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Biomass to Renewable Energy Processes, 2nd Edition
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Biomass to Renewable Energy Processes, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 7709

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giulia Monteleone

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Director, ENEA's Department of Energy Technologies and Renewable Sources, ENEA Research Centre Casaccia, Via Anguillarese, 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
Interests: energy transition; renewable sources; hydrogen; bioenergy and storage; excellent skills and vast experience in the preparation, operation, and management of numerous research projects focused with particular reference to the decarbonization of fossil fuels (CCUS technologies), production and use of green fuel dedicated to the energy sector and energy applications, sponsored by national, international and European commission
Dr. Vinod Kumar Sharma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
ENEA Research Centre Trisaia, 75026 Rotondella, Italy
Interests: solid-state materials; engineering and technological aspects of renewable energy sources (solar energy, bioenergy, biofuels), energy and material recovery from waste; thermo-chemical and biological process from biomass and waste to recovery and energy and bio products

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As evidenced by ever-increasing energy consumption, public awareness surrounding environmental issues, and the strong interest, both in the academic and industrial sectors, in reducing the consumption of fossil fuels, clean energy requires particular consideration in the global scientific community. Large quantities of agricultural wastes resulting from crop cultivation activity present a promising renewable energy supply.

Bioenergy has been recognized as a significant component in many future energy scenarios. “Waste-to-energy” conversion processes for heat and power generation, and for transport fuel production, have good economic and market potential. Substitution of fossil fuels with biofuels appears to be an effective strategy not only to avert an impending future energy crisis but also to reduce carbon emissions from fossil fuels. District heating and cooling networks are highly effective ways to integrate natural resources, such as industrial and agricultural biomass, into energy production while increasing energy efficiency.

Furthermore, bioproducts, due to their lower environmental impact compared to that of their fossil substitutes and their introduction on the market, represent a great opportunity for territorial development. Thanks to the creation of local agro-industrial supply chains, enhancement of marginal or unused land for the cultivation of raw materials of biological origin, which are not useful in food production but can be transformed into biochemicals of industrial interest, can surely provide a new impetus, in both economic and employment terms, to develop these territories.

This Special Issue aims to analyze the evolution of the growing interest and trends in the field of biomass for renewable energy and biorefinery to inform the research community on the current situation in the field and future trends. Basic information will be provided to facilitate decision making by those responsible for scientific policy.

Dr. Giulia Monteleone
Dr. Vinod Kumar Sharma
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. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2400 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

  • circular economy
  • renewable energy
  • bioenergy
  • advanced biofuel
  • biorefinery
  • energy efficiency

