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Advanced Energy Technologies and Energy Savings: Low Emissions and High Efficiency

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "B: Energy and Environment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2025 | Viewed by 4749

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Shujun Zhu

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Guest Editor
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: clean and efficient combustion of carbon-based fuels
Dr. Shuai Guo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Energy and Power Engineering, Northeast Electric Power University, Jilin, China
Interests: waste to energy; co-combustion; pyrolysis and gasification; desulfurization and denitration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zhuozhi Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, China
Interests: high efficiency and clean utilization technology of solid fuels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lianfei Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, China
Interests: pyrolysis and gasification; denitration; electrochemical energy storage; utilization of organic solid waste

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global pursuit of sustainable energy solutions has driven significant advancements in energy technologies and energy-saving strategies. As we face pressing environmental and energy challenges, the development of innovative systems with low emissions and high efficiency has become a top priority. Key areas of focus include renewable energy technologies such as wind, solar, biomass, and hydrogen energy, as well as improvements in traditional energy systems like coal-fired power plants. Advanced coal-fired power generation, incorporating high-efficiency and low-emission (HELE) technologies, continues to play a critical role in the global energy mix, offering pathways to cleaner and more efficient utilization of fossil fuels.

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for showcasing the latest advancements and innovations across a broad spectrum of energy technologies, from renewable energy systems to traditional coal-fired power plants. Contributions highlighting strategies to optimize energy conversion, enhance energy efficiency, and minimize environmental impact are particularly encouraged.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to:

  • Advanced wind energy conversion systems and turbine technologies;
  • Innovations in solar photovoltaic and solar thermal energy systems;
  • Biomass and bioenergy technologies for clean energy production;
  • Hydrogen production, storage, and utilization in energy systems;
  • High-efficiency and low-emission coal-fired power generation (HELE) technologies;
  • Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) for coal and other energy systems;
  • Renewable energy integration and optimization strategies;
  • Advanced energy storage technologies for grid stability and flexibility;
  • Smart grid technologies and energy management systems;
  • Energy-efficient materials and designs for renewable and conventional systems;
  • Policy, economic, and social analyses of energy-saving technologies.

We welcome contributions that explore the theoretical, experimental, and practical aspects of advanced energy systems, encompassing both renewable and traditional energy sources. This Special Issue seeks to foster innovative solutions and insights that support the transition to a low-carbon, energy-efficient future.

Dr. Shujun Zhu
Dr. Shuai Guo
Dr. Zhuozhi Wang
Dr. Lianfei Xu
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. Energies 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

  • renewable energy
  • traditional energy
  • energy saving
  • high efficiency
  • low emissions

