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Environmental Sustainability of Renewable Gas Fuels for Energy and Transportation
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Environmental Sustainability of Renewable Gas Fuels for Energy and Transportation

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (26 March 2023) | Viewed by 10093

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Valerio Paolini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IIA), 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
Interests: biofuels; circular economy; air pollution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change mitigation is a global challenge to be addressed my means of fossil fuels’ substitution with renewable energy sources. On the other hand, the health of the population is still threatened by polluting emissions from conventional fuels, such as oil and coal. In the upcoming decade, we are therefore facing a double challenge: the global reduction of greenhouse gases and the local improvement of air quality. With this regard, we can no longer ignore the emissions from solid biomass, wood pellets, liquid biofuels, and municipal waste incineration. In this framework, it is expected that renewable gas fuels will play a major role, both in the energy and in the transportation sector. Examples of renewable gas fuels are biogas, biomethane, syngas, biohydrogen, and H2 and CH4 from renewable electricity. Hence, renewable gas fuels can be obtained from agricultural biomass, municipal waste, sewage sludge, as well as from other RES, promoting energy security and circular economy.

This Special Issue focuses on renewable gas fuels and the environmental impact of their application in the energy and transportation sectors. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

  • Gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion, and dark fermentation of biomass, by-products and waste;
  • Power-to-gas from renewable energy sources;
  • Electricity and thermal energy production from renewable fuels;
  • Application of renewable fuels to conventional and alternative engines (fuel cells, etc.).

The following kinds of manuscripts will be particularly welcome: assessment of biofuels from novel kinds of biomass or waste; novel concepts in the production of renewable fuels; chemical characterization and energy performance; optimization of operational parameters; analysis of emitted pollutants; case studies; LCA; reviews. Manuscripts related to the economic and/or social sustainability will be considered as well, as far as they also include an environmental analysis.

Dr. Valerio Paolini
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. Sustainability 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 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

  • Biogas
  • Biomethane
  • Biohydrogen (bioH2)
  • Syngas
  • Power-to-gas (PtG)
  • Anaerobic digestion
  • Gasification
  • Sustainable transportation
  • Fuel cell
  • Life cycle assessment (LCA)

