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Assessment and Utilization of Bioenergy and Biomaterials Processes
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Assessment and Utilization of Bioenergy and Biomaterials Processes

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 February 2027 | Viewed by 2340

Editors

Dr. Arianna Baldinelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Energy, Systems, Land and Constructions Engineering, University of Pisa, Largo Lazzarino, 56122 Pisa, Italy
Interests: hydrogen energy; energy systems; energy storage; hybrid energy storage; stationary power production; fuel cells; SOFCs; renewable fuels; sector coupling; techno-economical optimization; control and diagnosis; artificial intelligence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Fethya Salem

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Unité de Recherche en Energies Renouvelables en Milieu Saharien, URERMS, Centre de Développement des Energies Renouvelables, Adrar 01000, Algeria
Interests: bioenergy; biogas; hydrogen energy; wastewater treatment; bioalcool; bioconversion; biomass; biowaste; renewable fuels; energy valorization
Dr. Pablo A. Silva Ortiz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Grupo de Investigación en Energía y Medio Ambiente, Escuela de Ingeniería Mecánica, Facultad de Ingenierías Fisicomecánicas, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga 680002, Colombia
Interests: energy transition; conversion technologies; sustainable design processes; life cycle assessment; exergy assessment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bioenergy, derived from biological sources, offers a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, while biomaterials provide innovative solutions for various industries, including healthcare, agriculture, and manufacturing.

This Special Issue aims to explore the latest advancements in bioenergy and biomaterials processes, focusing on their assessment, optimization, and practical applications.

We invite contributions that address the following topics:

  • Technological Innovations: Cutting-edge technologies in bioenergy production, such as anaerobic digestion, dark fermentation, bioethanol, biodiesel, or other platform biochemical synthesis, renewable carbon, etc.
  • Sustainability Assessments: Life cycle analysis, environmental impact assessments, and economic evaluations of bioenergy and biomaterials processes.
  • Biomass Utilization: Efficient conversion of biomass into energy and materials, including advancements in feedstock selection and processing techniques.
  • Applications in Industry: Case studies and practical implementations of bioenergy and biomaterials in real-world scenarios, highlighting their benefits and challenges.
  • Policy and Regulation: Examination of policies and regulations that support or hinder the development and deployment of bioenergy and biomaterials technologies.

This issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of bioenergy and biomaterials research, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange among scientists, engineers, policymakers, and industry professionals. By showcasing innovative research and practical applications, we hope to contribute to the advancement of sustainable energy and material solutions that address global environmental and economic challenges.

We look forward to your submissions and to advancing the field together.

Dr. Arianna Baldinelli
Guest Editor

Dr. Fethya Salem
Dr. Pablo A. Silva Ortiz
Guest Editor Assistants

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-anonymized 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 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 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

