Sustainable bio-economy that delivers the environment–food–energy–water nexus objectives: The current status in Malaysia

Trial of Biopellet Prepared by Napier Grass

Pelletization from nonwoody biomass has gained a lot of attention due to its potential to secure biomass feedstock supply and pricing. Studies have been conducted to produce biopellets from different parts of Napier grass plant. In this study, two different species of Napier grass were used. Two pressure points and five different times were varied accordingly. Proximate, ultimate, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses were performed to assess chemical properties. Statistical analysis of the collected data validated and supported the discussion. The produced pellets of Napier grass exhibited good energy density comparable to those in the literature based on gross calorific values. The pellet density demonstrated a significant effect with time, pressure, and feedstock ratios. The pellet durability test showed comparable characteristics to another biomass pellet. Both Pakchong Napier grass (PNG) and wild Napier grass (WNG) biopellet densities obtained were higher than 0.650 g/cm³, and the durability was higher than 95%. This signifies that the pellet can withstand repeated transfer during handling without breakage.

Biomass Energy in Malaysia: Current Scenario, Policies, and Implementation Challenges

The energy demand in Malaysia has shown a dramatic increase over the last few years: with natural gas and coal being the primary contributors. Nevertheless, due to declining in fossil fuel reserves coupled with negative environmental impacts, shifting to sustainable renewable energy for meeting the future energy demand is recommended. Since Malaysia is rich with natural resources, utilization of biomass energy (bioenergy/biofuel) as the alternative energy is promising to be further explored. Therefore, this review paper intents to discuss the current scenario of different types of biomass energy in Malaysia along with the up-to-date local biomass energy-related environmental policy (from 2016 onwards). In addition, challenges and barriers for large-scale implementation of the biomass energy in Malaysia are to be discussed. Overall, this review paper is interesting as it can assist in promoting the biomass utilization as energy source, and to ensure the future growth of biomass energy market in the country along with its effective implementation while alleviating poor disposal problem and to create job employment opportunities. Furthermore, a collective effort to expand potential biomass feedstocks, apart from oil palm, should be emphasized to encourage the renewable energy production diversification in the nation.

Integrated Analysis of the Water-Energy-Environmental Pollutant Nexus in the Petrochemical Industry

China has set high water-conservation, energy-saving, and pollutant-reduction goals for the petrochemical industry. This represents a challenge to petrochemical enterprises because of the complex coupling between water, energy, and environmental pollutant (WEE) subsystems, elements (different types of WEE), and production units. However, there has been little research on the element-level coupling relationship. The connection and difference between the coupling relationships of the system, element, and unit levels are not well understood. Therefore, an integrated analysis method was developed to quantify the petrochemical WEE nexus (WEEN) at these three levels, including a generic WEEN model, material and energy flow analysis, and a WEEN analysis matrix. Three indicators were proposed to analyze three-level coupling quantitatively and to formulate improvement strategies for water-conservation, energy-saving, and pollutant-reduction. A case study demonstrated significant three-level coupling. The coupled percentage of WEE subsystems were 95.87%, 61.97%, and 54.99%, respectively. The dominant energy subsystem was the root of high consumption and pollution. Based on synergies and trade-offs, we proposed element optimization priorities: High priority (deoxidized water and fuel), medium priority (steam, circulating water, and wastewater), and low priority (fresh water, demineralized water, waste gas, and electricity). The identified unit improvement potential revealed overestimation (hydrotreating and delayed coking units) and underestimation (crude distillation units) of conventional methods that overlook three-level coupling.

Technical Aspects of Biofuel Production from Different Sources in Malaysia—A Review

Due to the depletion of fossil fuels, biofuel production from renewable sources has gained interest. Malaysia, as a tropical country with huge resources, has a high potential to produce different types of biofuels from renewable sources. In Malaysia, biofuels can be produced from various sources, such as lignocellulosic biomass, palm oil residues, and municipal wastes. Besides, biofuels are divided into two main categories, called liquid (bioethanol and biodiesel) and gaseous (biohydrogen and biogas). Malaysia agreed to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 45% by 2030 as they signed the Paris agreement in 2016. Therefore, we reviewed the status and potential of Malaysia as one of the main biofuel producers in the world in recent years. The role of government and existing policies have been discussed to analyze the outlook of the biofuel industries in Malaysia.

Sustainability Considerations in Water–Energy–Food Nexus Research in Irrigated Agriculture

Irrigated agriculture is essential to satisfying the globally increasing demand for food and bio-based products. Yet, in water scarce regions, water-use for irrigation aggravates the competition for the use of water for other purposes, such as energy production, drinking water and sanitation. Solutions for sustainable food production through irrigated agriculture require a systemic approach to assess benefits and trade-offs across sectors. Here, the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus has become an important concept in natural resource management. It has been conceptualized to analyze linkages and trade-offs between the three sectors, across temporal and spatial scales. However, the concept has so far mainly been conceptual, with little empirical evidence or proof of concept in real world cases. The objective of this paper was to take stock of the rapidly advancing literature on the WEF nexus in irrigated agriculture, and to analyze how the concept was actually implemented in research studies, and how the nexus between water, food and energy was actually dealt with. The study period ranges from 2011 to 2019, and includes 194 articles. Results showed that the WEF nexus is indeed very relevant in irrigated agriculture, and the respective literature makes up one third of all WEF nexus papers. Modeling and empirical research have caught up with conceptual synthesis studies during the last four years, thereby indicating that the WEF nexus concept is indeed increasingly operationalized. However, most studies addressed the WEF nexus from a perspective of either socioeconomic, technological or environmental categories, and they place one of the dimensions of water, food or energy into the foreground. To address sustainable development, there is a need to fully integrate across research disciplines and thematic dimensions. Such studies are only starting to emerge. These findings are an important evidence-base for future WEF nexus research on irrigated agriculture, in support of sustainable solutions for water scarce regions, especially in settings undergoing transformations.