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 487 KiB  
Article
Syngas Quality in Fluidized Bed Gasification of Biomass: Comparison between Olivine and K-Feldspar as Bed Materials
by Beatrice Vincenti, Francesco Gallucci, Enrico Paris, Monica Carnevale, Adriano Palma, Mariangela Salerno, Carmine Cava, Orlando Palone, Giuliano Agati, Michele Vincenzo Migliarese Caputi and Domenico Borello
Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2600; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15032600 - 01 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1659
Abstract
The relevance of selecting an appropriate bed material in fluidized bed gasification is a crucial aspect that is often underestimated. The ideal material should be economical, resistant to high temperatures and have small chemical interaction with biomass. However, often only the first of [...] Read more.
The relevance of selecting an appropriate bed material in fluidized bed gasification is a crucial aspect that is often underestimated. The ideal material should be economical, resistant to high temperatures and have small chemical interaction with biomass. However, often only the first of such three aspects is considered, neglecting the biomass–bed interaction effects that develop at high temperatures. In this work, olivine and K-feldspar were upscale-tested in a prototype fluidized bed gasifier (FBG) using arboreal biomass (almond shells). The produced syngas in the two different tests was characterized and compared in terms of composition (H2, CH4, CO, CO2, O2) and fate of contaminants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), tar and metals.. Moreover, the composition of olivine and K-feldspar before and after the biomass gasification process has been characterized. The aim of this work is to show which advantages and disadvantages there are in choosing the most suitable material and to optimize the biomass gasification process by reducing the undesirable effects, such as heavy metal production, bed agglomeration and tar production, which are harmful when syngas is used in internal combustion engines (ICE). It has been observed that metals, such as Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Sn, Ba and Pb, have higher concentrations in the syngas produced by using olivine as bed material rather than K-feldspar. In particular, heavy metals, such as Pb, Cu, Cd, Ni and Zn, show concentrations of 61.06 mg/Nm3, 15.29 mg/Nm3, 17.97 mg/Nm3, 37.29 mg/Nm3 and 116.39 mg/Nm3, respectively, compared to 23.26 mg/Nm3, 11.82 mg/Nm3, 2.76 mg/Nm3, 24.46 mg/Nm3 and 53.07 mg/Nm3 detected with K-feldspar. Moreover, a more hydrogen-rich syngas when using K-feldspar was produced (46% compared to 39% with olivine). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Sustainability of Renewable Gas Fuels for Energy and Transportation)
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11 pages, 857 KiB  
Article
Sustainability of Vehicle Fuel Biomethane Produced from Grass Silage in Finland
by Saija Rasi, Karetta Timonen, Katri Joensuu, Kristiina Regina, Perttu Virkajärvi, Hannele Heusala, Elina Tampio and Sari Luostarinen
Sustainability 2020, 12(10), 3994; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12103994 - 13 May 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2528
Abstract
Increasing demand of fossil-free fuels in the transport sector drives towards using new biomass sources in fuel production. Municipal waste as a substrate is used in many countries in biomethane production, but the amount of waste can cover only a small portion of [...] Read more.
Increasing demand of fossil-free fuels in the transport sector drives towards using new biomass sources in fuel production. Municipal waste as a substrate is used in many countries in biomethane production, but the amount of waste can cover only a small portion of the fuel used. In Europe, the new renewable energy directive (RED II) was established December 2018 to ensure the sustainability of renewable fuels. The directive includes typical and default greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for several potential substrates, such as biogas from manure or maize silage, which the biogas plants can use to verify their emissions directly or to calculate their emissions using the methods provided. However, such default value for grass silage as biogas substrate is lacking. We defined the conditions needed to fulfil the sustainability criteria of the directive when producing biomethane for vehicle fuel using grass silage as the feedstock in Finland. The emission reduction targets are not easy to achieve in Finland when using grass cultivated exclusively for energy production. The reduction targets can be achieved, however, if the grass is cultivated due to an improved crop rotation, where the grass is co-digested with manure and/or energy sources with zero emissions for the process can be applied. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Sustainability of Renewable Gas Fuels for Energy and Transportation)
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8 pages, 1059 KiB  
Article
Effect of Substrate Concentration on Photo-Fermentation Bio-Hydrogen Production Process from Starch-Rich Agricultural Leftovers under Oscillation
by Haorui Zhang, Jiaolin Li, Quanguo Zhang, Shengnan Zhu, Shuai Yang and Zhiping Zhang
Sustainability 2020, 12(7), 2700; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12072700 - 30 Mar 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2310
Abstract
China has plenty of starch-rich agricultural leftovers, which can be degraded and further utilized for biogas production. Potato, which has more and more cultivated areas, was taken as a substrate. The pH, OD540, biogas yield, hydrogen yield, biogas production rate, and [...] Read more.
China has plenty of starch-rich agricultural leftovers, which can be degraded and further utilized for biogas production. Potato, which has more and more cultivated areas, was taken as a substrate. The pH, OD540, biogas yield, hydrogen yield, biogas production rate, and hydrogen production rate were determined to evaluate the effect of substrate concentration on the photo-fermentation bio-hydrogen production process under an oscillation condition. Results showed that the photo-fermentation period was extended to 264 h under oscillation, which was two times longer than the static condition. It was found that 8 g per 100 mL fermentation broth was the most suitable substrate concentration under oscillation, the cumulative hydrogen yield was 510 mL VS−1, and the hydrogen content was 38.36%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Sustainability of Renewable Gas Fuels for Energy and Transportation)
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18 pages, 795 KiB  
Article
Environmental Licensing as an Instrument for the Environmental Management of Brazilian Public Ports
by Rafael C. M. S. Braga and Fernando Veloso-Gomes
Sustainability 2020, 12(6), 2357; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12062357 - 18 Mar 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2731
Abstract
Port environmental management initiatives have not yet been properly implemented in Brazilian public ports, and when they exist, they are still very fragmented and are not based on techniques of planning or environmental management, but instead are only intended to answer the minimum [...] Read more.
Port environmental management initiatives have not yet been properly implemented in Brazilian public ports, and when they exist, they are still very fragmented and are not based on techniques of planning or environmental management, but instead are only intended to answer the minimum requirements of the legal licensing process for construction and port operation. The purpose of this article was to analyze if environmental licensing can be considered an environmental management tool for Brazilian public ports. For this, exploratory research with a qualitative focus was carried out in the 37 Brazilian public ports, regarding the current situation of environmental licensing. It was concluded that the environmental licensing of public ports in Brazil is still a long process and associated with a lot of unpredictability, where some ports, after many years, do not even have the proper operating licenses and the environmental management of most public ports is still insufficient or even non-existent. In this context, environmental licensing can be considered a management tool; however, it cannot be replaced by the planning and constant improvement of environmental compliance—both those provided for by law and other environmental regulatory mechanisms—at a national and international level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Sustainability of Renewable Gas Fuels for Energy and Transportation)
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