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Sustainable Modelling, Processes and Applications for Societal Development

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 45316

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Prof. Dr. Yoshimitsu Uemura

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Department of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia
Interests: catalytic processes; reaction engineering; biomass conversion; renewable energy; nano and porous materials; STEM education
* worked in Universiti Teknologi Petronas from 2009 to 2019

Dr. Jun-Wei Lim

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Department of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia
Interests: wastewater treatment process
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Worapon Kiatkittipong

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Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Technology, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom 73000, Thailand
Interests: process intensification; biorefinery; bioresources; biofuels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global society has experienced a tremendous development since the establishment of the first human civilizations, but no more so than in recent years, when societal development has further intensified thanks to the changes brought forth by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Indeed, we are currently experiencing greater levels of energy, efficiency, productivity, comprehension, creativity, and innovation, all in our effort to continue on this path of significant scientific and industrial accomplishments. Societal development in particular is a continuous, unabated process, interlocking successive generations to one another. This development is necessary to achieve a decent quality of life; however, the rapid transformations we have experienced in the recent past must be accompanied by the exploration of sustainable approaches to them, and indeed, experts have sought to identify such approaches.

These approaches include modeling to deal with simulation, change of matter, time and space, analytical and statistical analyses, and real case studies for future prediction. The enhancement of all the processes currently used is undoubtedly essential to account for the escalation of various demands stemming from the population growth to the tune of approximately 10 billion by 2050. These processes include physical, biological, and chemical modes for sustainable technicality, treatment, bioremediation, control, production, and development, but also, and perhaps more importantly, applications corresponding to feedstock and products, new materials, operations, systems, theories on identifying and managing tangible and intangible resources, which are indispensable prerequisites in attaining sustainable societal development. Therefore, the prime intention of this Special Issue is to document novel “Sustainable Modeling, Processes, and Applications for Societal Development”. The knowledge gaps in the field of sustainability and societies must eventually be curtailed to create a global harmony whilst enriching the natural environments, and this is the purpose of this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Yoshimitsu Uemura
Dr. Jun-Wei Lim
Dr. Worapon Kiatkittipong
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 papers will be 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 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Please note that for papers submitted after 30 June 2020 an APC of 1500 CHF applies. 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

simulation and modeling
process control
treatment
medical technique
material development
clean energy
water and wastewater
IoT and AI
Sustainable Development Goals
education and policy

Published Papers (13 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 155 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Special Issue on “Sustainable Modellings, Processes and Applications for Societal Development”

by Jun Wei Lim and Worapon Kiatkittipong

Processes 2022, 10(6), 1153; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr10061153 - 08 Jun 2022

Viewed by 848

Abstract

Global society has experienced a tremendous development since the institution of civilization [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Modelling, Processes and Applications for Societal Development)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

10 pages, 1417 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Removal of Nitrate Nitrogen by Rhodotorula graminis Immobilized in Alginate Gel for Groundwater Treatment

by Masashi Nishida, Syuhei Matsuo, Karin Yamanari, Masayoshi Iwahara and Katsuki Kusakabe

Processes 2021, 9(9), 1657; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr9091657 - 14 Sep 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1486

Abstract

Groundwater is the source of all tap water in Kumamoto City, Japan. However, the concentration of nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N) tends to increase every year due to the influences of overfertilization, field disposal of livestock manure, and inflow of domestic wastewater. A heterotrophic nitrification–aerobic denitrification (HN-AD) system is an attractive approach for nitrate-nitrogen removal. In this study, Rhodotorula graminis NBRC0190, a naturally occurring red yeast that shows high nitrogen removal performance in glucose, was immobilized on calcium alginate hydrogel beads. NO₃⁻-N removal efficiency exceeded 98% in the region of NO₃⁻-N concentration below 10 mg/L in the model groundwater. Even after the same treatment was repeated five times, the denitrification performance of the R. gra immobilized alginate hydrogel beads was maintained. Finally, when this treatment method was applied to actual groundwater in Kumamoto City, it was possible to make the water of even higher quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Modelling, Processes and Applications for Societal Development)

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18 pages, 2889 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental and Modeling of Dicamba Adsorption in Aqueous Medium Using MIL-101(Cr) Metal-Organic Framework

by Hamza Ahmad Isiyaka, Khairulazhar Jumbri, Nonni Soraya Sambudi, Jun Wei Lim, Bahruddin Saad, Anita Ramli and Zakariyya Uba Zango

