Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.9
3.3
Journals
Agriculture
Special Issues
Agricultural Biomass Generation and Utilization: Progress, Challenges and Prospects
share announcement

Agricultural Biomass Generation and Utilization: Progress, Challenges and Prospects

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 3000

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Renjie Dong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. National Center for International Joint Research of BioEnergy Science and Technology (iBEST), China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
2. College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: assessment of agricultural biowaste generation, valorization, and treatment; bioenergy; pellet and briquette; combustion; clean heating; hydro-thermal conversion; biochar; biogas; biogas digestates; slurry; acidification; field application; insect protein; greenhouse gas; climate change; green development; sustainability
Prof. Dr. Walter Stinner

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
DBFZ Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum gemeinnützige GmbH, 04347 Leipzig, Germany
Interests: agricultural residues utilization; bioeconomy in multifunctional agricultural systems; emission (esp. GHG) reduction management (agriculture, manure, digestate and compost chains, energy system); waste 2 energy+fertilizer; marginal land plants; treatment; valorization; bioenergy; biogas; biogas digestates and plant nutrition; climate change; green development; sustainability; process chains from cradle to resource; business and management options; improved renewable energy systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agricultural biomass is here thought to be the non-edible biological substances that are generated during agricultural production and produced on marginal land, including but not limited to crop residues, pruning waste, fruit and vegetable lefts, dead livestock and poultry and manure, and marginal land plants.

Agricultural biomass used to be fundamental resources for energy, feed, and fertilizer for thousands of years around the world. Currently, agricultural biomass is recognized to be a critical source of methane emission, which on the other hand could be collected in the form of advanced renewable energy to support the phasing out of fossil fuels. Further, agricultural biomass is a green source of feed, fiber, fertilizer, and soil organic matter.

This Special Issue aims to collect the most recent studies, including original research, opinions, and reviews, on the technical solutions and methods adopted for the assessment, treatment, valorization of agricultural biomass generation, in addition to technical–social–economic analyses.

The Special Issue invites submissions of papers covering a broad range of topics, including but not limited to the following:

  • Agricultural biomass generation assessment;
  • Agricultural biomass properties and characteristics;
  • Solid biofuels and utilization (pelletizing, gasification, pyrolysis, household stoves, power generation, etc.);
  • Biochar (production, field application, etc.);
  • Composting;
  • Anaerobic digestion and digestates valorization;
  • Manure acidification;
  • Field application of manure, compost, and biogas digestates;
  • Hydrothermal carbonization;
  • GHG emissions accounting and reduction;
  • Value-added utilization of agricultural biomass (feed, insect protein, single-cell protein, etc.);
  • Technical–social–economic analyses.

Prof. Dr. Renjie Dong
Prof. Dr. Walter Stinner
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. Agriculture 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

  • agricultural biowastes
  • marginal land plants
  • assessment, treatment, and valorization
  • bioenergy, pellet, and briquette
  • biogas
  • gasification
  • pyrolysis
  • combustion
  • biochar
  • hydro-thermal conversion
  • power generation
  • compost
  • biogas digestates
  • acidification
  • biofertilizer
  • soil conditioner
  • value-added valorization
  • feed
  • insect protein
  • single-cell protein
  • soil quality
  • greenhouse gas
  • climate change
  • green development
  • sustainability

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

17 pages, 2180 KiB  
Article
Emergy, Environmental and Economic (3E) Assessment of Biomass Pellets from Agricultural Waste
by Yun Deng, Xueling Ran, Hussien Elshareef, Renjie Dong and Yuguang Zhou
Agriculture 2025, 15(6), 664; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15060664 - 20 Mar 2025
Viewed by 233
Abstract
Biomass pellets are increasingly recognized as a cost-effective and sustainable renewable energy source worldwide. However, comprehensive sustainability assessments of their production processes are scarce. To address this gap, three distinct scenarios in Northeast China were evaluated using emergy, economic, and environmental analysis methods: [...] Read more.
Biomass pellets are increasingly recognized as a cost-effective and sustainable renewable energy source worldwide. However, comprehensive sustainability assessments of their production processes are scarce. To address this gap, three distinct scenarios in Northeast China were evaluated using emergy, economic, and environmental analysis methods: corn single production, corn–pellet co-production, and pellet production. A modified method for calculating the environmental loading rate (ELR) was proposed, which accounts for the environmental benefits associated with replacing coal with biomass pellets for heating. The results showed that corn–pellet co-production demonstrates superior energy efficiency compared to corn-only production, but presents a contrasting economic profile. The ELR for corn single production and corn–pellet co-production are 1.57 and 1.63, respectively, with corresponding emergy sustainability indices (ESI) of 0.89 and 0.84. After applying the modified method, the ELR and ESI for corn–pellet co-production were adjusted to 0.84 and 1.63, respectively, and the ESI of pellet production increased from 8.24 to 21.15. Furthermore, processing corn straw into biomass pellets for heating can reduce heating costs by approximately USD 254.26/hm2 and reduce emissions of SO2, NOx, CO, PM2.5, and CO2 by 9.12, 19.82, 580.31, 65.86, and 13,060.66 kg/hm2, respectively. Sensitivity analysis revealed that transportation distance and renewable electricity have a greater impact on pellet production than corn–pellet co-production. The ESI for pellet production decreases from 21.15 to 14.02 as transport distance increases from 20 km to 100 km, while it rises to 57.81 as the proportion of renewable energy in the power supply increases from 0% to 100%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Biomass Generation and Utilization: Progress, Challenges and Prospects)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