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 3736 KiB  
Article
Radiation and Combustion Effects of Hydrogen Enrichment on Biomethane Flames
by Francisco Elmo Lima Uchoa Filho, Helton Carlos Marques Sampaio, Claudecir Fernandes de Freitas Moura Júnior, Mona Lisa Moura de Oliveira, Jesse Van Griensven Thé, Paulo Alexandre Costa Rocha and André Valente Bueno
Processes 2025, 13(4), 1048; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13041048 - 1 Apr 2025
Viewed by 491
Abstract
Hydrogen has been presented as a promising energy vector in decarbonized economies. Its singular properties can affect important aspects of industrial flames, such as the temperature, emissions, and radiative/convective energy transfer balance, thus requiring in-depth studies to optimize combustion processes using this fuel [...] Read more.
Hydrogen has been presented as a promising energy vector in decarbonized economies. Its singular properties can affect important aspects of industrial flames, such as the temperature, emissions, and radiative/convective energy transfer balance, thus requiring in-depth studies to optimize combustion processes using this fuel isolate or in combination with other renewable alternatives. This work aims to conduct a detailed numerical analysis of temperatures and gas emissions in the combustion of biomethane enriched with different proportions of hydrogen, with the intent to contribute to the understanding of the impacts of this natural gas surrogate on practical combustion applications. RANS k-ω and k-ϵ turbulence models were combined with the GRI Mech 3.0, San Diego, and USC mechanisms using the ANSYS-Fluent 2024-R2 softwareto evaluate its performance regarding flame prediction. The Moss–Brookes model was adopted to predict soot formation for the methane flames by solving transport equations for normalized radical nuclei concentration and the soot mass fraction. The Discrete Ordinates (DOs) method with gray band model was applied to solve the Radiation Transfer Equation (RTE). The results of the experiments and numerical simulations highlight the importance of carefully selecting turbulence and chemical kinetics models for an accurate representation of real-scale industrial burners. Relative mean errors of 1.5% and 6.0% were registered for temperature and pollutants predictions, respectively, with the USD kinetics scheme and k-omega turbulence model presenting the most accurate results. The operational impacts of hydrogen enrichment of biomethane flames were accessed for a practical combustion system. With 15% of hydrogen blending, the obtained results indicate a 73% penalty in CO emissions, an increase of 6% in NO emissions, and a 34 K flame temperature increase. Also, a reduction in flame radiation due to hydrogen enrichment was observed for hydrogen concentrations above 20%, a behavior that can affect practical combustion systems such as those in glass and other ceramics industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass to Renewable Energy Processes, 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 5206 KiB  
Article
Pollutant Emission and Ash Accumulation Characteristics of Tri-Combustion of Coal, Biomass, and Oil Sludge
by Bao Feng, Haoying Sun, Li Gao, Zhenyu Guo, Yu Ai, Yong Zhang, Zhenyan Pan, Peiqi Li, Yutong Hou, Jingkai Ma, Xingcan Xu and Lei Deng
Processes 2024, 12(12), 2804; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12122804 - 8 Dec 2024
Viewed by 839
Abstract
To study the ash accumulation and pollutant emission characteristics of tri-combustion of coal, biomass, and oil sludge, a fluidized bed and settling furnace system is established for tri-combustion experiments. The effect of blending ratio (the ratio of biomass and oil sludge range from [...] Read more.
To study the ash accumulation and pollutant emission characteristics of tri-combustion of coal, biomass, and oil sludge, a fluidized bed and settling furnace system is established for tri-combustion experiments. The effect of blending ratio (the ratio of biomass and oil sludge range from 30% to 50% and 10% to 20%, respectively) and biomass types are examined. The results show that HTB, coal, and oil sludge reach peak NO and NO2 production at approximately 100 s and 200 s of combustion, respectively, with NOx levels returning to zero around 300 s. SO2 peaks around 100 s and then gradually declines. The blending ratio of HTB:oil sludge:coal at 50%:10%:40% demonstrates the most effective control over NOx and SO2 emissions, reducing NO, NO2, and SO2 production by approximately 33%, 20%, and 50%, respectively. In the ash with a ratio of Hutubi (HTB) + 50% oil sludge, the mass fractions of O, Si, Ca, Al, and Fe are approximately 27%, 23%, 20%, 8%, and 12%, respectively. With the increase in the blending ratio of biomass and oil sludge, the mass fraction of Si in the ash rises, while those of Ca, Al, and Fe decrease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass to Renewable Energy Processes, 2nd Edition)
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23 pages, 9073 KiB  
Article
The Valorization of Fruit and Vegetable Wastes Using an Anaerobic Fixed Biofilm Reactor: A Case of Discarded Tomatoes from a Traditional Market
by Andrea Alvarado-Vallejo, Oscar Marín-Peña, Erik Samuel Rosas-Mendoza, Juan Manuel Méndez-Contreras and Alejandro Alvarado-Lassman
Processes 2024, 12(9), 1923; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12091923 - 6 Sep 2024
Viewed by 2000
Abstract
Tomato waste, characterized by high organic matter and moisture content, offers a promising substrate for anaerobic digestion, though rapid acidification can inhibit methanogenic activity. This study investigated the performance of a 10.25 L anaerobic fixed biofilm reactor for biogas production using liquid tomato [...] Read more.
Tomato waste, characterized by high organic matter and moisture content, offers a promising substrate for anaerobic digestion, though rapid acidification can inhibit methanogenic activity. This study investigated the performance of a 10.25 L anaerobic fixed biofilm reactor for biogas production using liquid tomato waste, processed through grinding and filtration, at high organic loading rates, without external pH control or co-digestion. Four scouring pads were vertically installed as a fixed bed within a fiberglass structure. Reactor performance and buffering capacity were assessed over three stages with progressively increasing organic loading rates (3.2, 4.35, and 6.26 gCOD/L·d). Methane yields of 0.419 LCH4/gCOD and 0.563 LCH4/g VS were achieved during the kinetic study following stabilization. Biogas production rates reached 1586 mL/h, 1804 mL/h, and 4117 mL/h across the three stages, with methane contents of 69%, 65%, and 72.3%, respectively. Partial alkalinity fluctuated, starting above 1500 mg CaCO3/L in Stage 1, dropping below 500 mg CaCO3/L in Stage 2, and surpassing 3000 mg CaCO3/L in Stage 3. Despite periods of forced acidification, the system demonstrated significant resilience and high buffering capacity, maintaining stability through hydraulic retention time adjustments without the need for external pH regulation. The key stability indicators identified include partial alkalinity, effluent chemical oxygen demand, pH, and one-day cumulative biogas. This study highlights the effectiveness of anaerobic fixed biofilm reactors in treating tomato waste and similar fruit and vegetable residues for sustainable biogas production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass to Renewable Energy Processes, 2nd Edition)
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Review

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34 pages, 5374 KiB  
Review
A Comprehensive Review of Green Energy Technologies: Towards Sustainable Clean Energy Transition and Global Net-Zero Carbon Emissions
by Vinod Kumar Sharma, Giulia Monteleone, Giacobbe Braccio, Cosmas N. Anyanwu and Nneoma N. Aneke
Processes 2025, 13(1), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13010069 - 31 Dec 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3317
Abstract
The present paper seeks to showcase the significant potential of alternative energy technologies in driving clean energy transition. Renewable energy sources, including hydro, geothermal, biomass, solar, and wind energy, are developed and marketed as low- or non-carbon alternatives to conventional energy sources. However, [...] Read more.
The present paper seeks to showcase the significant potential of alternative energy technologies in driving clean energy transition. Renewable energy sources, including hydro, geothermal, biomass, solar, and wind energy, are developed and marketed as low- or non-carbon alternatives to conventional energy sources. However, the high upfront costs of these energy resources, coupled with their intermittency, are demerits that must be dealt with. Since certain nuclear technologies generate significantly less waste than coal and oil, nuclear energy is occasionally regarded as a green energy source, though the primary source of nuclear energy, namely uranium, is a finite resource. The main goal of developing green energy technologies is to provide energy in a sustainable manner while cutting down on waste and greenhouse gas emissions, thus reducing the overall carbon footprint of energy production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass to Renewable Energy Processes, 2nd Edition)
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