Processes 2021, 9(3), 419; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr9030419 - 26 Feb 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2293

Abstract

Drift deposition of emerging and carcinogenic contaminant dicamba (3,6-dichloro-2-methoxy benzoic acid) has become a major health and environmental concern. Effective removal of dicamba in aqueous medium becomes imperative. This study investigates the adsorption of a promising adsorbent, MIL-101(Cr) metal-organic framework (MOF), for the removal of dicamba in aqueous solution. The adsorbent was hydrothermally synthesized and characterized using N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherms, Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET), powdered X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Adsorption models such as kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamics were studied to understand details of the adsorption process. The significance and optimization of the data matrix, as well as the multivariate interaction of the adsorption parameters, were determined using response surface methodology (RSM). RSM and artificial neural network (ANN) were used to predict the adsorption capacity. In each of the experimental adsorption conditions used, the ANN gave a better prediction with minimal error than the RSM model. The MIL-101(Cr) adsorbent was recycled six times to determine the possibility of reuse. The results show that MIL-101(Cr) is a very promising adsorbent, in particular due to the high surface area (1439 m² g⁻¹), rapid equilibration (~25 min), high adsorption capacity (237.384 mg g⁻¹) and high removal efficiency of 99.432%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Modelling, Processes and Applications for Societal Development)

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16 pages, 2288 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Low-Viscosity Ether-Functionalized Ionic Liquids as Solvents for the Enhancement of Lignocellulosic Biomass Dissolution

by Asyraf Hanim Ab Rahim, Normawati M. Yunus, Wan Suzaini Wan Hamzah, Ariyanti Sarwono and Nawshad Muhammad

Processes 2021, 9(2), 261; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr9020261 - 29 Jan 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1862

Abstract

Due to the substantial usage of fossil fuels, the utilization of lignocellulosic biomass as renewable sources for fuels and chemical production has been widely explored. The dissolution of lignocellulosic biomass in proper solvents is vital prior to the extraction of its important constituents, and ionic liquids (ILs) have been found to be efficient solvents for biomass dissolution. However, the high viscosity of ILs limits the dissolution process. Therefore, with the aim to enhance the dissolution of lignocellulosic biomass, a series of new ether-functionalized ILs with low viscosity values were synthesized and characterized. Their properties, such as density, viscosity and thermal stability, were analyzed and discussed in comparison with a common commercial IL, namely 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMIMCl). The presence of the ether group in the new ILs reduces the viscosity of the ILs to some appreciable extent in comparison to BMIMCl. 1-2(methoxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium chloride (MOE-MImCl), which possesses the lowest viscosity value among the other ether-functionalized ILs, demonstrates an ability to be a powerful solvent in the application of biomass dissolution via the sonication method. In addition, an optimization study employing response surface methodology (RSM) was carried out in order to obtain the optimum conditions for maximum dissolution of biomass in the solvents. Results suggested that the maximum biomass dissolution can be achieved by using 3 weight% of initial biomass loading with 40% amplitude of sonication at 32.23 min of sonication period. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Modelling, Processes and Applications for Societal Development)

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9 pages, 4361 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Encapsulation of Lactoferrin for Sustained Release Using Particles from Gas-Saturated Solutions

by Kento Ono, Hiroki Sakai, Shinichi Tokunaga, Tanjina Sharmin, Taku Michael Aida and Kenji Mishima

Processes 2021, 9(1), 73; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr9010073 - 31 Dec 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3166

Abstract

The particles from gas saturated solutions (PGSS) process were performed to encapsulate lactofer-rin, an iron-binding milk glycoprotein, using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂). A natural en-teric polymer, shellac, was used as a coating material of lactoferrin carried out by the PGSS pro-cess. Conditions were optimized by applying different temperatures (20–50 °C) and pressures (8–10 MPa) and the particles were evaluated for particle shape and size, lactoferrin encapsulation ef-ficiency, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to confirm lactoferrin entrapment and in vitro dissolution studies at different pH values. Particles with an average diameter of 75.5 ± 7 μm were produced with encapsulation efficiency up to 71 ± 2%. Furthermore, particles that showed high stability in low pH (pH 1.2) and a sustained release over time (t_2h = 75%) in higher pH (pH 7.4) suggested an effective encapsulation process for the protection of lactoferrin from gastric di-gestion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Modelling, Processes and Applications for Societal Development)

