Bioethanol Production from Biomass of Selected Sorghum Varieties Cultivated as Main and Second Crop

Exploring agricultural waste biomass for energy, food and feed production and pollution mitigation: A review

Globally agricultural production system generates a huge amount of solid waste. Improper agri-waste management causes environmental pollution which resulted in economic losses and human health-related problems. Hence, there is an urgent need to design and develop eco-friendly, cost-effective, and socially acceptable agri-waste management technologies. Agri-waste has high energy conversion efficiency as compared to fossil fuel-based energy generation materials. Agri-waste can potentially be exploited for the production of second-generation biofuels. However, composted agri-waste can be an alternative to energy-intensive chemical fertilizers in organic production systems. Furthermore, value-added agri-waste can be a potential feedstock for livestock and industrial products. But comprehensive information concerning agri-waste management is lacking in the literature. Therefore, the present study reviewed the latest advancements in efficient agri-waste management technologies. This latest review will help the researchers and policy planners to formulate environmentally robust residue management practices for achieving a green economy in the agricultural production sector.

Low Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) Energy Crops to Bioenergy and Biofuels—A Review

Energy crops are dedicated cultures directed for biofuels, electricity, and heat production. Due to their tolerance to contaminated lands, they can alleviate and remediate land pollution by the disposal of toxic elements and polymetallic agents. Moreover, these crops are suitable to be exploited in marginal soils (e.g., saline), and, therefore, the risk of land-use conflicts due to competition for food, feed, and fuel is reduced, contributing positively to economic growth, and bringing additional revenue to landowners. Therefore, further study and investment in R&D is required to link energy crops to the implementation of biorefineries. The main objective of this study is to present a review of the potential of selected energy crops for bioenergy and biofuels production, when cultivated in marginal/degraded/contaminated (MDC) soils (not competing with agriculture), contributing to avoiding Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) burdens. The selected energy crops are Cynara cardunculus, Arundo donax, Cannabis sativa, Helianthus tuberosus, Linum usitatissimum, Miscanthus × giganteus, Sorghum bicolor, Panicum virgatum, Acacia dealbata, Pinus pinaster, