Article
Agricultural Engineering
Raquel de Souza Deuber, Daniel Santos Fernandes, Jessica Marcon Bressanin, Jamison Watson, Mateus Ferreira Chagas, Antonio Bonomi, Leonardo Vasconcelos Fregolente, Marcos Djun Barbosa Watanabe
Summary: Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is considered a promising technology in producing liquid biofuels, with Brazil's mature biomass chain and competitive sugarcane industry providing a good potential for large-scale deployment of HTL. Integration with sugarcane industry increases economic feasibility of HTL, with minimum fuel selling prices (MFSP) showing competitiveness with fossil fuels. Selection of liquefaction solvents, such as water, plays a crucial role in the economic viability of HTL technology.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Shuyun Li, Yuan Jiang, Lesley J. Snowden-Swan, Jalal A. Askander, Andrew J. Schmidt, Justin M. Billing
Summary: This study evaluates the economic feasibility and risks of wet waste hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) using stochastic techno-economic analysis. By utilizing a component additivity model and a process reduced-order model, the average minimum biofuel selling price (MBSP) for wet waste HTL is around $3.55/gge ($1.01/L). The economic uncertainty of wet waste HTL process is mainly influenced by feed moisture, HTL reactor model, and capital investment.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Muhammad Kashif Shahid, Ayesha Batool, Ayesha Kashif, Muhammad Haq Nawaz, Muhammad Aslam, Nafees Iqbal, Younggyun Choi
Summary: Excessive consumption of fossil fuels has led to environmental issues, and climate change poses greater challenges to renewable energy sources. Biorefinery is a sustainable process for the production of biofuels and other bio-products, impacting various conversion technologies. Studies suggest that renewable resources can be more widely used for producing petroleum goods, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals in the future.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Farshid Nazemi, Keikhosro Karimi, Joeri F. M. Denayer, Marzieh Shafiei
Summary: Translation of the text reveals that while a single-product biorefinery for biofuel production from seaweed faces economic obstacles, an innovative biorefinery approach can potentially pave the way for commercialization by producing high-value chemicals alongside biofuel.
ALGAL RESEARCH-BIOMASS BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS
(2021)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Ada Josefina Robinson, Aristide Giuliano, Omar Y. Abdelaziz, Christian P. Hulteberg, Apostolis Koutinas, Konstantinos S. Triantafyllidis, Diego Barletta, Isabella De Bari
Summary: This study establishes an integrated optimization model to assess the profitability of converting lignin into high-added-value products. The results demonstrate that lignin can have a high market value with the use of key technologies, depending on the market prices of different products.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Jean Felipe Leal Silva, Pedro Y. S. Nakasu, Aline C. da Costa, Rubens Maciel Filho, Sarita C. Rabelo
Summary: This study presents a techno-economic analysis of pretreating sugarcane bagasse using the protic ionic liquid [MEA][OAc] and considering different washing methods. The results show that the best scenario resulted in a 33% increase in ethanol yield, along with an increase in wastewater and vinasse production.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
A. A. Mana, A. Allouhi, K. Ouazzani, A. Jamil
Summary: Biomass power generation in rural areas of Morocco presents a significant opportunity to achieve rural sustainability and provide stable electricity supply. The financial model of the project shows competitive costs compared to solar and fossil resources. Performance variables depend strongly on flue gas temperature, and the LCOE is highly sensitive to feedstock price and finance rates.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Meisam Ranjbari, Zahra Shams Esfandabadi, Tetiana Shevchenko, Simone Domenico Scagnelli, Su Shiung Lam, Sunita Varjani, Mortaza Aghbashlo, Junting Pan, Meisam Tabatabaei
Summary: This research provides insights into the evolution and development trends of techno-economic analysis (TEA) in the biofuel supply chain (BSC) domain through a comprehensive analysis of 1104 articles. The results indicate the need for tax measures and price subsidies to promote biofuel production and consumption, as well as the necessity for further research to enhance the economic feasibility of algal biofuels.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
David Quiroz, Jonah M. Greene, Braden J. Limb, Jason C. Quinn
Summary: This study uses validated biophysical and sustainability modeling to identify the optimal global productivity potential, environmental impacts, and economic viability of algal biofuels.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Malte Hennig, Martina Haase
Summary: This paper analyzes the implications of using hydrogen in the Biomass-to-Liquid process, showing that hydrogen enhancement leads to higher product yield and conversion efficiency. However, economic analysis reveals that the process is currently unprofitable due to high costs for hydrogen provision.
