materials-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

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 4896

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
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
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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

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. Materials 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

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

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

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 1538
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)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

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 9 | Viewed by 2892
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)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop