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Current Trends in Biomass Pyrolysis for Biofuel Production

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A4: Bio-Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2022) | Viewed by 11862

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Nanjappa Ashwath

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Guest Editor

School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, Australia

Prof. Dr. Sergio Capareda

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Co-Guest Editor

Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University, 400 Bizzell St, College Station, TX 77843, USA

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biomass is one of the most convenient and readily available feedstocks that can be readily converted into biofuels via pyrolysis. This technology can be adapted to any scale, from house hold to industrial level, and the system can be designed to be carbon neutral and sustainable. Over the last decade, tremendous progress has been made in the techniques used in pyrolysis. These include the use of catalysts, the synthesis of biochar to improve soil health, and the conversion of pyrolysis by-products into value-added chemicals. This Special Issue seeks research papers, review articles, economic analysis, and social and environmental impact assessments, on the processes of converting biomass into biofuel and value-added products. Papers dealing with the nature and properties of biomass feedstocks, and the production of these feedstocks from degraded landscapes, are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Nanjappa Ashwath
Prof. Dr. Sergio Capareda
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.

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Keywords

Biomass pyrolysis
Biofuel production
Converting biomass into biofuel
Properties of biomass feedstocks

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 4558 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Maximizing Energy Recovery from Beauty Leaf Tree (Calophyllum inophyllum L.) Oil Seed Press Cake via Pyrolysis

by Nanjappa Ashwath, Hyungseok Nam and Sergio Capareda

Energies 2021, 14(9), 2625; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14092625 - 03 May 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2492

Abstract

This study optimizes pyrolysis conditions that will maximize energy recovery from the Beauty Leaf Tree (BLT; Calophyllum inophyllum L.) oil seed press cake. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to determine the behavior of pyrolysis coproducts (solid, liquid and gas) at various temperatures and residence times. One significant discovery was that 61.7% of the energy (of the whole BLT oil seed) was still retained in the BLT oil seed cake after oil extraction. Controlled pyrolysis produced various proportions of biochar, bio-oil and syngas coproducts. Predictive models were developed to estimate both the mass and energy yields of the coproducts. In all experimental runs, the biochar component had the highest mass yield and energy content. Biochar mass yields were high at the lowest operating temperature used, but the energy yields based on a high heating value (HHV) of products were optimal at higher operating temperatures. From the RSM models, energy from the biochar is optimized at a pyrolysis temperature of 425 °C and 75 min of exposure time. This biochar would have a heating value of 29.5 MJ kg⁻¹, which is similar to a good quality coal. At this condition, 56.6% of the energy can be recovered in the form of biochar and 20.6% from the bio-oil. The study shows that almost all the energy present in the feedstock can be recovered via pyrolysis. This indicates that commercial biodiesel producers from BLT oil seed (and other oil seed) should recover these additional valuable energies to generate high value coproducts. This additional efficient energy conversion process via controlled pyrolysis will improve the overall economics and the feasibility of 2nd generation biodiesel production from BLT—a highly potential species for cultivation in many tropical countries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Trends in Biomass Pyrolysis for Biofuel Production )

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10 pages, 951 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Product Distribution and Characteristics of Pyrolyzing Microalgae (Nannochloropsis oculata), Cotton Gin Trash, and Cattle Manure as a Cobiomass

by Muhammad U. Hanif, Mohammed Zwawi, Sergio C. Capareda, Hamid Iqbal, Mohammed Algarni, Bassem F. Felemban, Ali Bahadar and Adeel Waqas

Energies 2020, 13(4), 796; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13040796 - 12 Feb 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1833