FUEL PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Eric Alberto Ocampo Batlle, Jose Carlos Escobar Palacio, Electo Eduardo Silva Lora, Edson Da Costa Bortoni, Luiz Augusto Horta Nogueira, Gaylord Enrique Carrillo Caballero, Alisson Aparecido Vitoriano Julio, Yulineth Cardenas Escorcia
Summary: This study evaluates and compares the environmental benefits, economic feasibility, and energy balance of producing bioenergy from palm and sugarcane within integrated biorefinery. Results show significant reductions in global warming impact and improved energy rates in the improved scenario, with increased overall efficiency and energy output per ton of raw material processed. Integration is economically feasible and can be further enhanced through fiscal incentives and improvements in conversion technologies.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Samir Isaac Meramo Hurtado, Plinio Puello, Amaury Cabarcas
Summary: The study analyzed an industrial production process of levulinic acid via acid-catalyzed dehydration, showing promising potential in terms of economic sustainability. The process demonstrated low production cost and reasonable exergy efficiency, making it an attractive alternative for biomass valorization.
Article
Thermodynamics
Eduardo Bautista-Penuesla, Juan Daniel Macias, Heidi I. Villafan-Vidales, Patricio J. Valades-Pelayo, Pedro Arcelus-Arrillaga, Alejandro Ayala-Cortes, Karla Cedano-Villavicencio, Camilo A. Arancibia-Bulnes, Manuel I. Pena-Cruz
Summary: This paper presents a simulation and techno-economic analysis of a hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) solar plant for bio-oil production. The plant uses a parabolic trough solar collector field and a natural gas boiler to provide the heat required for continuous operation. The thermal performance of the plant is simulated using TRNSYS software, and the biomass's composition and slurry's temperature are considered in calculating the bio-oil yield. An economic model aids in determining the minimum selling price of bio-oil for financial viability. The results suggest that integrating concentrated solar thermal technology for processing forestry residues could be a sustainable option for biofuel production in countries like Mexico.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Edoardo Tito, Giulia Zoppi, Giuseppe Pipitone, Edoardo Miliotti, Arturo Di Fraia, Andrea Maria Rizzo, Raffaele Pirone, David Chiaramonti, Samir Bensaid
Summary: This study evaluated the techno-economic feasibility of coupling hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) with aqueous phase reforming (APR) to address the challenges of carbon loss and biocrude upgrading in HTL. Through experiment and literature data, mass and energy balances were performed, main equipment was designed, and capital and operating costs were evaluated. The results showed that the minimum selling prices for the biofuel were 1.23 euro/kg (LRS) and 1.27 euro/kg (CS). Heat exchangers accounted for most of the fixed capital investment, while electricity and feedstock had the highest impact on operating costs. The implementation of APR was particularly profitable with CS, as it produced 107% of the required hydrogen for biocrude upgrading, reducing the H2 production cost.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Zhonghao Chen, Lin Chen, Kuan Shiong Khoo, Vijai Kumar Gupta, Minaxi Sharma, Pau Loke Show, Pow-Seng Yap
Summary: Urbanization drives the demand for fossil fuels, but overexploitation has caused environmental pollution. Biorefining using lignocellulosic biomass is a promising strategy to reduce pollution and obtain renewable resources. However, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of the biorefining process, and optimized solutions are needed to improve industrial efficiency.
