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Processes
Special Issues
Biochar-Bioenergy Production Systems
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Biochar-Bioenergy Production Systems

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 13182

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ali Mohammadi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering and Chemical Sciences, Karlstad University, 651 88 Karlstad, Sweden
Interests: biochar; agricultural waste management; sustainable cropping systems; soil toxicity and environmental impact; carbon cycling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The effects of biochar on soil vary widely depending on soil type and biochar properties. Moreover, the characteristics of biochar when used as an additive in the processes of anaerobic digestion and composting considerably affect the outcomes. In order for biochar technology to benefit the environment and society, it is critical to understand the key production factors that affect the physicochemical properties of biochars. Biochar characteristics depend on the feedstock source, production conditions, and post-production treatments. Therefore, to maximize agronomic and soil benefits and improve bio-based processes whose functions can be affected by biochar application, carbonization should be engineered to address specific constraints in each target application. However, variation in responses to biochar and performance of biochar technologies such as pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) can lead to uncertain environmental and economic results of biochar amendment. Therefore, it is imperative to analyze biochar implementation from techno-economic and life cycle perspectives to judge whether biochar would be an effective strategy to reduce the environmental impacts of energy production while increasing economic productivity.

This Special Issue "Biochar–Bioenergy Production Systems" aims to fill the gaps in the scientific literature concerning this crucial area as much as possible, to highlight its importance, and to provide a platform for the dissemination of state-of-the-art advances in this field. Topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Engineering biochar–bioenergy processes to raise benefits in high-value production systems;
  • Development of material flow analysis models to evaluate energy and resource recovery from using organic waste in biochar systems;
  • Properties of biochar from novel sources and different production conditions;
  • Synergetic/antagonistic effects of biochar as an additive in bio-processes;
  • Novel trends and developments in biochar technologies
  • Development of life cycle assessment models to quantify the sustainability (environmental, exergetic, economic, and social) benefits that the adoption of the biochar could deliver;
  • Designing sustainable biochar supply chains

Dr. Ali Mohammadi
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. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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

  • Biochar
  • Bioenergy
  • Pyrolysis
  • HTC
  • Biochar pellet
  • Sustainability
  • Physicochemical properties
  • Resource recovery
  • Bioprocesses

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3418 KiB  
Article
Doubling the Space-Time Yield of a Pilot Biogas Reactor with Swine Manure and Cereal Residues by a Closed Loop Feedback Control Based on an Automated Fuzzy Logic Control System
by Paul Scherer, Anja Schreiber, Richard Arthur, Sebastian Antonczyk and Gerhard-Rainer Vollmer
Processes 2022, 10(12), 2511; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr10122511 - 25 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1241
Abstract
The anaerobic digestion of swine manure was performed for more than 2 years in a biogas pilot plant with cereal residues as a mono-input, either by a simple intermittent substrate feeding or by feeding with an automated “autopilot” system under the direction of [...] Read more.
The anaerobic digestion of swine manure was performed for more than 2 years in a biogas pilot plant with cereal residues as a mono-input, either by a simple intermittent substrate feeding or by feeding with an automated “autopilot” system under the direction of a Fuzzy logic control (FLC) system, working with a closed-loop feedback control. The pilot plant of the University of Applied Sciences in Nordhausen consisted of a 2.5 m3 dosage tank, a 2.5 m3 digestate tank, and a 1 m3 biogas reactor. Only three control parameters were used for FLC: pH, methane %, and the specific gas production rate (GPR) related to the organic loading rate (OLR), that is GPR/OLR m3 biogas/(kgVS d), vs = volatile solids. The specific GPR was referred to the OLR of the last feeding every 8 h in terms of kgVS/(m3 d). In test period I without an FLC system, a safe process with just an OLR of 4 kgVS/(m3 d) was reached, followed by an overloading and reactor disturbance at ≤6.3 kgVS/(m3 d) as indicated by acidification with volatile fatty acids up to 25,000 mg/L. However, test period II (585 trial days) with an integrated FLC system allowed a safe OLR up to 11 kgVS/(m3 d). Apparently, the microbes themselves directed the speed of substrate feeding by the dynamics of their substrate turnover and by the closed loop feedback control, while the three FLC parameters prevented acidification. Therefore, the application of FLC enabled a doubling of the throughput for a biogas reactor in the same time with a ‘turbo speed’. The concomitant hydraulic residence time (HRT) of only 10 days reduced the stirring and heating costs. The usage of an FLC system should open the door for networked biogas production to enable flexible biogas production on demand. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biochar-Bioenergy Production Systems)
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12 pages, 2102 KiB  
Article
Temperature-Programmed Reduction of NiO/Al2O3 by Biochar In Situ Generated from Citric Acid
by Feng Cheng and Xiuwei Li
Processes 2022, 10(8), 1542; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr10081542 - 05 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1503
Abstract
The reduction of metal oxides by biochar is an important reaction for many biomass utilization technologies. This work investigated the temperature–programmed reduction (TPR) of NiO/Al2O3 by in situ generated biochar from citric acid pyrolysis. Firstly, NiO/Al2O3 was [...] Read more.
The reduction of metal oxides by biochar is an important reaction for many biomass utilization technologies. This work investigated the temperature–programmed reduction (TPR) of NiO/Al2O3 by in situ generated biochar from citric acid pyrolysis. Firstly, NiO/Al2O3 was loaded with citric acid by impregnation and then heated from ambient temperature to 900 °C in a N2 flow. The process was on–line analyzed by the TGA–FTIR technique. Secondly, a series of intermediates was obtained and characterized by XRD, CHNO elemental analysis, and temperature programmed oxidation (TPO). Lastly, a control experiment of unsupported NiO was conducted to show the influence of Al2O3 support on the NiO reduction. Results showed that the whole heating process could be resolved into two parts that is citric acid pyrolysis and NiO reduction at a heating rate of 5 °C/min. The NiO reduction occurred above 400 °C with the biochar from citric acid pyrolysis as reductant. In the temperature–programmed reduction process, the Al2O3–supported NiO exhibited three reduction phases in contrast with only one reduction phase for the unsupported NiO. A hypothesis was proposed to explain this. The presence of Al2O3 support may result in different deposition sites of biochar (on NiO or on Al2O3), and consequently different reduction mechanisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biochar-Bioenergy Production Systems)
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