Abstract

Microalgae has proven potential for producing products that are accepted as an alternate energy source. An attempt is made to further improve the efficiency of pyrolysis in terms of product yields and characteristics by adding cotton gin trash and cattle manure as a mixed feedstock (cobiomass). A statistically significant number of treatments were made by mixing different amounts of cotton gin trash and cattle manure with microalgae (Nannochloropsis oculata). These treatments were pyrolyzed at different temperatures (400 to 600 °C ) and product yields and characteristics were analyzed. The pyrolysis of cobiomass resulted in higher yield for bio-oil and char as compared to microalgae alone. An operating temperature of 500 °C was found to be the best suitable for high bio-oil yield. The high heating values (hhv) of bio-oil were observed to be maximum at 500 °C and for syngas and char, the heating value slightly increased with further increase in temperature. Comparatively, the bio-oil (30 MJ/kg) had higher heating values than char (17 MJ/kg) and syngas (13 MJ/kg). The combustible material decreased whereas fixed carbon and ash content increased in char with an increase in temperature. The bio-oil produced from cobiomass had abundant aliphatics and aromatics with low nitrogen content making it a better alternative fuel than bio-oil produced by microalgae alone. The mixing of different biomass helped improving not just the quantity but also the quality of products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Trends in Biomass Pyrolysis for Biofuel Production )

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12 pages, 1759 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Pyrolysis Temperature on Product Distribution and Characteristics of Anaerobic Sludge

by Muhammad Usman Hanif, Mohammed Zwawi, Sergio C. Capareda, Hamid Iqbal, Mohammed Algarni, Bassem F. Felemban, Ali Bahadar and Adeel Waqas

Energies 2020, 13(1), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13010079 - 23 Dec 2019

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2629

Abstract

Pyrolysis of anaerobically digested sludge can serve as an efficient biomass for biofuel production. Pyrolysis produces products like char, bio-oil, and combustible gases by thermochemical conversion process. It can be used for sludge treatment that decreases sludge disposal problems. Sludge produced from anaerobic co-digestion (microalgae, cow dung, and paper) waste has high carbon and hydrogen content. We investigated the candidacy of the anaerobic sludge having high heating value (HHV) of 20.53 MJ/kg as a reliable biomass for biofuels production. The process of pyrolysis was optimized with different temperatures (400, 500, and 600 °C) to produce high quantity and improved quality of the products, mainly bio-oil, char, and gas. The results revealed that with the increase in pyrolysis temperature the quantity of char decreased (81% to 55%), bio-oil increased (3% to 7%), and gas increased (2% to 5%). The HHV of char (19.2 MJ/kg), bio-oil (28.1 MJ/kg), and gas (18.1 MJ/kg) were predominantly affected by the amount of fixed carbon, hydrocarbons, and volatile substance, respectively. The study confirmed that the anaerobic sludge is a promising biomass for biofuel production and pyrolysis is an efficient method for its safe disposal. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Trends in Biomass Pyrolysis for Biofuel Production )

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Review

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22 pages, 2215 KiB

Open AccessReview

Effects of Pyrolysis Bio-Oils on Fuel Atomisation—A Review

by Heena Panchasara and Nanjappa Ashwath

Energies 2021, 14(4), 794; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14040794 - 03 Feb 2021

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 3420

Abstract

Bio-oils produced by biomass pyrolysis are substantially different from those produced by petroleum-based fuels and biodiesel. However, they could serve as valuable alternatives to fossil fuels to achieve carbon neutral future. The literature review indicates that the current use of bio-oils in gas turbines and compression-ignition (diesel) engines is limited due to problems associated with atomisation and combustion. The review also identifies the progress made in pyrolysis bio-oil spray combustion via standardisation of fuel properties, optimising atomisation and combustion, and understanding long-term reliability of engines. The key strategies that need to be adapted to efficiently atomise and combust bio-oils include, efficient atomisation techniques such as twin fluid atomisation, pressure atomisation and more advanced and novel effervescent atomisation, fuel and air preheating, flame stabilization using swrilers, and filtering the solid content from the pyrolysis oils. Once these strategies are implemented, bio-oils can enhance combustion efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. Overall, this study clearly indicates that pyrolysis bio-oils have the ability to substitute fossil fuels, but fuel injection problems need to be tackled in order to insure proper atomisation and combustion of the fuel. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Trends in Biomass Pyrolysis for Biofuel Production )

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