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Processes
Special Issues
Progress on Biomass Processing and Conversion
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Progress on Biomass Processing and Conversion

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Biological Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 December 2025 | Viewed by 5396

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jarosław Domański

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Science, Lodz University of Technology, Wolczanska 171/173, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
Interests: anaerobic digestion; pretreatment; circular economy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleague,

In recent years, biomass has gained popularity as a renewable energy source, as utilizing waste biomass derived from the agri-food business aligns with the concept of a zero-waste (circular) economy. Consequently, this will decrease the utilization of biomass, such as wood, for energy-related activities, and alleviate the strain on ecological systems caused by human activities. Moreover, the mitigation of waste generation serves to diminish the adverse environmental consequences caused by human activities. Unfortunately, the utilization of a portion of biomass as a substrate for biotechnological activities is challenging due to its inherent structure. This is mostly attributed to its composition, specifically the presence of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. To enhance the accessibility of basic organic compounds to the microorganisms engaged in biotechnological activities, it is imperative to conduct pre-treatment procedures. The classification of these processes encompasses three primary categories, namely biological, chemical, and physical. By carefully selecting the appropriate method for the specific type of biomass utilized, it is frequently possible to significantly enhance the output yield. Pretreatment is a technique commonly employed in energy-generating processes, such as the production of methane, hydrogen, or ethanol. The effective execution of biomass conversion yields valuable products that can be utilized in chemical synthesis processes within the context of green chemistry. Nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge that biomass conversion processes might potentially harm both human health and the environment.

This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate the latest advancements in biomass. The submission of original articles and reviews related to this topic is welcome.

Dr. Jarosław Domański
Guest Editor

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. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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

  • biomass conversion
  • energy production
  • methane
  • hydrogen
  • ethanol
  • pretreatment