BIOTECHNOLOGY ADVANCES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hoon Choi, Nathan E. Soland, Bonnie L. Buss, Nora C. Honeycutt, Emily G. Tomashek, Stefan J. Haugen, Kelsey J. Ramirez, Joel Miscall, Eric C. D. Tan, Tyler N. Smith, Patrick O. Saboe, Eric M. Karp
Summary: This study reports an efficient separation process for glucaric acid crystals from fermentation broth. The process involves recovering purified monopotassium glucarate and then purifying glucaric acid through acidification and antisolvent crystallization. The process achieves high recovery yield and purity, and enables recycling of antisolvents and control of energy input.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Longwen Ou, Shuyun Li, Ling Tao, Steven Phillips, Troy Hawkins, Avantika Singh, Lesley Snowden-Swan, Hao Cai
Summary: This study explores the economic and environmental implications of using wet waste feedstocks to produce biofuels, focusing on two pathways from yellow grease and swine manure. The swine manure HTL pathway shows negative GHG emissions due to credits of avoided emissions from conventional swine manure management. The commercialized yellow grease HEFA pathway benefits from carbon credits in the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard market.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Buddhinie S. Jayathilake, Swetha Chandrasekaran, Megan C. Freyman, Jorg S. Deutzmann, Frauke Kracke, Alfred M. Spormann, Zhe Huang, Ling Tao, Simon H. Pang, Sarah E. Baker
Summary: The integration of microbial synthesis with renewable electricity offers a promising solution for CO2 utilization and energy storage. Electrifying bioreactors provides benefits such as the use of selective bio-catalysts for CO2 conversion and the use of microbes as robust catalysts for higher efficiency. This Perspective proposes research on electro-bioreactor components and presents a case study on methane production to motivate these developments.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY & FUELS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yudong Li, Ling Tao, Nick Nagle, Melvin Tucker, Xiaowen Chen, Erik M. Kuhn
Summary: Mass production of sustainable biofuels can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but the variability, availability, and affordability of biomass feedstock pose risks. This study found that different feedstock species and harvesting techniques impact sugar yields and production costs. Blending feedstocks of different biomass species is a potential successful strategy for sustainable biofuel production.
FRONTIERS IN ENERGY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Alex Badgett, Mark Ruth, Allison Crow, Gary Grim, Yingying Chen, Leiming Hu, Ling Tao, Wilson Smith, K. C. Neyerlin, Randy Cortright
Summary: The development of technology to utilize carbon dioxide is crucial in mitigating climate change. It is important to consider the nonlinear relationships between system performance, materials, and costs to optimize the scalability and cost-effectiveness of carbon dioxide reduction systems.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Andrew W. Bartling, Pahola Thathiana Benavides, Steven D. Phillips, Troy Hawkins, Avantika Singh, Matthew Wiatrowski, Eric C. D. Tan, Christopher Kinchin, Longwen Ou, Hao Cai, Mary Biddy, Ling Tao, Andrew Young, Kathleen Brown, Shuyun Li, Yunhua Zhu, Lesley J. Snowden-Swan, Chirag R. Mevawala, Daniel J. Gaspar
Summary: Economic and environmental favorability are crucial for the development and deployment of sustainable fuels. This study conducted economic and sustainability analyses of 25 pathways for producing bioblendstocks. The results showed that most of the bioblendstocks had favorable economic metrics, but biochemically-based pathways faced challenges in achieving favorable minimum fuel selling price. Additionally, some pathways showed significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and fossil energy use.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Thermodynamics
Arpit H. Bhatt, Yimin Zhang, Anelia Milbrandt, Emily Newes, Kristi Moriarty, Bruno Klein, Ling Tao
Summary: The increasing consumption and emissions of jet fuel worldwide have created the necessity for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technologies. One option is to use waste or biomass-based feedstocks, which can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional jet fuel. This study evaluates the implications of key variables on the deployment of SAF at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and finds that woody biomass-based Fischer-Tropsch technology has the lowest production costs and reduces GHG emissions by 86% compared to conventional jet fuel.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Taemin Kim, Arpit Bhatt, Ling Tao, Pahola Thathiana Benavides
Summary: Producing valuable chemical products from wet wastes can effectively address the issues of waste accumulation and greenhouse gas emissions. This study evaluated the environmental impacts of waste-derived polylactic acids (PLA) from different waste feedstocks. The results showed that swine manure was the most carbon-intensive pathway, followed by food waste and wastewater sludge. Waste-to-PLA pathways had lower carbon footprints compared to fossil-based resins. The decarbonization potential was higher for food waste and wastewater sludge pathways than for swine manure pathway.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Arpit Bhatt, Vikram Ravi, Yimin Zhang, Garvin Heath, Ryan Davis, Eric C. D. Tan
Summary: Boilers are crucial for industrial facilities as they provide process heat, with most of them historically burning fossil fuels. However, there is now a growing interest in using renewable fuels to reduce carbon emissions. These boilers are significant sources of air pollutant emissions, making it essential to characterize these emissions for air permits and ensuring air quality protection.
