Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Lubhan Cherwoo, Ishika Gupta, G. Flora, Ritu Verma, Muskaan Kapil, Shailendra Kumar Arya, Balasubramani Ravindran, Kuan Shiong Khoo, Shashi Kant Bhatia, Soon Woong Chang, Chawalit Ngamcharussrivichai, Veeramuthu Ashokkumar
Summary: Biofuels are sustainable, eco-friendly, and bio-economic alternatives to fossil fuels. They are classified into different generations based on production methods, cost-effective technology, and substrate used. While first and second-generation biofuels have limitations, third-generation biofuels show promise as environmentally friendly alternatives. Challenges still remain for commercialization, leading to the development of fourth-generation biofuels using innovative techniques. Further research and development are needed to overcome these challenges and pave the way for a sustainable bioeconomic pathway in the fuel industry.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES AND ASSESSMENTS
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Nicola Bozzolan, Giacomo Grassi, Frits Mohren, Gert-Jan Nabuurs
Summary: This research assesses the carbon sequestration effects of alternative wood product utilisations in four European Union countries. Prioritizing wood use for material purposes and maintaining constant harvest can increase the carbon stock of harvested wood products (HWP) in the short-medium term. However, the mitigation potential of HWP varies greatly depending on the characteristics of the national wood industry, highlighting the need for tailored mitigation strategies.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY BIOENERGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ana Alvarez-Gonzalez, Enrica Uggetti, Lydia Serrano, Gil Gorchs, Ivet Ferrer, Ruben Diez-Montero
Summary: This study evaluated the use of microalgal biomass produced during domestic wastewater treatment as a biofertilizer in basil crops. The results showed that combining microalgae with inorganic fertilizer can provide comparable plant growth to conventional fertilizers, with higher leaf dry weight.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Manuel Fiallos-Cardenas, Simon Perez-Martinez, Angel D. Ramirez
Summary: Bananas are a widely consumed crop globally, but the disposal of banana residues creates an environmental issue. This study aims to explore the potential of using banana residues for non-food bioproducts and proposes a circular bioeconomy for the banana value chain. The use of biorefineries for bioenergy production from banana residues is promising, but the transition to a circular economy requires commitment from stakeholders and overcoming economic and cultural barriers.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Edvaldo Pereira Santos Junior, Elias Gabriel Magalhaes Silva, Maria Helena de Sousa, Emmanuel Damilano Dutra, Antonio Samuel Alves da Silva, Aldo Torres Sales, Everardo Valadares de Sa Barretto Sampaio, Luiz Moreira Coelho Junior, Romulo Simoes Cezar Menezes
Summary: In Northeast Brazil, traditional biomass sources such as sugarcane and firewood are used for energy generation, while other biomass sources are underutilized or wasted. This article explores the potential of using non-traditional biomass sources for biofuel production to increase regional bioenergy supply. Public policies should focus on the carbon/decarbonization economy and the viability of future productive arrangements.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Armin Siegrist, Gillianne Bowman, Vanessa Burg
Summary: This study introduces a GIS-based approach for the spatial assessment of agricultural biogas production, considering factors such as legislation, biomass availability, transport, and energy distribution. The study identifies spatial criteria through literature review and expert knowledge, and develops quantitative GIS methods to identify suitable areas for biogas production. The findings show that biogas production potentials vary depending on legal, economic, and technological factors, and suggest the importance of biomass utilization, plant efficiency, and optimal energy utilization for optimizing GHG efficiency.
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Carlo Moscariello, Silvio Matassa, Giovanni Esposito, Stefano Papirio
Summary: In the emerging circular bioeconomy, industrial hemp biomass is a valuable resource for second-generation biorefineries, offering potential for sustainable production of bioenergy and high-value bioproducts. High yields of various products, including bioenergy, biodiesel, bioethanol, biomethane, microbial protein, biopolymers, and polyhydroxybutyrate, can be obtained from hemp biomass, showcasing its versatility and potential for the future.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sana Malik, Ayesha Shahid, Muhammad Nabeel Haider, Mahwish Amin, Michael J. Betenbaugh, Muhammad Aamer Mehmood, Muhammad Adnan Ul Haq, Achmad Syafiuddin, Raj Boopathy
Summary: This review assesses the prospects of emerging technologies for sustainable algal biorefinery development, with a focus on the processing issues. The findings show that high-rate algal ponds and integrated carbon capture and transformation technologies offer the possibility of waste valorization into eco-friendly algal production. Integrating physical and biological harvesting methods proves to be more reliable and efficient. Biomass processing in a cascading manner offers complete biomass valorization in a zero-waste paradigm. The integration of industry 4.0 and phenomics approaches with eco-friendly cultivation, harvesting, and processing technologies has the potential to realize a zero-waste algal biorefinery.
CURRENT POLLUTION REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
A. Assirelli, M. Brambilla, E. C. Leonello, N. Magagnotti, R. Spinelli
Summary: To minimize the burden on orchard termination and renewal, complete tree removal and processing is the most effective technique. However, specific biomass processing techniques are needed when dealing with rootstocks. This research aims to determine the efficiency of processing complete trees from orchard termination. The study found that combining a slow-speed shredder with a rotary sieve can effectively upgrade complete tree material into a viable fuel.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Richard Sikkema, Svetlana Proskurina, Manjola Banja, Esa Vakkilainen
Summary: The EU has set ambitious targets for renewable energy consumption, with solid biomass playing a significant role. Leading countries are close to reaching their goals, while lagging countries have a long way to go. The use of solid biomass is influenced by both ETS and non-ETS targets in the EU.
Article
Thermodynamics
Sana Malik, Ayesha Shahid, Michael J. Betenbaugh, Chen-Guang Liu, Muhammad Aamer Mehmood
Summary: The integration of multiproduct algal biorefineries with wastewater treatment systems offers a sustainable approach to produce green products. This study demonstrated a novel biorefinery route using a newly isolated self-flocculating microalga, which improved biomass production and removed pollutants from urban wastewater. Various downstream processes were employed to completely utilize the wastewater-derived biomass. The approach showed efficient harvesting and zero-waste production.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Santhosh Kumar Kookal, Prachi Nawkarkar, Naseem A. Gaur, Shashi Kumar
Summary: The study successfully removed toxic substances from ethanol spent water (ESW) using biochar and algae, and reduced the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biological oxygen demand (BOD) in the wastewater. Furthermore, the cultivation of algae in ESW also produced high-quality biofuel.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Huy Tran, Edie Juno, Saravanan Arunachalam
Summary: Despite the increase in biomass energy sector activity in the United States, the associated pollutant emissions are not accurately quantified in current regulatory inventories. This study reveals that emissions from wood pellet production facilities and biomass-based energy generation could be underestimated, potentially by a factor of two. The emissions from biomass facilities are 2.8 times higher per unit energy compared to nonbiomass facilities. Additionally, around 2.3 million people live near biomass facilities and may experience adverse health effects from these emissions. The bioenergy sector contributes to approximately 3-17% of total energy-related emissions in the US.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Sunita Varjani, Hossein Shahbeig, Kartik Popat, Zeel Patel, Shaili Vyas, Anil Shah, Damia Barcelo, Huu Hao Ngo, Christian Sonne, Su Shiung Lam, Mortaza Aghbashlo, Meisam Tabatabaei
Summary: The article provides a detailed overview of waste-to-energy (WtE) technologies and their benefits and drawbacks, as well as discussing the concept of biorefineries for waste management and sustainable energy generation. It emphasizes the importance of effectively applying WtE technologies in the global bioeconomy and provides a comprehensive overview of the current scenario for sustainable waste management, including the bottlenecks and perspectives.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Jozsef Popp, Sandor Kovacs, Judit Olah, Zoltan Diveki, Ervin Balazs
Summary: This study describes the complexity of bio-based value chains in decision-making related to biomass usage. The article provides a comprehensive review of global biomass and biomass-based energy supplies and demand, discusses the European chemical industry perspective, analyzes the changes in biomass-based energy balance indicators in the EU Member States, and considers the challenges of new plant breeding technologies.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Richard Sikkema, Svetlana Proskurina, Manjola Banja, Esa Vakkilainen
Summary: The EU has set ambitious targets for renewable energy consumption, with solid biomass playing a significant role. Leading countries are close to reaching their goals, while lagging countries have a long way to go. The use of solid biomass is influenced by both ETS and non-ETS targets in the EU.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Julia Le Noe, Karl-Heinz Erb, Sarah Matej, Andreas Magerl, Manan Bhan, Simone Gingrich
Summary: The study assessed the long-term dynamics of the terrestrial carbon budget in France from 1850 to 2015. It found that changes in land-use intensity and land conversion accounted for the majority of observed carbon stock changes, highlighting the importance of considering ecosystem carbon fluxes and their relationship with other emission processes for climate action strategies.