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2094 KiB  
Article
Particle Size Effect on Biodegradability and Kinetics During Anaerobic Digestion of Fruit and Vegetable Waste
by Sergio Esteban Vigueras-Carmona, Alejandra Velasco-Pérez, María Monserrat Montes-García, Hector Puebla, Mariana Rodríguez-Jara and José Vian
Processes 2025, 13(4), 937; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13040937 - 21 Mar 2025
Viewed by 573
Abstract
This study examines the anaerobic digestion (AD) of fruit and vegetable waste (FVW) and digestates to assess the effect of particle size on anaerobic biodegradability (AB) and process rate at different stages of digestion progress. Batch assays were conducted with FVW mixtures and [...] Read more.
This study examines the anaerobic digestion (AD) of fruit and vegetable waste (FVW) and digestates to assess the effect of particle size on anaerobic biodegradability (AB) and process rate at different stages of digestion progress. Batch assays were conducted with FVW mixtures and digestates from 5, 10, and 15 days of digestion, using four particle size ranges: Ø1 < 1.8 µm, 1.8 < Ø2 < 500 µm, 500 < Ø3 < 1000 µm, and Ø4 > 1000 µm. While AB and specific methanogenic activity (SMA) showed no significant differences among FVW mixtures, particle size significantly influenced these variables. Methane yields were 298.2 and 309.8 mL CH4·g−1VS for Ø4 and Ø3 particles, exceeding the 186.7 and 161.8 mL CH4·g−1VS obtained for Ø2 and Ø1, respectively. These results indicate that particle size reduction enhanced methane production; however, reducing the particle size below 500 µm inhibits methanogenesis due to intermediate accumulation. Compared to FVW, digestates exhibited a 23% reduction in AB, a 73.9% decrease in SMA, and methane yields of 55.8–294 mL CH4·g−1VS. Additionally, the surface-based kinetic constant (KSBK) decreased from 0.4523 g·dm−2·d−1 for FVW to 0.0437 g·dm−2·d−1 for digestates. These differences are attributed to the rapid consumption of easily biodegradable fractions within the first 5 days of digestion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress on Biomass Processing and Conversion)
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17 pages, 2714 KiB  
Article
From Microalgae to Biofuels: Investigating Valorization Pathways Towards Biorefinery Integration
by Panagiotis Fotios Chatzimaliakas, Ermis Koutsaftis-Fragkos, Sofia Mai, Dimitris Malamis and Elli Maria Barampouti
Processes 2024, 12(12), 2936; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12122936 - 22 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1430
Abstract
The rapid growth of the world population led to an exponential growth in industrial activity all around the world. Consequently, CO2 emissions have risen almost 400% since 1950 due to human activities. In this context, microalgae biomass has emerged as a renewable [...] Read more.
The rapid growth of the world population led to an exponential growth in industrial activity all around the world. Consequently, CO2 emissions have risen almost 400% since 1950 due to human activities. In this context, microalgae biomass has emerged as a renewable and sustainable feedstock for producing third-generation biofuels. This study explores the laboratory-scale production of bioethanol and biomethane from dried algal biomass. The first step was to evaluate and optimize the production of glucose from the biomass. Thus, three different techniques with three different solvents were tested to identify the most effective and efficient in terms of saccharification yield. With the assistance of an autoclave or a high-temperature water bath and 0.2 M NaOH as a solvent, yields of 79.16 ± 3.03% and 85.73 ± 3.23% were achieved which correspond to 9.24 and 9.80 g/L of glucose, respectively. Furthermore, the most efficient method from the pretreatment step was chosen to carry out a factorial design to produce bioethanol. The experiments showed that the loading of cellulase was of crucial importance to the optimization of the process. Optimized ethanolic fermentation yielded ethanol concentrations up to 4.40 ± 0.28 g/L (76.12 ± 4.90%) (0.3 Μ NaOH, 750 μL/gcellulose and 65 μL/gstarch), demonstrating the critical role of cellulase loading. Biomethane potential (BMP) assays on fermentation residues showed increased yields compared to untreated feedstock, with a maximum methane yield of 217.88 ± 10.40 mL/gVS. Combined energy production from bioethanol and biomethane was calculated at up to 1044.48 kWh/tn of algae feedstock, with biomethane contributing 75.26% to the total output. These findings highlight the potential of integrated algae-based biorefineries to provide scalable and sustainable biofuel solutions, aligning with circular economy principles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress on Biomass Processing and Conversion)
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15 pages, 6815 KiB  
Article
Numerical Study of Biomass Combustion Using a Transient State Approach
by Filipe Neves, Armando A. Soares and Abel Rouboa
Processes 2024, 12(12), 2800; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12122800 - 7 Dec 2024
Viewed by 879
Abstract
The behavior of the temperature and velocity, as well as the mass fraction of water (H2O) and wood inside a combustion chamber under specific operating conditions, were numerically investigated using a transient state model. For the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, [...] Read more.
The behavior of the temperature and velocity, as well as the mass fraction of water (H2O) and wood inside a combustion chamber under specific operating conditions, were numerically investigated using a transient state model. For the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, the software Ansys Fluent 2024 R2 was used to analyze a turbulent flow in two dimensions. The species transport with volumetric responses and eddy dissipation were included in the combustion simulation. The study was conducted for the first 150 s. The findings show that in the lower and upper zones of the combustion chamber close to the walls, the temperature rises over time. The velocity between the outlets rises over time. Due to the fact that the wood goes through a process that reduces the amount of wood and produces H2O, it exhibits the opposite behavior for the mass fractions of wood and H2O. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress on Biomass Processing and Conversion)
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14 pages, 4814 KiB  
Article
Effects of Sugar Beet Pulp Pretreatment Methods on Hydrogen Production by Dark Fermentation
by Weronika Cieciura-Włoch, Sebastian Borowski, Bartłomiej Januszewicz and Jarosław Domański
Processes 2024, 12(8), 1606; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12081606 - 31 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1765
Abstract
Methane and hydrogen generated from waste and biomass are renewable resources, which may successfully replace traditional fossil fuels. This paper investigates the enhancement effect of lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment on dark fermentative hydrogen production from sugar beet pulp (SBP). The results showed that sugar [...] Read more.
Methane and hydrogen generated from waste and biomass are renewable resources, which may successfully replace traditional fossil fuels. This paper investigates the enhancement effect of lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment on dark fermentative hydrogen production from sugar beet pulp (SBP). The results showed that sugar beet pulp after pretreatment contained significant amounts of unfermented sugars (mainly glucose, arabinose, galactose, and raffinose), and, therefore, represented an attractive substrate for methane and hydrogen production. The greatest methane yield (495 dm3 CH4/kg VS) was achieved from sugar beet pulp after alkaline pretreatment. High methane production of up to 445 dm3 CH4/kg VS was also obtained using acidic and enzymatic hydrolysis as a preliminary treatment of the pulp. All the pretreatment methods also resulted in the enhancement of hydrogen yield with the highest value of 229 dm3 H2/kg VS achieved using acid hydrolysis compared with 17 dm3 H2/kg VS for raw material subjected to digestion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress on Biomass Processing and Conversion)
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