Biomass Utilization and Bioenergy Production

Dear Colleagues,

Biomass supply is facing the dual challenge of enhancing agricultural productivity for food/feed and relying on sustainable feedstocks including crops, bio-residues, and biowastes. Simultaneously, it is advancing environmental and climate objectives in many countries, with the potential to supply low-iLUC risk biomass to avoid competition with the food and feed sector. This Special Issue focuses on biomass cultivation and supply, harvesting, logistics, conversion to bio-intermediates, and final conversion into bioenergy or biofuels. The main drivers are energy security, decarbonization of transport and industry, sustainable agriculture, and biodiversity preservation. Biofuels remain a fundamental energy source to decarbonize the transport sector, while meeting increasingly stringent sustainability and traceability requirements.

Introduction
This Special Issue, titled ‘Biomass Utilization and Bioenergy Production’, aims to provide a comprehensive platform for recent advances in sustainable biomass conversion technologies, energy generation, and value-added products. It seeks to highlight innovative approaches that improve the efficiency, environmental performance, and economic feasibility of bioenergy systems. Contributions are welcome that cover the entire biomass-to-bioenergy chain, from cultivation and harvesting to logistics, processing into bio-intermediates, and deployment of sustainable fuels and energy carriers.

This Special Issue seeks to bring together researchers, engineers, and policymakers to discuss challenges, share cutting-edge solutions, and propose innovative strategies for advancing biomass utilization and bioenergy production. By highlighting both fundamental research and applied studies, the Issue aims to promote the development of sustainable, low-carbon, and economically viable bioenergy systems for the global transition toward renewable energy.

Scope of the Special Issue
We invite original research papers, reviews, and case studies addressing (but not limited to) the following topics:

• Biomass Cultivation and Harvesting: Sustainable cultivation practices, precision agriculture, biodiversity-friendly systems, and innovative harvesting technologies.
• Biomass Logistics and Supply Chains: Handling, storage, densification, and transport strategies to ensure reliable, efficient, and sustainable feedstock availability.
• Thermochemical and Biochemical Conversion: Advances in pyrolysis, gasification, liquefaction, anaerobic digestion, fermentation, and hybrid processes.
• Bio-Intermediates: Production, upgrading, and utilization of intermediates such as pyrolysis oils, torrefied biomass, bio-slurries, syngas, and biogas for distributed and centralized systems.
• Biofuel and Bioproducts Production: Fuels from diverse feedstocks including algae, agricultural residues, forestry by-products, and wastes, alongside biochar and high-value co-products.
• Integration with Renewable Energy Systems: Hybrid solutions combining bioenergy with solar, wind, hydrogen, and storage to enhance system efficiency and flexibility.
• Lifecycle Assessment and Techno-Economic Analysis: Evaluation of biomass utilization pathways in terms of climate impacts, land use, biodiversity, and economic performance.
• Circular Bioeconomy Approaches: Waste-to-energy strategies, valorization of agricultural, forestry, and industrial residues, and cascading use of biomass resources.
• Interdisciplinary Studies: Combining experimental work, computational modeling, and process simulation for design optimization and environmental performance.
• Emerging Technologies: Innovative catalytic, microbial, and biochemical routes for next-generation biofuels and bioproducts.
• Energy System Role and Flexibility: Contributions of bioenergy to grid stability, sector coupling, and resilience of energy systems.
• Climate, Sustainability, and Policy: Regulatory frameworks, traceability systems, socio-economic impacts, and strategies for large-scale, sustainable deployment.
• Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS): Pathways for negative emissions and carbon removal.
• Synergies with e-Fuels: Integration of biomass-derived intermediates with renewable hydrogen and synthetic fuel production.

This Special Issue aims to accelerate innovation across the entire biomass supply chain and strengthen the role of sustainable biofuels and bioenergy systems in achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, supporting climate goals while ensuring food security, biodiversity, and rural development.