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Bio-Waste to Energy and Added Value Products—Challenges and Opportunities: 2nd Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2026) | Viewed by 4449

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Marcin Dębowski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Engineering, Uniwersytet Warminsko-Mazurski w Olsztynie, 10-720 Olsztyn, WM, Poland
Interests: algae cultivation technologies; algae acquisition from natural water; algae biomass separation and dewatering; algae to biofuels; algae to valuable products; methane fermentation; biohydrogen; biodiesel; wastewater treatment; sludge management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Marcin Zieliński

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Engineering, Institute of Engineering and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-720 Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: optimization of anaerobic reactors; developing pretreatment methods to enhance process efficiency; biogas valorization; improving energy recovery; promoting sustainable applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Joanna Kazimierowicz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Water Supply and Sewage Systems, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, Bialystok University of Technology, 15-351 Bialystok, Poland
Interests: anaerobic digestion; methane fermentation; biogas; methane; sewage sludge; food waste products; wastewater treatment; microwave radiation; ultrasound; solidified carbon dioxide; microalgae
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The requirements of appropriate and sustainable bio-waste management are becoming a global challenge and a priority for the international community. Although the waste management sector is advanced, innovative, efficient, and economically viable technologies are needed. This presents an important task for administrators and operators of bio-waste systems and a challenge for research centres around the world. The priority is to save energy and care for the natural environment. The solutions sought should be in line with the assumptions of the broadly understood bioeconomy, sustainable development, circular economy, material and energy recycling, and should support renewable energy technologies and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. An important research area is therefore the optimization and intensification of bio-waste management methods, considering the possibility of a comprehensive use for energy, fertilization, animal feed, and many other purposes.

This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate the latest achievements related to theoretical assumptions, the results of scientific and translational research, design, modelling, and optimization of technological systems, and the control and monitoring of solutions related to sustainable bio-waste management. We also invite you to publish review papers summarizing the achievements to date in this research field and to indicate the strengths and weaknesses of the available technologies. This critical analysis will allow us to indicate directions for further development.

Prof. Dr. Marcin Dębowski
Prof. Dr. Marcin Zieliński
Dr. Joanna Kazimierowicz
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

  • bio-waste characteristics and properties
  • bio-waste management from the municipal, agriculture, and food industry sector
  • fermentative methane and hydrogen production form bio-waste
  • biodiesel and bioethanol production
  • thermal transformation (gasification, pyrolysis, combustion, plasma technologies)
  • bio-waste based multi-product biorefinery technologies
  • energy and material recycling form bio-waste
  • bio-waste recovery
  • circular economy in the bio-waste sector
  • bio-waste in fertilization and the animal feed sector
  • high-added value products form bio-waste
  • modelling and optimization in bio-waste processing
  • life cycle costing (LCC) and life cycle assessment (LCA) in bio-waste management