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17 pages, 5860 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Optimising Brewery-Wastewater-Supported Acid Mine Drainage Treatment vis-à-vis Response Surface Methodology and Artificial Neural Network

by Enoch A. Akinpelu, Seteno K. O. Ntwampe, Abiola E. Taiwo and Felix Nchu

Processes 2020, 8(11), 1485; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr8111485 - 18 Nov 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2181

Abstract

This study investigated the use of brewing wastewater (BW) as the primary carbon source in the Postgate medium for the optimisation of sulphate reduction in acid mine drainage (AMD). The results showed that the sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) consortium was able to utilise BW for sulphate reduction. The response surface methodology (RSM)/Box–Behnken design optimum conditions found for sulphate reduction were a pH of 6.99, COD/SO₄²⁻ of 2.87, and BW concentration of 200.24 mg/L with predicted sulphate reduction of 91.58%. Furthermore, by using an artificial neural network (ANN), a multilayer full feedforward (MFFF) connection with an incremental backpropagation network and hyperbolic tangent as the transfer function gave the best predictive model for sulphate reduction. The ANN optimum conditions were a pH of 6.99, COD/SO₄²⁻ of 0.50, and BW concentration of 200.31 mg/L with predicted sulphate reduction of 89.56%. The coefficient of determination (R²) and absolute average deviation (AAD) were estimated as 0.97 and 0.046, respectively, for RSM and 0.99 and 0.011, respectively, for ANN. Consequently, ANN was a better predictor than RSM. This study revealed that the exclusive use of BW without supplementation with refined carbon sources in the Postgate medium is feasible and could ensure the economic sustainability of biological sulphate reduction in the South African environment, or in any semi-arid country with significant brewing activity and AMD challenges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Modelling, Processes and Applications for Societal Development)

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19 pages, 1148 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Denoising of Hydrogen Evolution Acoustic Emission Signal Based on Non-Decimated Stationary Wavelet Transform

by Zazilah May, Md Khorshed Alam, Noor A’in A. Rahman, Muhammad Shazwan Mahmud and Nazrul Anuar Nayan

Processes 2020, 8(11), 1460; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr8111460 - 15 Nov 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2165

Abstract

Monitoring the evolution of hydrogen gas on carbon steel pipe using acoustic emission (AE) signal can be a part of a reliable technique in the modern structural health-monitoring (SHM) field. However, the extracted AE signal is always mixed up with random extraneous noise depending on the nature of the service structure and experimental environment. The noisy AE signals often mislead the obtaining of the desired features from the signals for SHM and degrade the performance of the monitoring system. Therefore, there is a need for the signal denoising method to improve the quality of the extracted AE signals without degrading the original properties of the signals before using them for any knowledge discovery. This article proposes a non-decimated stationary wavelet transform (ND-SWT) method based on the variable soft threshold function for denoising hydrogen evolution AE signals. The proposed method filters various types of noises from the acquired AE signal and removes them efficiently without degrading the original properties. The hydrogen evolution experiments on carbon steel pipelines are carried out for AE data acquisition. Simulations on experimentally acquired AE signals and randomly generated synthetic signals with different levels of noise are performed by the ND-SWT method for noise removal. Results show that our proposed method can effectively eliminate Gaussian white noise as well as noise from the vibration and frictional activity and provide efficient noise removal solutions for SHM applications with minimum reconstruction error, to extract meaningful AE signals from the large-scale noisy AE signals during monitoring and inspection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Modelling, Processes and Applications for Societal Development)

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17 pages, 800 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Firm’s Sustainability and Societal Development from the Lens of Fishbone Eco-Innovation: A Moderating Role of ISO 14001-2015 Environmental Management System

by Md. Abu Toha, Satirenjit Kaur Johl and Parvez Alam Khan

Processes 2020, 8(9), 1152; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr8091152 - 15 Sep 2020

