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Waste to Energy: Low-Carbon Resource and Energy Utilization from Solid Wastes with Pollution Control

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 June 2026 | Viewed by 2029

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Fawei Lin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Interests: catalytic ozonation of VOCs/NOx; solid waste treatment; biomass energy; energy and environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Guest Editor is inviting submissions to a Special Issue of Energies on the subject area of “Waste to Energy: Low-Carbon Resource and Energy Utilization from Solid Wastes with Pollution Control”. In the face of severe challenges, such as increasing global pollution, resource depletion, the energy crisis, and climate change, the safe disposal of solid wastes, with the targets of resource recycling and energy recovery, has become key to the sustainable development of mankind. In addition, the recycling and recovery processes also produce a certain amount of pollutants, which should be taken into consideration. From the perspective of strengthening the safe disposal of solid waste, energy recovery, and resource recycling, this Special Issue aims to seek the green and low-carbon system scheme in the process of integrating waste to energy, resource recycling, and pollution control, as well as related new ideas, new processes, and new research progress.

This Special Issue will deal with novel optimization and control techniques for waste to energy. Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Biomass utilization for biofuel production;
  • Low-carbon pollution control of hazardous solid wastes;
  • Dehydration of solid waste with high moisture content;
  • Waste to energy utilization for organic wastes;
  • Resource recycling for industrial inorganic wastes;
  • Green eco-materialization of solid waste;
  • Solid waste treatment with carbon utilization;
  • Thermochemical technologies for waste to energy;
  • Solar-driven photothermal technologies for waste treatment;
  • Electrocatalysis for waste to energy.

Dr. Fawei Lin
Guest Editor

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 to energy
  • low carbon
  • resource recycling
  • pollution control

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 3732 KB  
Article
Pyrolysis Characterization of Simulated Radioactive Solid Waste: Pyrolysis Behavior, Kinetics, and Product Distribution
by Zhigang Wei, Lulu Dong, Wei Wang, Pan Ding, Wenqian Jiang, Chi Zuo, Lei Li and Minghui Tang
Energies 2025, 18(9), 2341; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18092341 - 3 May 2025
Viewed by 865
Abstract
The disposal of low-level and intermediate-level radioactive solid waste has aroused widespread concern. In this work, the pyrolysis characterizations of simulated radioactive solid waste, cotton gloves (CG), stain removal cloths (SRC), plastic bags (PB), shoe covers (SC), and ion exchange resins (IER), were [...] Read more.
The disposal of low-level and intermediate-level radioactive solid waste has aroused widespread concern. In this work, the pyrolysis characterizations of simulated radioactive solid waste, cotton gloves (CG), stain removal cloths (SRC), plastic bags (PB), shoe covers (SC), and ion exchange resins (IER), were analyzed using thermogravimetric analysis, Thermogravimetric–Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry–Mass Spectrometry (TG-FTIR-MS) and Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). The main mass loss stages of CG, SRC, PB, SC, and IER were 240–500 °C, 210–500 °C, 400–550 °C, 180–610 °C, and 25–700 °C, respectively. The average activation energies calculated by three iso-conversional methods were 184.09–211.46 kJ/mol, 172.33–180.85 kJ/mol, 264.63–268.01 kJ/mol, 150.49–184.36 kJ/mol, and 150.72–151.66 kJ/mol, respectively. Pyrolysis of CG and SRC mainly produced CO2 and oxygenated compounds. SC generated large amounts of HCl during pyrolysis. Combined with rapid pyrolysis analysis, it was shown that CG and SRC mainly produced carbohydrates, aliphatic hydrocarbons, and aromatics. The pyrolysis products of SC mainly consisted of aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatics, and acids. The pyrolysis products of PB were mainly olefins and alcohols. IER produced large amounts of aromatics during rapid pyrolysis. Specifically, the pyrolysis of IER generated some SO2. This work provides a theoretical basis and data support for the treatment of mixed combustible radioactive waste. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste to Energy: Low-Carbon Resource and Energy Utilization from Solid Wastes with Pollution Control)
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15 pages, 4809 KB  
Article
Recovery of Waste-Activated Carbon for Synthesizing High-Efficiency ORR Electrocatalyst
by Ziyu Tang, Haowen Li, Xiaojing Jia, Fawei Lin and Kai Li
Energies 2025, 18(7), 1666; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18071666 - 27 Mar 2025
Viewed by 662
Abstract
Activated carbon used to adsorb organic pollutants and heavy metals in wastewater is often used to prepare precursor materials to avoid re-polluting the environment. Non-precious metal and heteroatom co-doped electrocatalysts have emerged as promising alternatives to Pt-based catalysts due to their high catalytic [...] Read more.
Activated carbon used to adsorb organic pollutants and heavy metals in wastewater is often used to prepare precursor materials to avoid re-polluting the environment. Non-precious metal and heteroatom co-doped electrocatalysts have emerged as promising alternatives to Pt-based catalysts due to their high catalytic activity and remarkable stability. This has greatly developed the ORR process in the field of energy storage, which is restricted due to the high price of Pt-based catalysts. In this study, bamboo shavings were pre-activated to synthesize carbon materials, which were subsequently mixed with an oil phase to simulate “waste-activated carbon”. The results demonstrate that the modified waste-activated carbon exhibits a high specific surface area, a well-developed porous structure, and characteristic element doping, which collectively contribute to the effective construction of active sites. Furthermore, the material displays ORR electrocatalytic performance that surpasses that of commercial Pt/C catalysts. In this study, a high-performance ORR electrocatalyst was successfully synthesized through the retreatment of “waste-activated carbon”. Building on this achievement, this study offers a novel perspective and contributes to advancing research on the resource utilization and sustainable treatment of waste-activated carbon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste to Energy: Low-Carbon Resource and Energy Utilization from Solid Wastes with Pollution Control)
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Review

