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Emerging Technologies and Sustainability Assessment for Waste Biomass to Energy

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 May 2026 | Viewed by 2632

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Unidade de Bioenergia e Biorrefinarias, Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia, I.P., Estrada do Paço do Lumiar 22, 1649-038 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: biomass; bioenergy; biorefineries; chemical engineering

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Guest Editor
Wood Technology Centre, Łukasiewicz Research Network—Poznań Institute of Technology, ul. Winiarska 1, 60-654 Poznan, Poland
Interests: biomass valorisation; liquefaction; bio-based adhesives; cascading utilization of wood

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Guest Editor
Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia, Estrada do Paço do Lumiar 22, 1649-038 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: biomass; bioenergy; biorefineries; biofuels; pyrolysis; gasification; liquefaction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the aim of mitigating climate change, converting waste biomass into energy is considered an essential part of the circular bioeconomy and the decarbonization of energy systems. Emerging technologies such as advanced thermochemical and biochemical processes, as well as hybrid and integrated systems, provide new methods for valorizing a variety of biogenic waste streams. However, their development and implementation require comprehensive sustainability assessments that encompass environmental, economic, and social impacts. This is a fundamental aspect needed to increase technical and social awareness and to foster the implementation beyond the research level.

This Special Issue seeks original research and literature reviews on emerging technologies for converting waste biomass to energy, combined with thorough sustainability assessments, emphasizing prospective Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) studies. Contributions that merge technology development with the early-stage evaluation of potential life cycle impacts are particularly welcome.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, innovative waste-to-energy processes; process design and optimization; biomass harvesting, characterization and logistics; co-product recovery and system integration; environmental, economic, and social impact assessments; prospective and scenario-based LCAs; and policy or regulatory frameworks that promote sustainable bioenergy deployment

Dr. Tiago Lopes
Dr. Dominika Janiszewska-Latterini
Dr. Paula Costa
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Energies 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

  • waste biomass conversion
  • biomass for bioenergy
  • emerging bioenergy technologies
  • sustainability assessment
  • life cycle assessment (LCA)
  • social life cycle assessment (S-LCA)
  • prospective LCA
  • techno-economic assessment (TEA)
  • waste-to-energy systems
  • biorefinery integration
  • thermochemical and biochemical processes
  • circular bioeconomy

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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28 pages, 1384 KB  
Article
Effect of Solidified Carbon Dioxide Pretreatment on Chlorella vulgaris Biomass Prior to Anaerobic Digestion
by Joanna Kazimierowicz, Marcin Dębowski and Marcin Zieliński
Energies 2025, 18(21), 5774; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18215774 - 1 Nov 2025
Viewed by 704
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of low-temperature disintegration of Chlorella vulgaris using solidified carbon dioxide (SCO2) on the efficiency of anaerobic digestion of microalgae biomass. The novelty of this study resides in the pioneering application of [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of low-temperature disintegration of Chlorella vulgaris using solidified carbon dioxide (SCO2) on the efficiency of anaerobic digestion of microalgae biomass. The novelty of this study resides in the pioneering application of SCO2 for the pretreatment of C. vulgaris biomass to enhance methane fermentation. This approach integrates mechanical disruption of cell walls with improved solubilization of organic fractions at low temperatures, providing an innovative and energy-efficient strategy to boost biomethanogenesis performance. This study was carried out in four stages, including characterisation of substrate properties, evaluation of organic compound solubilization following SCO2 pretreatment, and fermentation under both batch and continuous conditions. Analysis of dissolved COD and TOC fractions revealed a significant increase in the bioavailability of organic matter as a result of SCO2 application, with the highest degree of solubilization observed at a SCO2/C. vulgaris biomass volume ratio of 1:3. In batch reactors, CH4 yield increased significantly to 369 ± 16 mL CH4/g VS, methane content in biogas reached 65.9 ± 1.0%, and kinetic process parameters were improved. Comparable enhancements were observed in continuous fermentation, with the best scenario yielding 243.4 ± 9.5 mL CH4/g VS. Digestate analysis confirmed more efficient degradation of organic fractions, and the stability of methanogenic consortia was maintained, with only moderate changes in the relative abundance of the main groups (Methanosarcinaceae, Methanosaeta). Energy balance calculations indicated a positive net effect of the process. This study represents a pioneering application of SCO2 pretreatment in the context of microalgal biomass and highlights its high potential for intensifying anaerobic digestion. Full article
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Review

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21 pages, 412 KB  
Review
The Effects of Biosyngas and Biogas on the Operation of Dual-Fuel Diesel Engines: A Review
by Wenbo Ai and Haeng Muk Cho
Energies 2025, 18(21), 5810; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18215810 - 4 Nov 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1537
Abstract
To address the dual challenges of fossil fuel depletion and environmental pollution, developing clean, renewable alternative fuels is an urgent need. Biomass gas, including biomass syngas and biogas, offers significant potential as an internal combustion engine alternative fuel due to its widespread availability [...] Read more.
To address the dual challenges of fossil fuel depletion and environmental pollution, developing clean, renewable alternative fuels is an urgent need. Biomass gas, including biomass syngas and biogas, offers significant potential as an internal combustion engine alternative fuel due to its widespread availability and carbon-neutral properties. This review summarizes research on biomass gas application in dual-fuel diesel engines. Firstly, biosyngas and biogas production methods, characteristics, and purification needs are detailed, highlighting gas composition variability as a key factor impacting engine performance. Secondly, dual-fuel diesel engine operating modes and their integration with advanced low-temperature combustion technologies are analyzed. The review focuses on how biomass gas affects combustion characteristics, engine performance, and emissions. Results indicate dual-fuel mode effectively reduces diesel consumption, emissions, while its carbon-neutrality lowers life-cycle CO2 emissions and generally suppresses NOx formation. However, challenges include potential BTE reduction and increased CO and HC emissions at low loads. Future research should prioritize gas quality standardization, intelligent combustion system optimization, and full-chain techno-economic evaluation to advance this technology. Overall, this review concludes that dual-fuel operation with biomass gases can achieve high diesel substitution rates, significantly reducing NOx and particulate matter emissions. However, challenges such as decreased brake thermal efficiency and increased CO and HC emissions under low-load conditions remain. Future efforts should focus on gas composition standardization, intelligent combustion control, and system-level optimization. Full article
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