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 5877 KB  
Article
Numerical Investigation of Combustion Characteristics in a 330 MW Coal-Fired Boiler with Preheating Combustion Devices at Half Load Operation
by Siyuan Wang, Hong Tang, Zuodong Liu, Lingfang Sun and Zhiming Xu
Energies 2025, 18(18), 5042; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18185042 (registering DOI) - 22 Sep 2025
Abstract
To reduce the impact of renewable energy generation on power grid stability, preheating combustion technology is introduced to maintain coal-fired boiler efficiency at low loads. A 330 MW coal-fired boiler is retrofitted with preheating combustion devices to improve combustion performance and lower NO [...] Read more.
To reduce the impact of renewable energy generation on power grid stability, preheating combustion technology is introduced to maintain coal-fired boiler efficiency at low loads. A 330 MW coal-fired boiler is retrofitted with preheating combustion devices to improve combustion performance and lower NOx emissions. The device is installed in the reduction zone between the furnace burnout zone and the burner zone. The combustion characteristics of the boiler with and without these devices are examined at 50% rated load. Numerical simulations are conducted to analyze the effects of preheating coal input and burner arrangement on temperature and species distribution within the boiler. Results show that increasing preheating coal input from 0 to 30 t/h enhances NOx reduction due to a higher flow rate of preheated products. At a preheating coal input of 20 t/h, the combustion efficiency reaches 96.9%. The NOx concentration at the furnace exit rises from 122.4 to 171.3 mg/Nm3 as the height of the burner arrangement increases. The middle three-layer burner arrangement achieves a uniform temperature distribution and a peak combustion efficiency of 97.6%. The bottom and middle three-layer burner arrangements are recommended for efficient and clean combustion. Compared to the original boiler, the retrofitted boiler’s combustion efficiency increases from 96.3% to a maximum of 97.6%, while the NOx concentration at the furnace outlet drops from 168.1 to 93.2 mg/Nm3, showing that installing preheating combustion devices promotes efficient and clean combustion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Energy Technologies and Energy Savings: Low Emissions and High Efficiency)
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13 pages, 1125 KB  
Article
Oxidative Pyrolysis of Typical Volatile Model Compounds Under Low Oxygen Equivalence Ratios During Oxidative Pyrolysis of Biomass
by Liying Wang, Dan Lin, Dongjing Liu, Xing Xie, Shihong Zhang and Bin Li
Energies 2025, 18(11), 2996; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112996 - 5 Jun 2025
Viewed by 558
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the oxidative pyrolysis of biomass volatiles with a particular focus on the formation of liquid products. Furfural, hydroxyacetone, and 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde were chosen as volatile model compounds. The impacts of the oxygen equivalence ratio (ER, 0–15%) and temperature (400–500 [...] Read more.
This study aims to investigate the oxidative pyrolysis of biomass volatiles with a particular focus on the formation of liquid products. Furfural, hydroxyacetone, and 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde were chosen as volatile model compounds. The impacts of the oxygen equivalence ratio (ER, 0–15%) and temperature (400–500 °C) on the product composition and distribution were examined using a two-stage quartz-tube reactor. The results showed that volatile pyrolysis was limited at the lower temperature of 400 °C even with oxygen introduction, while it could be significantly promoted at 500 °C as illustrated by the observed great decrease in the GC-MS peak areas of the volatile compounds especially under an oxidative atmosphere. For instance, the peak area of 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde at 500 °C under an ER of 4% was only ~9% of that at 400 °C. Oxygen introduction enhanced the volatile decomposition with the formation of mainly permanent gases (although not given in the study) rather than liquid products, but distinct impacts were obtained for varied volatile compounds possibly due to their different chemical structures and autoignition temperatures. From the perspective of liquid product formation, furfural would undergo the cleavage of C-C/C-O bonds to form linear intermediates and subsequent aromatization to generate aromatics (benzene and benzofuran). The presence of oxygen could enhance the oxidative destruction of the C-C/C-O bonds and the removal of O from the molecules to form simple aromatics such as benzene, phenol, and toluene. Hydroxyacetone mainly underwent C-C/C-O cleavage that was further enhanced in the presence of oxygen; the resultant intermediates would recombine to generate acetoin and 2,3-pentanedione. A higher ER would directly oxidize the alcoholic hydroxyl group (-OH) into an aldehyde group (-CHO) to form methyl glyoxal, while 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde mainly underwent cleavage and recombination of bonds connected with the benzene ring including aldehyde group (-CHO), CAr-O, CMethoxy-O bonds, thus forming 1,2-dimethoxybenzene, toluene, and 3-hydroxybenzadehyde. This study provides more fundamental insights into the homogeneous oxidation of volatiles during the oxidative fast pyrolysis of biomass, facilitating the deployment of this technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Energy Technologies and Energy Savings: Low Emissions and High Efficiency)
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29 pages, 5334 KB  
Article
Optimal Multi-Area Demand–Thermal Coordination Dispatch
by Yu-Shan Cheng, Yi-Yan Chen, Cheng-Ta Tsai and Chun-Lung Chen
Energies 2025, 18(11), 2690; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112690 - 22 May 2025
Viewed by 548
Abstract
With the soaring demand for electric power and the limited spinning reserve in the power system in Taiwan, the comprehensive management of both thermal power generation and load demand turns out to be a key to achieving the robustness and sustainability of the [...] Read more.
With the soaring demand for electric power and the limited spinning reserve in the power system in Taiwan, the comprehensive management of both thermal power generation and load demand turns out to be a key to achieving the robustness and sustainability of the power system. This paper aims to design a demand bidding (DB) mechanism to collaborate between customers and suppliers on demand response (DR) to prevent the risks of energy shortage and realize energy conservation. The concurrent integration of the energy, transmission, and reserve capacity markets necessitates a new formulation for determining schedules and marginal prices, which is expected to enhance economic efficiency and reduce transaction costs. To dispatch energy and reserve markets concurrently, a hybrid approach of combining dynamic queuing dispatch (DQD) with direct search method (DSM) is developed to solve the extended economic dispatch (ED) problem. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is validated through three case studies of varying system scales. The impacts of tie-line congestion and area spinning reserve are fully reflected in the area marginal price, thereby facilitating the determination of optimal load reduction and spinning reserve allocation for demand-side management units. The results demonstrated that the multi-area bidding platform proposed in this paper can be used to address issues of congestion between areas, thus improving the economic efficiency and reliability of the day-ahead market system operation. Consequently, this research can serve as a valuable reference for the design of the demand bidding mechanism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Energy Technologies and Energy Savings: Low Emissions and High Efficiency)
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Review

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39 pages, 17694 KB  
Review
Coal Gangue Utilization: Applications, Challenges, and Sustainable Development Strategies
by Yinghui Sun, Bohao Bai, Xu Yang, Shujun Zhu, Jilin Tian, Zhuozhi Wang, Li Xu, Lianfei Xu and Boxiong Shen
Energies 2025, 18(2), 444; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18020444 - 20 Jan 2025
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3014
Abstract
Coal gangue is a kind of typical by-product emitted during the coal mining and washing process. With the increase in coal resource utilization, a large amount of coal gangue was not reasonably utilized, causing environmental pollution and resource waste. The main purpose of [...] Read more.
Coal gangue is a kind of typical by-product emitted during the coal mining and washing process. With the increase in coal resource utilization, a large amount of coal gangue was not reasonably utilized, causing environmental pollution and resource waste. The main purpose of this article is to introduce the surface structural features and compositional characteristics of coal gangue and to summarize the utilization of coal gangue in the fields of building materials, energy production, agricultural utilization, and high-value-added areas such as catalysts and adsorbents. Secondly, this review discussed the environmental challenges and technical difficulties derived from the process of coal gangue utilization and how to solve these problems through innovative methods and technological improvements. Finally, the article proposed the development direction and strategies for the future resource utilization of coal gangue, emphasizing the importance of coal gangue as a sustainable resource and its significant role in achieving a circular economy for reducing environmental pollution. By analyzing the potentiality of coal gangue for resource utilization systematically, this article aims to provide valuable references and insights for researchers and decision-makers in related fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Energy Technologies and Energy Savings: Low Emissions and High Efficiency)
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