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Thermo
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Thermodynamic Analysis and Modeling in Biomass Thermal Conversion Processes
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Thermodynamic Analysis and Modeling in Biomass Thermal Conversion Processes

A special issue of Thermo (ISSN 2673-7264).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2025 | Viewed by 1837

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jiaye Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Residues and Resource Reclamation Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637141, Singapore
Interests: co-firing biomass with coal; biomass combustion modeling; pyrolysis kinetics; heat transfer; artificial intelligence application

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biomass thermal conversion processes—including pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion—offer promising routes toward renewable energy production and carbon neutrality. These processes are inherently complex, involving multi-phase, multi-scale phenomena influenced by the heterogeneous nature of biomass feedstocks. Understanding and optimizing these conversion pathways require robust thermodynamic analysis and advanced modeling approaches.

This Special Issue of Thermo aims to highlight recent advances in the thermodynamic study and modeling of biomass thermal conversion. We welcome innovative research covering theoretical developments, numerical simulations, experimental validation, and process integration. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Reaction kinetics in pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion;
  • Char oxidation and gas–solid interactions;
  • CFD modeling of biomass reactors;
  • Energy and exergy analyses;
  • Artificial intelligence in modeling and optimization;
  • Pollutant formation, transport, and mitigation;
  • Heat and mass transfer in thermochemical systems;
  • Integration with carbon capture and energy storage technologies.

We particularly encourage submissions that bridge fundamental thermodynamic insights with practical system design and operation. This Special Issue provides a platform for researchers and practitioners to exchange knowledge and accelerate innovation in sustainable biomass energy systems.

Dr. Jiaye Zhang
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 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. Thermo is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1200 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

  • pyrolysis kinetics
  • gasification
  • char oxidation
  • CFD modeling
  • biomass utilization
  • pollutant emissions
  • energy systems
  • thermal conversion

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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

15 pages, 1243 KB  
Article
Implementation of Carbon Utilization Technologies and Thermodynamic Organic Rankine Cycles in Biogas Combined Cycle Power Plants
by Gerardo G. Esquivel-Patiño, Fabricio Nápoles-Rivera and Arturo Jiménez-Gutiérrez
Thermo 2025, 5(4), 43; https://doi.org/10.3390/thermo5040043 - 22 Oct 2025
Viewed by 303
Abstract
Biogas has been identified as a sustainable resource of renewable and clean energy because of its social, economic, and environmental benefits. In this work, the analysis of a biogas combined cycle power plant coupled with a carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology and [...] Read more.
Biogas has been identified as a sustainable resource of renewable and clean energy because of its social, economic, and environmental benefits. In this work, the analysis of a biogas combined cycle power plant coupled with a carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology and an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) was considered. The integrated process was subjected to a multi-objective assessment considering energy, economic, environmental, and safety items. The CCU system was taken to produce syngas as a value-added product, and the use of different working fluids for the ORC, namely, R1234yf, R290, and R717, was also examined. Such working fluids were selected to represent options with varying environmental and inherent safety implications. It was shown that the integration of the CCU and ORC components to the biogas cycle plant can provide significant benefits that include a 48.65 kt/year syngas production, a decrease in carbon capture energy penalty by 33%, and a reduction in e-CO2 emissions above 80% with respect to the stand-alone power plant. Comparison with conventional technologies also showed important environmental benefits. The analysis of inherent safety showed that the selection of working fluids for the ORC can have a significant impact on the process risk. From the set of working fluids considered in this work, R717 provided the best choice for the integrated system based on its lowest operational risk and the highest electricity production (355 kWe). The multi-objective approach used in this work allowed the quantification of benefits provided by the integration of CCUs and ORCs with respect to the base process within an overall economic, sustainability, and inherent safety assessment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermodynamic Analysis and Modeling in Biomass Thermal Conversion Processes)
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18 pages, 1311 KB  
Article
Thermo-Energetic Analysis of Electrolytic Oxygen Valorization via Biomass Oxy-Fuel Combustion: A Case Study Applied to a Power-to-Liquid Route for Methanol Synthesis
by Flávio S. Pereira, Argimiro R. Secchi and Alexandre Szklo
Thermo 2025, 5(4), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/thermo5040041 - 7 Oct 2025
Viewed by 478
Abstract
The decarbonization of hard-to-defossilize sectors, such as international maritime transport, requires innovative, and at times disruptive, energy solutions that combine efficiency, scalability, and climate benefits. Therefore, power-to-liquid (PtL) routes have stood out for their potential to use low-emission electricity for the production of [...] Read more.
The decarbonization of hard-to-defossilize sectors, such as international maritime transport, requires innovative, and at times disruptive, energy solutions that combine efficiency, scalability, and climate benefits. Therefore, power-to-liquid (PtL) routes have stood out for their potential to use low-emission electricity for the production of synthetic fuels, via electrolytic hydrogen and CO2 capture. However, the high energy demand inherent to these routes poses significant challenges to large-scale implementation. Moreover, PtL routes are usually at most neutral in terms of CO2 emissions. This study evaluates, from a thermo-energetic perspective, the optimization potential of an e-methanol synthesis route through integration with a biomass oxy-fuel combustion process, making use of electrolytic oxygen as the oxidizing agent and the captured CO2 as the carbon source. From the standpoint of a first-law thermodynamic analysis, mass and energy balances were developed considering the full oxygen supply for oxy-fuel combustion to be met through alkaline electrolysis, thus eliminating the energy penalty associated with conventional oxygen production via air separation units. The balance closure was based on a small-scale plant with a capacity of around 100 kta of methanol. In this integrated configuration, additional CO2 surpluses beyond methanol synthesis demand can be directed to geological storage, which, when combined with bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) strategies, may lead to net negative CO2 emissions. The results demonstrate that electrolytic oxygen valorization is a promising pathway to enhance the efficiency and climate performance of PtL processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermodynamic Analysis and Modeling in Biomass Thermal Conversion Processes)
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17 pages, 2175 KB  
Article
From Thermal Conversion to Cathode Performance: Acid-Activated Walnut Shell Biochar in Li–S Batteries and Its Impact on Air Quality
by Fabricio Aguirre, Guillermina Luque, Gabriel Imwinkelried, Fernando Cometto, Clara Saux, Mariano Teruel and María Belén Blanco
Thermo 2025, 5(3), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/thermo5030034 - 19 Sep 2025
Viewed by 663
Abstract
The thermal processing of walnut shells was investigated through pyrolysis within the range of 100–650 °C, highlighting the influence of thermal engineering parameters on biomass conversion. The resulting biochar was subjected to chemical activation with phosphoric acid, and its physicochemical properties were evaluated [...] Read more.
The thermal processing of walnut shells was investigated through pyrolysis within the range of 100–650 °C, highlighting the influence of thermal engineering parameters on biomass conversion. The resulting biochar was subjected to chemical activation with phosphoric acid, and its physicochemical properties were evaluated to determine how thermal processing enhances its performance as a cathode material for lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries. This approach underscores the role of thermal engineering in bridging biomass valorization with energy storage technologies. In parallel, the gaseous fraction generated during walnut shell fast pyrolysis was collected, and for the first time, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) under atmospheric conditions were identified using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The composition of the VOCs was characterized, quantifying aromatic compounds, hydrocarbons, furans, and oxygenated species. This study further linked the thermal decomposition pathways of these compounds to their atmospheric implications by estimating tropospheric lifetimes and evaluating their potential contributions to air quality degradation at the local, regional, and global scales. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermodynamic Analysis and Modeling in Biomass Thermal Conversion Processes)
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