  • bioenergy
  • biomaterials
  • biomass
  • biowaste
  • alternative fuels

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

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

27 pages, 1214 KB  
Article
Study of Methane Production Kinetics in Anaerobic Digesters Using the Monod Model and Neural Networks
by Borja Velázquez Martí, Mar Muñoz Haba, Julio Palmay-Paredes and Juan Gaibor-Chávez
Processes 2026, 14(16), 2547; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14162547 - 8 Aug 2026
Viewed by 415
Abstract
This study, conducted in the Ecuadorian Andes, evaluated the anaerobic co-digestion of local crop residues (amaranth and quinoa) with llama, vicuña, and pig manure to analyze methane production kinetics. The raw materials were characterized by proximate, elemental, and structural analyses, and biogas volume [...] Read more.
This study, conducted in the Ecuadorian Andes, evaluated the anaerobic co-digestion of local crop residues (amaranth and quinoa) with llama, vicuña, and pig manure to analyze methane production kinetics. The raw materials were characterized by proximate, elemental, and structural analyses, and biogas volume and the CH4 fraction were monitored daily. The Amaranth-vicuña and Amaranth-llama treatments reached 77.29 ± 5.63 and 64.62 ± 3.62 mL biogas/g VS and 36.20 ± 7.29 and 31.78 ± 3.62 mL CH4/g VS, respectively; in contrast, Quinoa-vicuña and Quinoa-llama produced only 1.04 ± 0.25 and 0.24 ± 0.03 mL CH4/g VS. Monod-model parameters were estimated using an apparent formulation based on the methane production rate, and the kinetic behavior was compared with first-order, modified Gompertz, and modified logistic models. In addition, artificial neural networks (ANNs) were evaluated to predict the methane production curve from substrate characterization. Network 44, with a 13-15-10-1 architecture, yielded an overall R2 = 0.998, validation R2 = 0.997, and validation MSE = 0.415. Ten-times repeated five-fold cross-validation of the same architecture yielded R2 = 0.985 ± 0.007 and RMSE = 1.21 ± 0.28 mL CH4/g VS, supporting its interpolation capability within the experimental domain, although this does not demonstrate extrapolation to new substrate combinations. Overall, the proposed approach combines interpretable kinetic parameters with ANN-based prediction, but external validation with independent datasets is still required. The reported yields correspond to the specific production achieved in a low-cost batch system operated at room temperature and should not be interpreted as standardized biochemical methane potential (BMP) values. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Utilization of Bioenergy and Biomaterials Processes)
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25 pages, 2328 KB  
Article
Process Analysis of Flexible Gasification Based Thermochemical Conversion Concepts of Biogenic Residues and Wastes into Biomethane and Biochar
by Konstantinos Atsonios, Panagiotis Tatoulis, Sanna Tuomi, Minna Kurkela and Panagiotis Grammelis
Processes 2026, 14(15), 2454; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14152454 - 30 Jul 2026
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Abstract
This study provides the main performance estimates for new concepts, using flexible gasification operation modes, adaptable to prevailing market conditions, for the production of bio-synthetic natural gas (bio-SNG) and biochar from biogenic residues and waste, such as bark, straw, and Solid Recovered Fuel [...] Read more.
This study provides the main performance estimates for new concepts, using flexible gasification operation modes, adaptable to prevailing market conditions, for the production of bio-synthetic natural gas (bio-SNG) and biochar from biogenic residues and waste, such as bark, straw, and Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF). Dedicated integrated process models were developed in Aspen Plus based on and validated against data from experimental campaigns in a gasification and gas cleaning pilot plant. Simulation runs show that the proposed concepts convert biomass to bio-SNG 10% more efficiently than the reference case, mainly due to the considerably reduced oxygen demand at the Autothermal Reformer (ATR) enabled by the improved catalyst. The co-production mode schemes showed promising results in terms of overall plant efficiency, at 76.5–78.2%, and total carbon utilisation, at 41–55.3%. The hybrid cases require an electrolyser with a power capacity almost 70% of the biomass thermal input to the gasifier, resulting in a total electricity consumption of up to 0.769 kWhe/kWh of biofuel. In return, they achieve over 50% utilisation of the carbon contained in the feedstock for biofuel production and a 70.1–76.5% total plant energy efficiency. Efficient biofuel and biochar production unlock negative emission potential, further strengthening the value of these flexible concepts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Utilization of Bioenergy and Biomaterials Processes)
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25 pages, 6748 KB  
Article
Syngas Production from Corn Stover via Pyrolysis and Steam Gasification in a Fixed-Bed Reactor: Effects of Temperature, Steam-to-Carbon Ratio, and Catalyst Loading
by Kenny Louie Menor, Asim Jilani, Wendy Mateo, Elmar Villota, Melba Denson, Claire Marie Castillo, Jephthah Ofoe and Hussameldin Ibrahim
Processes 2026, 14(15), 2421; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14152421 - 27 Jul 2026
Viewed by 904
Abstract
The growing demand for sustainable energy has intensified interest in converting abundant agricultural residues into renewable fuels. Among these feedstocks, corn stover represents a promising biomass for thermochemical conversion due to its high volatile matter content and widespread availability. This study investigates syngas [...] Read more.
The growing demand for sustainable energy has intensified interest in converting abundant agricultural residues into renewable fuels. Among these feedstocks, corn stover represents a promising biomass for thermochemical conversion due to its high volatile matter content and widespread availability. This study investigates syngas production and product distribution from corn stover via pyrolysis and steam gasification in an atmospheric fixed-bed tubular furnace at temperatures of 650–850 °C. Furthermore, the effects of steam-to-carbon (S/C) ratio and nickel aluminate (NiAl2O4) catalyst loading at 650 °C were also investigated to determine their influence on product distribution and syngas composition. Increasing temperature significantly enhanced gas production in both processes, while steam gasification consistently produced higher gas yields than pyrolysis. At an S/C ratio of 3, the gas yield increased from 37% to 58.6%, with a 55.1% increase in H2 production after 60 min compared with the pyrolysis baseline. Furthermore, incorporation of NiAl2O4 improved the H2 yield and H2/CO molar ratio while suppressing CO2 and CH4 formation, indicating enhanced catalytic reforming and secondary cracking of pyrolysis vapors. These findings demonstrate that optimizing steam addition and nickel aluminate catalyst loading effectively promotes hydrogen-rich syngas from corn stover and provides valuable insight for the development of efficient biomass-to-fuel conversion technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assessment and Utilization of Bioenergy and Biomaterials Processes)
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