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Environmentally Friendly Biofuel Production
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Environmentally Friendly Biofuel Production

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (16 April 2024) | Viewed by 7801

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jakub Frankowski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Bioeconomy, Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants—National Research Institute, Wojska Polskiego 71B, 60-630 Poznań, Poland
Interests: bieconomy; waste management; agriculture; energy crops; biosystems engineering; biofuel production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Wojciech Czekała

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biosystems Engineering, Poznań Uniwersity of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 50, 60-627 Poznań, Poland
Interests: waste management; biomass; biofuels production; renewable energy; organic fertilizers; sustainable development; environmental protection; circular economy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The changes in environmental and climate conditions, as well as economic growth and the increase in energy consumption, have led to an intensification of research on alternative fuels to replace fossil fuels. Nowadays, the dynamic development of alternative energy sources and the use of waste and biomass for the bioenergy production are possibilities to improve the energy mix. In addition, it is worth reaching for new, less popular and prospective solutions as well as various solutions based on the principles of bioeconomy.

This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate the most recent advances related to bioprocess engineering, sustainable development, and the circular economy connected to environmentally friendly biofuel production.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to:

  • All aspects of energy crop cultivation and processing harvested biomass into bioenergy.
  • Technical and economic aspects of biofuel production efficiency.
  • Bioprocess engineering and its application in a circular economy.
  • Novel applications of biofuel production according to sustainable development.
  • Advanced technologies of waste conversion into biofuels.

Dr. Jakub Frankowski
Dr. Wojciech Czekała
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. 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

  • bioprocess engineering
  • biomass
  • biofuels
  • biogas
  • agriculture
  • renewable energy
  • waste management
  • bioeconomy
  • circular economy
  • sustainable development

