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Recent Advances in Biomass Energy Conversion

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2023) | Viewed by 4600

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Nieves Cano 12, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Interests: waste valorization; biomass; sewage sludge; pyrolysis; gasification; spouted bed technology; bio-oil
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E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, E48080 Bilbao, Spain
Interests: waste valorization; biomass; spouted bed technology; pyrolysis; gasification; pyrolysis-reforming
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biomass is likely to be the only renewable source of fixed carbon, which can be converted to liquid solid and gaseous fuels and chemicals, apart from providing heat and power. Pyrolysis is one of the most energy-efficient processes with the lowest cost for obtaining higher-value-added products from biomass and it is an attractive option for expanding the possibilities of using less desirable biomass (agro-forestry residues or sewage sludge). The yields of each pyrolysis products (solid biochar, liquid bio-oil, and gas) are greatly influenced by the types of feedstock used and various process parameters such as heating rate, temperature, volatile residence time in the reactor, and the use (or not) of catalyst.

Despite the efforts in recent decades, the problems associated with the bio-oil poor quality (high oxygen content, chemical complexity, and instability) and the difficulty to clarify the complex degradation mechanism of biomass (which depends on its components) have limited the implementation of this process on an industrial scale. Thus, in order to step further into the implementation and optimization of large-scale biomass pyrolysis technologies, this Special Issue aims to highlight the recent advances in the development of fundamental models capable of describing transport and pyrolysis reaction phenomena in different technologies, as well as the optimum reaction conditions to produce a bio-oil with higher quality.

Dr. Jon Alvarez
Dr. Maider Amutio
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • biomass
  • pyrolysis
  • bio-fuel
  • kinetics
  • modelling
  • bio-oil
  • biochar
  • bio-gas
  • renewable energy source
  • waste valorization
  • pyrolysis reactor

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 1624 KiB  
Article
Effects of Iron, Lime, and Porous Ceramic Powder Additives on Methane Production from Brewer’s Spent Grain in the Anaerobic Digestion Process
by Ewa Syguła, Waheed A. Rasaq and Kacper Świechowski
Materials 2023, 16(15), 5245; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16155245 - 26 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1434
Abstract
The process of anaerobic digestion used for methane production can be enhanced by dosing various additive materials. The effects of these materials are dependent on various factors, including the processed substrate, process conditions, and the type and amount of the additive material. As [...] Read more.
The process of anaerobic digestion used for methane production can be enhanced by dosing various additive materials. The effects of these materials are dependent on various factors, including the processed substrate, process conditions, and the type and amount of the additive material. As part of the study, three different materials—iron powder, lime, and milled porous ceramic—were added to the 30-day anaerobic digestion of the brewer’s spent grain to improve its performance. Different doses ranging from 0.2 to 2.3 gTS × L−1 were tested, and methane production kinetics were determined using the first-order model. The results showed that the methane yield ranged from 281.4 ± 8.0 to 326.1 ± 9.3 mL × gVS−1, while substrate biodegradation ranged from 56.0 ± 1.6 to 68.1 ± 0.7%. The addition of lime reduced the methane yield at almost all doses by −6.7% to −3.3%, while the addition of iron powder increased the methane yield from 0.8% to 9.8%. The addition of ceramic powder resulted in a methane yield change ranging from −2.6% to 4.6%. These findings suggest that the use of additive materials should be approached with caution, as even slight changes in the amount used can impact methane production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Biomass Energy Conversion)
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Review

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80 pages, 6097 KiB  
Review
Anaerobic Biodegradability of Commercial Bioplastic Products: Systematic Bibliographic Analysis and Critical Assessment of the Latest Advances
by Marica Falzarano, Alessandra Polettini, Raffaella Pomi, Andreina Rossi and Tatiana Zonfa
Materials 2023, 16(6), 2216; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16062216 - 9 Mar 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2716
Abstract
Bioplastics have entered everyday life as a potential sustainable substitute for commodity plastics. However, still further progress should be made to clarify their degradation behavior under controlled and uncontrolled conditions. The wide array of biopolymers and commercial blends available make predicting the biodegradation [...] Read more.
Bioplastics have entered everyday life as a potential sustainable substitute for commodity plastics. However, still further progress should be made to clarify their degradation behavior under controlled and uncontrolled conditions. The wide array of biopolymers and commercial blends available make predicting the biodegradation degree and kinetics quite a complex issue that requires specific knowledge of the multiple factors affecting the degradation process. This paper summarizes the main scientific literature on anaerobic digestion of biodegradable plastics through a general bibliographic analysis and a more detailed discussion of specific results from relevant experimental studies. The critical analysis of literature data initially included 275 scientific references, which were then screened for duplication/pertinence/relevance. The screened references were analyzed to derive some general features of the research profile, trends, and evolution in the field of anaerobic biodegradation of bioplastics. The second stage of the analysis involved extracting detailed results about bioplastic degradability under anaerobic conditions by screening analytical and performance data on biodegradation performance for different types of bioplastic products and different anaerobic biodegradation conditions, with a particular emphasis on the most recent data. A critical overview of existing biopolymers is presented, along with their properties and degradation mechanisms and the operating parameters influencing/enhancing the degradation process under anaerobic conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Biomass Energy Conversion)
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