Cited by 31 | Viewed by 5757

Abstract

Eco-innovation has gained considerable attention in academia as well as in industry due to its potential in mitigating environmental challenges and its positive correlation with firm performance. However, there are limited studies which have investigated the moderating relation of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001:2015 between eco-innovation and firm sustainability in their contribution to societal development. This research is supported by a resource-based theory which explores the core-competencies of firms and challenges the resources creating the competitive advantage of the firm without compromising on the social responsibility aspect of the firm. This study proposes a fishbone eco-innovation business model, which includes production (product, process, and technology) and non-production (organization and marketing) business activities mapped with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for societal development. This fishbone eco-innovation business model signals to the stakeholders about the organization’s innovation in their green implementation, which goes beyond mere compliance. The contribution of the fishbone eco-innovation business model to societal development will create a unique competitive edge and green goodwill amongst the external stakeholders, which will attract sustainably responsible investors for investment. This article draws propositions and develops a conceptual model for future empirical research on eco-innovation and societal development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Modelling, Processes and Applications for Societal Development)

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13 pages, 2845 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Heat and Mass Transfer during Lignocellulosic Biomass Torrefaction: Contributions from the Major Components—Cellulose, Hemicellulose, and Lignin

by Ken-ichiro Tanoue, Kentaro Hikasa, Yuuki Hamaoka, Akihiro Yoshinaga, Tatsuo Nishimura, Yoshimitsu Uemura and Akihiro Hideno

Processes 2020, 8(8), 959; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr8080959 - 09 Aug 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2906

Abstract

The torrefaction of three representative types of biomass—bamboo, and Douglas fir and its bark—was carried out in a cylindrical-shaped packed bed reactor under nitrogen flow at 573 K of the reactor wall temperature. As the thermal energy for the torrefaction was supplied from the top and the side of the bed, the propagation of the temperature profile of the bed is a crucial factor for discussing and improving the torrefaction reactor performance. Therefore, the temperature and gas flow rate (vector) profiles throughout the bed were calculated by model simulation so as to scrutinize this point. The measured temperature at a certain representative location (z = 30 mm and r = 38 mm) of the bed was well reproduced by the simulation. The volume faction of the bed at temperatures higher than 500 K at 75 min was 0.89, 0.85, and 0.99 for bamboo, and Douglas fir and its bark, respectively. It was found that the effective thermal conductivity is the determining factor for this difference. The heat of the reactions was found to be insignificant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Modelling, Processes and Applications for Societal Development)

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18 pages, 3832 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modelling of a Single Passage Air PV/T Solar Collector: Experimental and Simulation Design

by Noran Nur Wahida Khalili, Mahmod Othman, Mohd Nazari Abu Bakar and Lazim Abdullah

Processes 2020, 8(7), 763; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr8070763 - 29 Jun 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2772

Abstract

The hybrid photovoltaic/thermal solar collector has attracted research attention for more than five decades. Its capability to produce thermal energy simultaneously with electrical energy is considered attractive since it provides higher total efficiency than stand-alone photovoltaic or thermal systems separately. This paper describes theoretical and experimental studies of a finned single pass air-type photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar collector. The performance of the system is calculated based on one dimensional (1D) steady-state analysis using one dimensional energy balance equations, where simulation was carried out using MATLAB. Experiments were carried out to observe the performance of the solar collector under changes in air mass flow rate. Experimental values on photovoltaic panel temperature and air temperature on both air inlet and outlet, together with the ambient temperature and solar radiation were measured. The simulation results were validated against the results obtained from experiments using the error analysis method, Root Mean Square Error. At a solar irradiance level of 800 to 900 W/m², the thermal efficiency increases to 20.32% while the electrical efficiency increases to 12.01% when the air mass flow rate increases from 0.00015 kg/s to 0.01 kg/s. The error analysis shows that both experimental and simulation results are in good agreement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Modelling, Processes and Applications for Societal Development)

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15 pages, 7332 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermophysical Properties of Newly Synthesized Ammonium-Based Protic Ionic Liquids: Effect of Temperature, Anion and Alkyl Chain Length

by Nur Hidayah Zulaikha Othman Zailani, Normawati M. Yunus, Asyraf Hanim Ab Rahim and Mohamad Azmi Bustam

Processes 2020, 8(6), 742; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr8060742 - 25 Jun 2020