JOURNAL OF THE AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Nicholas A. Carlson, Michael S. Talmadge, Eric C. D. Tan, Emily K. Newes, Robert L. Mccormick
Summary: This work investigates the pathways and costs of bio-VLSFO production and finds that bio-VLSFO production can be more cost-effective than fossil VLSFO under certain conditions. It also suggests that marine fuels can serve as a good entry point for refiners to decarbonize with biofuel pathways that can be extended to other product pools.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Farhad H. Masum, George G. Zaimes, Eric C. D. Tan, Shuyun Li, Abhijit Dutta, Karthikeyan K. Ramasamy, Troy R. Hawkins
Summary: Recent restrictions on marine fuel sulfur content and a heightened regulatory focus on maritime decarbonization are driving the deployment of low-carbon and low-sulfur alternative fuels for maritime transport. This study quantified the life-cycle greenhouse gas and sulfur oxide emissions of several marine biofuel candidates and compared them with the emissions reduction targets set by the International Maritime Organization. The results show that marine biofuels have significant potential for decarbonizing the maritime sector, with a range of 41-163% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional low-sulfur fuel oil.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yudong Li, Ryan Davis, Eric C. D. Tan, Jacob Dempsey, Kelsey Lynch, David A. Sievers, Xiaowen Chen
Summary: This study investigated the impact of different refining conditions on the energy consumption, sugar yields, minimum sugar selling price, and environmental impacts of converting corn stover to sugars. The results showed that the relationship between energy consumption and sugar yields varied with changes in rotational speed and refiner plate design. By optimizing these factors, energy consumption could be reduced without significantly affecting sugar yields.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shaik Afzal, Avantika Singh, Scott R. Nicholson, Taylor Uekert, Jason S. DesVeaux, Eric C. D. Tan, Abhijit Dutta, Alberta C. Carpenter, Robert M. Baldwin, Gregg T. Beckham
Summary: Plastic waste management is a global concern due to its accumulation in landfills and the natural environment. Gasification can convert mixed plastic waste into valuable products such as methanol and hydrogen. This study conducted a techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment of gasification pathways for mixed plastic waste. The results showed that the cost, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions of these pathways are influenced by factors such as syngas yield and waste plastic feedstock price.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Geetanjali Yadav, Avantika Singh, Abhijit Dutta, Taylor Uekert, Jason S. DesVeaux, Scott R. Nicholson, Eric C. D. Tan, Calvin Mukarakate, Joshua A. Schaidle, Cody J. Wrasman, Alberta C. Carpenter, Robert M. Baldwin, Yuriy Roman-Leshkov, Gregg T. Beckham
Summary: This study analyzed the technical and economic characteristics of catalytic fast pyrolysis of waste plastics and found that converting the waste plastics into aromatic compounds can be cost-competitive and reduce energy consumption. However, this technology results in an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. The study also found that different catalytic fast pyrolysis processes have varying economic and environmental benefits.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
R. Gary Grim, Dwarak Ravikumar, Eric C. D. Tan, Zhe Huang, Jack R. Ferrell, Michael Resch, Zhenglong Li, Chirag Mevawala, Steven D. Phillips, Lesley Snowden-Swan, Ling Tao, Joshua A. Schaidle
Summary: Due to weight and travel distance challenges, liquid hydrocarbon fuels will remain the primary choice for medium to long-haul aviation. However, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) produced from biogenic carbon sources are gaining attention as an alternative to reduce CO2 emissions. Recent studies propose utilizing CO2 and renewable electricity to convert into SAF, offering competitive costs and carbon intensity, and providing a different option from traditional technologies.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