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26 pages, 1829 KB  
Review
Deep Eutectic Solvents and Anaerobic Digestion for Apple Pomace Valorization: A Critical Review of Integration Strategies for Low-Carbon Biofuel Production
by Thobeka Pearl Makhathini and Mbuyu Germain Ntunka
Energies 2025, 18(24), 6434; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18246434 - 9 Dec 2025
Abstract
Global energy demand is projected to increase by approximately 28% by 2040, thereby intensifying the urgent need for sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels. This comprehensive review examines the integration of deep eutectic solvent (DES) pretreatment with anaerobic digestion to valorize apple pomace (AP), [...] Read more.
Global energy demand is projected to increase by approximately 28% by 2040, thereby intensifying the urgent need for sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels. This comprehensive review examines the integration of deep eutectic solvent (DES) pretreatment with anaerobic digestion to valorize apple pomace (AP), a major lignocellulosic by-product of the apple juice industry that is often improperly disposed of, posing substantial environmental burdens. A key challenge for efficient biofuel production from AP is its high lignin content, which inhibits complete degradation during AD. DESs have emerged as promising green pretreatment agents owing to their low toxicity, biodegradability, and selective lignocellulosic solubilization capabilities. This review critically synthesizes research on: AP compositional characteristics and disposal challenges; DES pretreatment mechanisms and comparative advantages over conventional methods; AD processes for AP, including yields and constraints; and technical, economic, and environmental aspects of DES-AD integration. Critical analysis reveals that acidic DES formulations achieve 40–60% higher delignification than neutral systems but produce higher levels of inhibitory compounds, necessitating application-specific optimization. Nonetheless, significant knowledge gaps persist, including a lack of standardized protocols, limited pilot-scale validation, and insufficient techno-economic assessments. This integrated approach closely aligns with circular economy principles, offering an environmentally friendly pathway for waste valorization while reducing reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste to Energy: Low-Carbon Resource and Energy Utilization from Solid Wastes with Pollution Control)
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