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2065 KB  
Article
Thermogravimetric Kinetic Studies of Acid and Base Treated Dairy Manure as Gasification Feedstock
by Kalidas Mainali, Candice Ellison, Brajendra K. Sharma, Majher I. Sarker, Charles A. Mullen and Manuel Garcia-Perez
Energies 2026, 19(5), 1293; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19051293 - 4 Mar 2026
Viewed by 590
Abstract
The influence of phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) impregnation on the pyrolysis and CO2 gasification behavior of dairy manure was evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), with kinetic parameters assessed through iso-conversional kinetic analysis (Frieman method). H [...] Read more.
The influence of phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) impregnation on the pyrolysis and CO2 gasification behavior of dairy manure was evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), with kinetic parameters assessed through iso-conversional kinetic analysis (Frieman method). H3PO4 pretreatment altered early decomposition by partially removing hemicellulose and promoting the formation of thermally stable, condensed char structures. The resulting chars exhibited reduced CO2 reactivity, as evidenced by higher gasification temperatures, lower syngas yields, and elevated activation energies, indicating hindered CO2 diffusion and slower Boudouard reaction kinetics. In contrast, NaOH pretreatment caused only minor changes in both pyrolysis and gasification behavior. A slight reduction in pyrolysis activation energy suggested Na+ catalyzed bond-cleavage reactions; however, this effect did not enhance CO2 gasification reactivity. Chars produced from NaOH-treated manure exhibited slightly higher activation energies during CO2 gasification and syngas yields, which remained close to or slightly above those of raw manure, attributed to complex mineral interactions that diminish the catalytic influence of sodium. Overall, these findings clarify how acid and base chemical pretreatments govern char evolution and carbon-CO2 reactivity, providing a foundation for optimizing pretreatment strategies and reactor conditions for manure conversion in CO2-based pyrolysis and gasification systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Waste to Energy and Added Value Products—Challenges and Opportunities: 2nd Edition)
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18 pages, 1563 KB  
Article
Carbon Monoxide Recovery from Organic Waste: Assessing Composting as a Sustainable Valorization Pathway
by Remigiusz Cielecki and Karolina Sobieraj
Energies 2026, 19(4), 1082; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19041082 - 20 Feb 2026
Viewed by 529
Abstract
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a key component of syngas and an important intermediate in the chemical, metallurgical, heavy, and food industries. Although mainly associated with thermochemical processes, CO can also be generated during composting, offering an environmentally friendly biological alternative. This study assessed [...] Read more.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a key component of syngas and an important intermediate in the chemical, metallurgical, heavy, and food industries. Although mainly associated with thermochemical processes, CO can also be generated during composting, offering an environmentally friendly biological alternative. This study assessed the potential for CO production during laboratory-scale composting of seven selected organic waste fractions: coffee grounds, green tea leaves/grounds, wheat straw, grass cuttings, branches, food waste, and a biowaste mixture with an optimal C/N ratio. Composting was carried out under laboratory conditions at 45 °C for 14 days, with daily passive aeration and monitoring of CO, CO2, and O2 concentrations in the reactor headspace. CO production kinetics were calculated for each substrate, and the CO mass yield was determined in each bioreactor. The study confirmed the CO generation potential of the analyzed organic waste fractions. The highest CO production was observed for grass cuttings (max. 2000 ppm, 1.21 mg), biowaste mix (2000 ppm, 0.82 mg), and wheat straw (1180 ppm, 0.24 mg). Grass cuttings exhibited the highest average reaction rate (3991.1 ppm·d−1) and the most rapid process (2.920 d−1). Fungal colonization was visibly present in the most CO-productive reactors, suggesting a role of fungal metabolism in CO formation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Waste to Energy and Added Value Products—Challenges and Opportunities: 2nd Edition)
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21 pages, 1181 KB  
Article
Carbon Dioxide Bio-Sequestration and Biomass Production for Energy Purposes During C. vulgaris Cultivation Powered by Real Exhaust Gases from a Municipal Thermal Power Plant
by Marcin Zieliński, Łukasz Barczak, Marta Kisielewska, Alona Vdovychenko, Joanna Kazimierowicz and Marcin Dębowski
Energies 2025, 18(23), 6086; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18236086 - 21 Nov 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 750
Abstract
This study assessed the potential of Chlorella vulgaris to biosequester carbon dioxide (CO2) and produce microalgal biomass using real exhaust gases from a municipal heating plant. Experiments were conducted in vertical tubular photobioreactors (V-PBRs) in three series: a control with atmospheric [...] Read more.
This study assessed the potential of Chlorella vulgaris to biosequester carbon dioxide (CO2) and produce microalgal biomass using real exhaust gases from a municipal heating plant. Experiments were conducted in vertical tubular photobioreactors (V-PBRs) in three series: a control with atmospheric air as the CO2 source (S1), exhaust gases containing SOx (S2), and fully desulphurised exhaust gases (S3). The highest productivity of C. vulgaris was recorded in S3, where 2120 ± 123 mg VS/L was achieved with an exponential growth rate of 281.0 ± 16.2 mg VS/L·d. The presence of SOx in the gases caused the culture to die off as early as day 8 of the cultivation cycle, resulting in a decrease in biomass concentration and acidification of the culture medium. In S2, compared to the other experimental series, significantly lower organic carbon, lipid, and sugar contents were also observed in the microalgal biomass. However, protein content remained stable regardless of the CO2 source tested. Carbon Dioxide Utilisation Efficiency (CO2UE) was 53.8% (S1), 24.1% (S2), and 41.4% (S3), respectively. The results indicate that the presence of SOx in exhaust gases negatively affects the growth and survival of C. vulgaris, while its removal improves both biomass productivity and CO2 sequestration efficiency. The research demonstrates the potential for integrating microalgae cultivation with industrial CO2 emission management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Waste to Energy and Added Value Products—Challenges and Opportunities: 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 1485 KB  
Article
Eliminating Effect of Moisture Content in Prediction of Lower Heating Value and Ash Content in Sugarcane Leaves Biomass
by Kanvisit Maraphum, Kantisa Phoomwarin, Nirattisak Khongthon and Jetsada Posom
Energies 2025, 18(13), 3352; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18133352 - 26 Jun 2025
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1916
Abstract
Accurate assessment of biomass fuel properties is essential for quality control and fair market pricing, particularly when dealing with variable moisture content (MC) in agricultural residues. This study investigates the use of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to predict the lower heating value (LHV) and [...] Read more.
Accurate assessment of biomass fuel properties is essential for quality control and fair market pricing, particularly when dealing with variable moisture content (MC) in agricultural residues. This study investigates the use of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to predict the lower heating value (LHV) and ash content of sugarcane leaf pellets while minimizing the interference caused by moisture variability. Sixty-two samples were scanned using an NIR spectrometer over three week-long storage periods to get different MCs with the same sample. Additionally, variable selection methods such as a genetic algorithm (GA) and moisture-related wavelength exclusion were explored. The optimal model for LHV prediction was developed using GA-PLS regression (Method II), provided a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.80, a root mean square error of calibration (RMSEc) of 595.80 J/g, and a ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) of 1.74, indicating fair predictive performance. The ash content model showed moderate accuracy, with a maximum R2 of 0.61 and an RPD of 1.40. These findings suggest that the variables selected via GA in Method II were not relevant to MC; as Method II provided the best result, this indicates a low impact of MC, which may influence model construction in the future. Moreover, the findings also highlight the potential of NIR spectroscopy, combined with appropriate spectral preprocessing and wavelength optimization, as a rapid, non-destructive tool for evaluating biomass quality, enabling more precise control in bioenergy production and biomass trading. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Waste to Energy and Added Value Products—Challenges and Opportunities: 2nd Edition)
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