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 5223 KiB  
Article
Influence of the Parameters of Used Biochar on the Dark Fermentation Process
by Kamil Kozłowski, Jacek Dach, Wojciech Czekała, Krystyna Malińska, Kacper Świechowski, Jakub Pulka and Andrzej Lewicki
Energies 2023, 16(22), 7484; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16227484 - 8 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 916
Abstract
The aim of the work was to analyze the impact of biochar produced under various production conditions on the course of the dark (hydrogen) fermentation process. A series of experiments were planned, in which the starting material was digestate from a functioning agricultural [...] Read more.
The aim of the work was to analyze the impact of biochar produced under various production conditions on the course of the dark (hydrogen) fermentation process. A series of experiments were planned, in which the starting material was digestate from a functioning agricultural biogas plant. Changes in the physicochemical properties and microstructure of biochar obtained in the manufacturing process with different parameters were also analyzed. Another issue analyzed was the size and dynamics of the gas production during dark fermentation with the use of various types of auxiliary material. This work showed that increasing the temperature and holding time during the production of biochar from digestion pulp improved the dynamics of biohydrogen production during the process of dark fermentation. The results of this research can be used in industrial research to optimize the process of biohydrogen production using biochar. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Friendly Biofuel Production)
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22 pages, 12819 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Manure Use for Energy Purposes on the Economic Balance of a Dairy Farm
by Jakub Mazurkiewicz
Energies 2023, 16(18), 6735; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16186735 - 21 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1449
Abstract
The use of methane fermentation in mesophilic conditions for the energy use of cow manure and additional co-substrates from the farm can bring a small dairy farm (140 dairy cows) financial benefits of up to EUR 114,159 per year. Taking into account the [...] Read more.
The use of methane fermentation in mesophilic conditions for the energy use of cow manure and additional co-substrates from the farm can bring a small dairy farm (140 dairy cows) financial benefits of up to EUR 114,159 per year. Taking into account the need to pay for emissions calculated as carbon dioxide equivalent, this profit could be reduced to EUR 81,323 per year. With the traditional direct use of manure, this profit would drop by as much as 60% to the level of EUR 33,944 per year. Therefore, the introduction of fees for emissions may significantly burden current dairy farms. As has already been shown, just compacting and covering the manure (which costs approx. EUR 2000 per year for 140 cows) would give almost twice as much profit—EUR 64,509 per year. Although an investment in a small biogas plant with a cogeneration unit on a family dairy farm may have a payback period of less than 6.5 years and a return of capital employed of 16%, most small farms in the world will not be able to afford its construction without external subsidies. At the same time, it would make it possible to reduce emissions by almost 270 times—from 41,460 to 154 tons of CO2eq per year—and the possibility of preserving valuable nutrients and minerals and supporting soil properties in the digestate. Therefore, it seems necessary for Europe to introduce a support system for small- and medium-sized farms with this type of investment in the near future in a much larger form than it has been so far. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Friendly Biofuel Production)
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22 pages, 2139 KiB  
Article
Loss of Energy and Economic Potential of a Biogas Plant Fed with Cow Manure due to Storage Time
by Jakub Mazurkiewicz
Energies 2023, 16(18), 6686; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16186686 - 18 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1308
Abstract
The aim of the publication was to analyze investments in biogas plants with a cogeneration unit for an average size dairy farm. The basis for the calculation was the use of cow manure as the only substrate in methane fermentation. The economic balance [...] Read more.
The aim of the publication was to analyze investments in biogas plants with a cogeneration unit for an average size dairy farm. The basis for the calculation was the use of cow manure as the only substrate in methane fermentation. The economic balance also includes ecological and service aspects. The study also shows how much energy and quality potential is lost due to improper manure management and what impact a single farm with dairy cows has on the emission of carbon dioxide equivalent. It has been estimated that as a result of improper storage of manure, even 2/3 of its fertilizing, energy and economic value can be lost, while causing damage to the environment. It has been estimated that for a single farm with 100 cows, without government mechanisms subsidizing investments in RES, the payback period exceeds 15 years, and the Return of Capital Employed is slightly more than 6%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Friendly Biofuel Production)
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16 pages, 21869 KiB  
Article
The Biogas Potential of Oxytree Leaves
by Jakub Mazurkiewicz
Energies 2022, 15(23), 8872; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15238872 - 24 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1839
Abstract
This article describes the characteristics of th Oxytree (Paulownia) plant, both in terms of its impact on GHG emissions and its potential use to produce biofuel, i.e., biogas. The described research involved the physico-chemical and elemental analysis of the Oxytree leaf composition and [...] Read more.
This article describes the characteristics of th Oxytree (Paulownia) plant, both in terms of its impact on GHG emissions and its potential use to produce biofuel, i.e., biogas. The described research involved the physico-chemical and elemental analysis of the Oxytree leaf composition and its biogas efficiency depending on the harvesting method. Three different scenarios were considered: the freshest possible leaves—processed immediately after stripping from the living tree; after the first day of collection from pruned or harvested wood; after the first week of collection from pruned or harvested wood. The best results were achieved for the harvest of the freshest leaves—on average 430 m3/Mg (biogas) and 223 m3/Mg (methane) per dry organic mass. The highest yield of biogas in terms of fresh mass (FM) was obtained for leaves fallen and collected after 1 day—123 m3/Mg FM, and 59 m3/Mg FM (methane). Processing Oxytree leaves through anaerobic digestion will contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of wood biomass production and is an additional source of renewable energy and fertilizer product. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Friendly Biofuel Production)
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20 pages, 1557 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Energy and Material Use of Manure as a Fertilizer or Substrate for Biogas Production during the Energy Crisis
by Jakub Mazurkiewicz
Energies 2022, 15(23), 8867; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15238867 - 24 Nov 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1585
Abstract
The main goal of the publication was to show the differences in profit when using manure directly as fertilizer (after the storage period) or as a substrate for biogas plants with a cogeneration unit, and then using the digestate for fertilization purposes. The [...] Read more.
The main goal of the publication was to show the differences in profit when using manure directly as fertilizer (after the storage period) or as a substrate for biogas plants with a cogeneration unit, and then using the digestate for fertilization purposes. The comparison covers the streams of costs, revenues and profits over the year between 14 October 2021 and 14 October 2022. This period was chosen due to the energy and fertilization crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. Profitability forecasts for biogas investments (including the payback period) are presented, with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, i.e., methane and nitrous oxide, taken into account. The performed economic, energy and ecological calculations of manure management can be used as guidelines when considering investing in biogas plants, as well as what is recently becoming a new trend: the carbon footprint of dairy production. Input substrate parameters, gaseous emissions and biogas yields were obtained from own research (manure samples were collected) and from literature data, including guidelines for international and national IPCC protocols. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmentally Friendly Biofuel Production)
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