29 pages, 7756 KiB  
Article
A Methodology for the Feasibility Assessment of Using Crop Residues for Electricity Production Through GIS-MCD and Its Application in a Case Study
by Fernando Bruno Dovichi Filho, Laura Vieira Maia de Sousa, Electo Eduardo Silva Lora, José Carlos Escobar Palacio, Pedro Tavares Borges, Regina Mambeli Barros, René Lesme Jaen, Marcelo Risso Errera and Quelbis Roman Quintero
Agriculture 2025, 15(3), 334; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15030334 - 3 Feb 2025
Viewed by 881
Abstract
Over recent decades, human activities have essentially depended on fossil fuels. The last Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports recommend a shift to renewables and a more energy-efficient economy. To fulfill the potential of bioenergy, tools are required to overcome the complexities of [...] Read more.
Over recent decades, human activities have essentially depended on fossil fuels. The last Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports recommend a shift to renewables and a more energy-efficient economy. To fulfill the potential of bioenergy, tools are required to overcome the complexities of the decision-making processes for viable projects. This work presents a decision-making tool to select the most feasible biomass residues and a case study of the state of Minas Gerais, in Brazil. Among the 13 evaluated criteria, eucalyptus residues demonstrated the highest potential for electricity production, followed by sugarcane bagasse and coffee husks. The choice of Minas Gerais as a case study is important due to its diverse agricultural landscape and the potential for biomass residue generation. The presented methodology uses the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), a multi-criteria decision-making method (MCDM). Thirteen criteria were required to enable the best choice of biomass residue alternatives for electricity generation, which experts in the bioenergy field evaluated. The technical criterion was shown to be the one with the highest degree of importance. The results of the study identified that CO2eq emissions (11.46%) and electricity demand (ED) were the most relevant sub-criteria for prioritizing the viability of agricultural waste. Eucalyptus was ranked as the most promising biomass, followed by sugarcane bagasse and coffee husks. In addition, the use of GIS tools made it possible to map the regions with the greatest potential in Minas Gerais, providing a robust approach to identifying strategic sites for bioenergy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Biomass Generation and Utilization: Progress, Challenges and Prospects)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 4571 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Dynamic Biogas Consumption in Chinese Rural Areas at Village, Township, and County Levels
by Gongyi Li, Tao Luo, Jianghua Xiong, Yanna Gao, Xi Meng, Yaoguo Zuo, Yi Liu, Jing Ma, Qiuwen Chen, Yuxin Liu, Yichong Xin and Yangjie Ye
Agriculture 2025, 15(2), 149; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15020149 - 11 Jan 2025
Viewed by 809
Abstract
Understanding the characteristics of biogas demand in rural areas is essential for on-demand biogas production and fossil fuel offsetting. However, the spatiotemporal features of rural household energy consumption are unclear. This paper developed a rural biogas demand forecasting model (RBDM) based on the [...] Read more.
Understanding the characteristics of biogas demand in rural areas is essential for on-demand biogas production and fossil fuel offsetting. However, the spatiotemporal features of rural household energy consumption are unclear. This paper developed a rural biogas demand forecasting model (RBDM) based on the hourly loads of different energy types in rural China. The model requires only a small amount of publicly available input data. The model was verified using household energy survey data collected from five Chinese provinces and one year’s data from a village-scale biogas plant. The results showed that the predicted and measured biogas consumption and dynamic load were consistent. The relative error of village biogas consumption was 11.45%, and the dynamic load showed seasonal fluctuations. Seasonal correction factors were incorporated to improve the model’s accuracy and practicality. The accuracy of the RBDM was 19.27% higher than that of a static energy prediction model. Future research should verify the model using additional cases to guide the design of accurate biogas production and distribution systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Biomass Generation and Utilization: Progress, Challenges and Prospects)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

19 pages, 1976 KiB  
Review
Review on Mechanisms of Iron Accelerants and Their Effects on Anaerobic Digestion
by Han Wang, Wanli Zhang, Wanli Xing and Rundong Li
Agriculture 2025, 15(7), 728; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15070728 - 28 Mar 2025
Viewed by 372
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion is an important technology for energy recovery from organic waste. However, methanogenesis is restricted by some barriers, such as the low-speed bottleneck of interspecies electron transfer (IET), the low hydrogen partial pressure limitation, trace element deficiency, etc., resulting in poor system [...] Read more.
Anaerobic digestion is an important technology for energy recovery from organic waste. However, methanogenesis is restricted by some barriers, such as the low-speed bottleneck of interspecies electron transfer (IET), the low hydrogen partial pressure limitation, trace element deficiency, etc., resulting in poor system stability and low methane production. Recently, multiple iron accelerants have been employed to overcome the above challenges and have been proven effective in enhancing methanogenesis. This study reviews the effects of iron accelerants (Fe0, Fe3O4 and magnetite, Fe2O3 and hematite, iron salts and other iron accelerants) on anaerobic digestion in terms of methane production, process stability and the microbial community and elaborates the mechanisms of iron accelerants in mediating the direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) of the syntrophic methanogenic community, strong reducibility promoting methanogenesis, provision of nutrient elements for microorganisms, etc. The potential engineering application of iron accelerants in anaerobic digestion and the current research advances regarding the environmental impacts and the recovery of iron accelerants are also summarized. Although iron accelerants exhibit positive effects on anaerobic digestion, most of the current research focuses on laboratory and small-scale investigations, and its large-scale engineering application should be further verified. Future research should focus on elucidating the mechanisms of iron accelerants for enhancing anaerobic digestion, developing diverse application methods for different types of anaerobic systems, optimizing large-scale engineering applications, and exploring the environmental impacts and high-efficiency recovery strategies of iron accelerants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Biomass Generation and Utilization: Progress, Challenges and Prospects)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop