Biomass Use and its Health and Environmental Effects

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biomass is a rich, sustainable, and renewable resource on Earth, and its rational utilization is an important measure to mitigate climate change in future low-carbon development scenarios. The utilization of biomass is multi-faceted and multi-level, playing a huge role in human production and life. However, any utilization method may have environmental and health impacts. Taking residential biomass as an example, its incomplete combustion can emit a large amount of pollutants including carbon monoxide, methane, nitrogen oxides, black carbon, organic carbon, brown carbon, etc., which may pose treat to both climate and human health. Therefore, it is urgent to comprehensively evaluate the environmental and health effects of different biomass utilization methods, achieve synergistic benefits of climate, environment, and health, and make biomass contribute more to sustainable development. In this Topic, we welcome papers on any utilization method of biomass, such as residential and industrial fuel, biochar, and other products made of biomass, as well as its environmental and health impacts.

Prof. Dr. Wei Du
Dr. Zhaofeng Chang
Dr. Yuanchen Chen
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Atmosphere atmosphere	2.5	4.6	2010	16.1 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Energies energies	3.0	6.2	2008	16.8 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Sustainability sustainability	3.3	6.8	2009	19.7 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Toxics toxics	3.9	4.5	2013	18.3 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Applied Sciences applsci	2.5	5.3	2011	18.4 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Applied Biosciences applbiosci	-	-	2022	19.1 Days	CHF 1000	Submit

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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All Atmosphere Energies Sustainability Toxics Applied Sciences Applied Biosciences

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21 pages, 2536 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Impact of PM2.5 Exposure from Wood Combustion on Reproductive Health: Implications for Fertility, Ovarian Function, and Fetal Development

by Paulo Salinas, Nikol Ponce, Mariano del Sol and Bélgica Vásquez

Toxics 2025, 13(4), 238; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13040238 - 24 Mar 2025

Viewed by 435

Abstract

This study evaluates the impact of PM2.5 exposure from wood combustion on reproductive health and fetal development using an experimental model in Sprague Dawley rats. The study was conducted in Temuco, Chile, where high levels of air pollution are primarily attributed to residential [...] Read more.

This study evaluates the impact of PM2.5 exposure from wood combustion on reproductive health and fetal development using an experimental model in Sprague Dawley rats. The study was conducted in Temuco, Chile, where high levels of air pollution are primarily attributed to residential wood burning. A multigenerational exposure model was implemented using controlled exposure chambers with filtered (FA) and unfiltered (NFA) air. Second-generation (G2) female rats (n = 48) were exposed pregestationally (60 days) and gestationally (23 days) under four conditions: FA/FA, FA/NFA, NFA/FA, and NFA/NFA. PM2.5 concentration and composition were monitored using beta-ray attenuation and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Reproductive parameters, ovarian follicle counts, and hormonal levels were assessed via vaginal cytology, histological analysis, and chemiluminescence immunoassays. PM2.5 exposure disrupted estrous cyclicity (p = 0.0001), reduced antral and growing follicles (p = 0.0020; p = 0.0317), and increased post-implantation losses (p = 0.0149). Serum progesterone and estradiol levels were significantly altered (p < 0.05). Despite ovarian disruptions, fertility rates remained unchanged. These findings suggest that chronic exposure to wood smoke-derived PM2.5 adversely affects ovarian function and fetal growth without significantly impairing overall reproductive capacity. This study highlights the need for public health policies to mitigate wood smoke pollution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Biomass Use and its Health and Environmental Effects)

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11 pages, 2161 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

A Study on the Mechanisms of Coal Fly Ash to Improve the CO₂ Capture Efficiency of Calcium-Based Adsorbents

by Ziyu Zhao, Kefan Zhang, Jianfeng Luo, Meixuan Wu, Xiyue Wang, Keke Wang and Shengyu Liu

Sustainability 2024, 16(18), 8139; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188139 - 18 Sep 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1716

Abstract

Utilizing calcium-based adsorbents for CO₂ adsorption through cyclic calcination/carbonization is one of the most cost-effective methods for carbon emission reduction. In order to improve the cycle stability of the adsorbents and the capture efficiency of CO₂, this study used industrial [...] Read more.

Utilizing calcium-based adsorbents for CO₂ adsorption through cyclic calcination/carbonization is one of the most cost-effective methods for carbon emission reduction. In order to improve the cycle stability of the adsorbents and the capture efficiency of CO₂, this study used industrial solid waste coal fly ash for the hydration treatment of calcium-based adsorbent to explore the variations in the cyclic adsorption performance of the adsorbent under different doping ratios and hydration conditions. By means of various characterization techniques, the microscopic mechanism for improving the performance of the modified adsorbent was analyzed from the perspectives of chemical composition, physical structure, and surface functional groups of the adsorbents. The results demonstrated that the modification of coal fly ash could significantly enhance the carbonation performance and cycle stability of the adsorbent in multiple CO₂ capture processes. The modified material doped with 5% coal fly ash had the highest total CO₂ adsorption capacity, which increased by 13.7% compared to before modification. Additionally, the modified material doped with 10% coal fly ash exhibited the strongest cyclic adsorption capacity, which was 14.0% higher than that before modification, and the adsorption attenuation rate decreased by 32.2%. The characterization results showed that the reaction between calcium oxide and coal fly ash formed CaSiO₃ and Ca₁₂Al₁₄O₃₃ during the modification process, which was the primary reason for the improvement in the CO₂ capture performance of the modified materials. This study provided a new perspective on the resource utilization of solid waste fly ash and efficient CO₂ capture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Biomass Use and its Health and Environmental Effects)

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