy)
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12 pages, 2722 KiB  
Review
Volatile Fatty Acid Recovery from Arrested Anaerobic Digestion for the Production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel: A Review
by Xumeng Ge, Yian Chen, Violeta Sànchez i Nogué and Yebo Li
Fermentation 2023, 9(9), 821; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9090821 - 8 Sep 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2354
Abstract
The process of producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from organic waste involves the use of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) as intermediates that are obtained via arrested anaerobic digestion (AAD) and VFA recovery. This recovery process often requires several steps, including dewatering, filtration, extraction, [...] Read more.
The process of producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from organic waste involves the use of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) as intermediates that are obtained via arrested anaerobic digestion (AAD) and VFA recovery. This recovery process often requires several steps, including dewatering, filtration, extraction, and purification. The recovery of VFAs is crucial for their upgrading and can pose a challenge in the production of SAF from organic waste due to high costs and compatibility issues. This review discusses various dewatering methods, including centrifuges, belt filter presses, and screw presses, and explores conditioning technologies that can improve dewatering performance. It also introduces filtration technologies, with a focus on dynamic filtration, which shows promise in addressing the issue of membrane fouling. Additionally, the review describes extraction technologies such as electrodialysis, adsorption, and liquid–liquid extraction (LLE). By providing insights into these different techniques, the review aims to contribute to the development of an integrated VFA recovery process with low carbon footprint. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioconversion of Organic Waste to Energy)
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