Article
Ecology
Iwona Dullinger, Franz Essl, Dietmar Moser, Karlheinz Erb, Helmut Haberl, Stefan Dullinger
Summary: This article discusses the impact of land-use intensity on biodiversity and proposes the integration of land-use intensity into biodiversity models. The article distinguishes three dimensions of land-use intensity and emphasizes the complex relationships with biodiversity. However, the multidimensional nature of land-use intensity appears insufficiently reflected in current research.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Agronomy
Karl-Heinz Erb, Helmut Haberl, Julia Le Noe, Ulrike Tappeiner, Erich Tasser, Simone Gingrich
Summary: Forest-based mitigation strategies are important for preventing catastrophic climate change, but there is disagreement on how to implement them. One view favors enhanced wood use as a substitute for emissions-intensive products, while others focus on forest conservation and restoration for carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. We propose a new perspective that takes into account forest growth dynamics and the carbon cost associated with wood use, and emphasizes the potential and desired carbon sequestration of forests.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY BIOENERGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Andreas Magerl, Sarah Matej, Lisa Kaufmann, Julia Le Noe, Karlheinz Erb, Simone Gingrich
Summary: The study found that the proportion of industrial wood in total forest biomass harvest in the United States continued to increase, while the demand for fuelwood and grazing gradually decreased, mainly due to shifts in feed and energy sources, as well as the substitution of fossil fuels for fuelwood. These changes have helped alleviate pressure on forest ecosystems to some extent.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Philipp Semenchuk, Christoph Plutzar, Thomas Kastner, Sarah Matej, Giorgio Bidoglio, Karl-Heinz Erb, Franz Essl, Helmut Haberl, Johannes Wessely, Fridolin Krausmann, Stefan Dullinger
Summary: Land-use has significant impacts on biodiversity, with land-use intensity playing a major role. The study finds that current land-use patterns lead to an average loss of about 15% of terrestrial vertebrate species and about 14% of their average native habitat area, putting 556 species at risk of global extinction. The contribution of low land-use intensity to biodiversity loss is substantial, accounting for approximately 25%.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Philipp Semenchuk, Christoph Plutzar, Thomas Kastner, Sarah Matej, Giorgio Bidoglio, Karl-Heinz Erb, Franz Essl, Helmut Haberl, Johannes Wessely, Fridolin Krausmann, Stefan Dullinger
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Christian Lauk, Lisa Kaufmann, Michaela C. Theurl, Fritz Wittmann, Michael Eder, Stefan Hoertenhuber, Bernhard Freyer, Fridolin Krausmann
Summary: Food provision is essential for society, but it also contributes to environmental change. This study examines the urban food system of Vienna and investigates the potential for reducing its environmental footprint through changes in food consumption. The results show that dietary changes have the greatest impact on reducing both land and greenhouse gas footprints, while regionalization has a comparatively smaller effect.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Lisa Kaufmann, Andreas Mayer, Sarah Matej, Gerald Kalt, Christian Lauk, Michaela C. Theurl, Karl -Heinz Erb
Summary: Short food supply chains and circularity are discussed as key factors for a sustainable food system. The authors propose a systematic conceptualization of self-sufficiency ratios (SSR) along three dimensions: livestock products, cropland products, and primary agricultural biomass. Based on agricultural statistics and models, the SSR dimensions are quantified for 226 regions in the European Union (EU). Results indicate a widespread disconnectedness between land use and consumption in European livestock systems, highlighting the need for stronger circular integration of crop- and livestock systems.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Philipp Semenchuk, Gerald Kalt, Lisa Kaufmann, Thomas Kastner, Sarah Matej, Giorgio Bidoglio, Karl -Heinz Erb, Franz Essl, Helmut Haberl, Stefan Dullinger, Fridolin Krausmann
Summary: By quantifying the global biodiversity footprint (BDF) of Vienna's biomass consumption, we found that food consumption (58%), biomass for material applications (28%), and bioenergy consumption (13%) contribute significantly to the loss of biodiversity. Although Vienna's per capita biomass consumption is above the global average, the per capita BDE in Vienna is roughly equal to the global average, indicating that Vienna sources its products from regions with efficient production systems and relatively low native species richness. It is concluded that dietary changes offer a key leverage point to reduce the urban BDF, while expanding the use of biomass for material and energy may increase the BDF and requires appropriate monitoring.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Karina Reiter, Christoph Plutzar, Dietmar Moser, Philipp Semenchuk, Karl-Heinz Erb, Franz Essl, Andreas Gattringer, Helmut Haberl, Fridolin Krausmann, Bernd Lenzner, Johannes Wessely, Sarah Matej, Robin Pouteau, Stefan Dullinger
Summary: Land use is a major driver of biodiversity loss. This study examines the correlation between human appropriation of net primary production and the decline of species richness in used landscapes across the globe. The findings suggest that human appropriation of net primary production is a useful indicator of heterotrophic species loss in used landscapes.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Helmut Haberl, Markus Loew, Alejandro Perez-Laborda, Sarah Matej, Barbara Plank, Dominik Wiedenhofer, Felix Creutzig, Karl-Heinz Erb, Juan Antonio Duro
Summary: The extent and spatial patterns of settlements and infrastructures have a significant impact on the resource demand of national economies worldwide, almost as much as GDP. While built structures at the urban level are known to influence energy demand and CO2 emissions, their role at the national level is often overlooked due to limited data availability. Instead, factors such as GDP are more commonly assessed. In this study, we present national-level indicators to characterize patterns of built structures and find that they are almost equally important as GDP for predicting energy demand and CO2 emissions.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Christian Lauk, Andreas Magerl, Julia le Noe, Michaela C. Theurl, Simone Gingrich
Summary: This article calculates and analyzes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to agriculture in Austria from 1830 to 2018, revealing the trends and drivers of these emissions. The study finds that agricultural GHG emissions in Austria increased by 69% over this period, from 4.6 Mt. CO2e/yr in 1830 to 7.7 Mt. CO2e/yr in 2018. The increase in agricultural production per capita was the main driver of GHG emissions growth from 1945 to 1985, while decreasing emission intensities of products and a more climate-friendly product mix contributed to emissions reduction after 1985.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Manan Bhan, Patrick Meyfroidt, Sarah Matej, Karl-Heinz Erb, Simone Gingrich
Summary: This study estimates the global biomass carbon stocks (BCS) for the year 1950 by integrating different data sources. The results show a reduction of 8-29% in BCS in tropical subcontinents, offset partially by gains in northern subcontinents. The significance of this study lies in extending the research of global BCS accounts to the early twentieth century.
JOURNAL OF LAND USE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Lars odegaard Bentsen, Narada Dilp Warakagoda, Roy Stenbro, Paal Engelstad
Summary: This study investigates uncertainty modeling in wind power forecasting using different parametric and non-parametric methods. Johnson's SU distribution is found to outperform Gaussian distributions in predicting wind power. This research contributes to the literature by introducing Johnson's SU distribution as a candidate for probabilistic wind forecasting.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2024)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Xing Liu, Qiuchen Wang, Yunhao Wen, Long Li, Xinfang Zhang, Yi Wang
Summary: This study analyzes the characteristics of process parameters in three lean gas ethane recovery processes and establishes a prediction and multiobjective optimization model for ethane recovery and system energy consumption. A new method for comparing ethane recovery processes for lean gas is proposed, and the addition of extra coolers improves the ethane recovery. The support vector regression model based on grey wolf optimization demonstrates the highest prediction accuracy, and the multiobjective multiverse optimization algorithm shows the best optimization performance and diversity in the solutions.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2024)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Cairong Song, Haidong Yang, Xian-Bing Meng, Pan Yang, Jianyang Cai, Hao Bao, Kangkang Xu
Summary: The paper proposes a novel deep learning-based prediction framework, aTCN-LSTM, for accurate cooling load predictions. The framework utilizes a gate-controlled multi-head temporal convolutional network and a sparse probabilistic self-attention mechanism with a bidirectional long short-term memory network to capture both temporal and long-term dependencies in the cooling load sequences. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method, which can serve as an effective guide for HVAC chiller scheduling and demand management initiatives.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2024)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zhe Chen, Xiaojing Li, Xianli Xia, Jizhou Zhang
Summary: This study uses survey data from the Loess Plateau in China to evaluate the impact of social interaction on the adoption of soil and water conservation (SWC) technology by farmers. The study finds that social interaction increases the likelihood of farmers adopting SWC, and internet use moderates this effect. The positive impact of social interaction on SWC adoption is more pronounced for farmers in larger villages and those who join cooperative societies.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2024)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Chenghua Zhang, Yunfei Yan, Kaiming Shen, Zongguo Xue, Jingxiang You, Yonghong Wu, Ziqiang He
Summary: This paper reports a novel method that significantly improves combustion performance, including heat transfer enhancement under steady-state conditions and adaptive stable flame regulation under velocity sudden increase.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2024)