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3000

Abstract

Ionic liquids which are often classified as low melting point salts have received significant attention from research groups and industries to be used in a wide range of applications. Many of these applications require thorough knowledge on the thermophysical properties of the ionic liquids before utilizing their full potentials in various fields. In this work, a series of alkylammonium cation and carboxylate anion-based room temperature protic ionic liquids (PILs) were synthesized by varying length of alkyl chain of the cation from diethyl to dibutyl combined with pentanoate, hexanoate and heptanoate anions. These ammonium-based PILs named as diethylammonium pentanoate [DEA][C5], diethylammonium hexanoate [DEA][C6], diethylammonium heptanoate [DEA][C7], dibutylammonium pentanoate [DBA][C5], dibutylammonium hexanoate [DBA][C6] and dibutylammonium heptanoate [DBA][C7] were characterized using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The thermophysical properties of the PILs namely density, dynamic viscosity and refractive index were measured and analyzed. Density, ρ and dynamic viscosity, η were determined at T = (293.15 to 363.15) K and refractive index, n_D was measured at T = (293.15 to 333.15) K. The fitting parameters are proposed for the empirical correlations of density, dynamic viscosity and refractive index. The values of thermal expansion coefficient, α_p, molecular volume, V_m, standard entropy, S° and lattice potential energy, U_pot also have been calculated by using the specified equations. The thermal decomposition temperature, T_d was also determined using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) while the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique provided the glass transition, T_g, melting point, T_m and crystallization, T_c temperatures of the PILs. The experimental results revealed that the dependency of the experimental values namely the ρ, η, n_D, and T_d on the alkyl chain of the anion, size of the cations and the temperature of measurement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Modelling, Processes and Applications for Societal Development)

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Review

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29 pages, 4196 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Wood Ash Based Treatment of Anaerobic Digestate: State-of-the-Art and Possibilities

by Alejandro Moure Abelenda and Farid Aiouache

Processes 2022, 10(1), 147; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr10010147 - 11 Jan 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5629

Abstract

The problem of current agricultural practices is not limited to land management but also to the unsustainable consumption of essential nutrients for plants, such as phosphorus. This article focuses on the valorization of wood ash and anaerobic digestate for the preparation of a slow-release fertilizer. The underlying chemistry of the blend of these two materials is elucidated by analyzing the applications of the mixture. First, the feasibility of employing low doses (≤1 g total solids (TS) ash/g TS digestate) of wood ash is explained as a way to improve the composition of the feedstock of anaerobic digestion and enhance biogas production. Secondly, a detailed description concerning high doses of wood ash and their uses in the downstream processing of the anaerobic digestate to further enhance its stability is offered. Among all the physico-chemical phenomena involved, sorption processes are meticulously depicted, since they are responsible for nutrient recovery, dewatering, and self-hardening in preparing a granular fertilizer. Simple activation procedures (e.g., carbonization, carbonation, calcination, acidification, wash, milling, and sieving) are proposed to promote immobilization of the nutrients. Due to the limited information on the combined processing of wood ash and the anaerobic digestate, transformations of similar residues are additionally considered. Considering all the possible synergies in the anaerobic digestion and the downstream stages, a dose of ash of 5 g TS ash/g TS digestate is proposed for future experiments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Modelling, Processes and Applications for Societal Development)

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16 pages, 2295 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Process Intensification in Bio-Ethanol Production–Recent Developments in Membrane Separation

by Izumi Kumakiri, Morihisa Yokota, Ryotaro Tanaka, Yu Shimada, Worapon Kiatkittipong, Jun Wei Lim, Masayuki Murata and Mamoru Yamada

Processes 2021, 9(6), 1028; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr9061028 - 10 Jun 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3480

Abstract

Ethanol is considered as a renewable transport fuels and demand is expected to grow. In this work, trends related to bio-ethanol production are described using Thailand as an example. Developments on high-temperature fermentation and membrane technologies are also explained. This study focuses on the application of membranes in ethanol recovery after fermentation. A preliminary simulation was performed to compare different process configurations to concentrate 10 wt% ethanol to 99.5 wt% using membranes. In addition to the significant energy reduction achieved by replacing azeotropic distillation with membrane dehydration, employing ethanol-selective membranes can further reduce energy demand. Silicalite membrane is a type of membrane showing one of the highest ethanol-selective permeation performances reported today. A silicalite membrane was applied to separate a bio-ethanol solution produced via high-temperature fermentation followed by a single distillation. The influence of contaminants in the bio-ethanol on the membrane properties and required further developments are also discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Modelling, Processes and Applications for Societal Development)

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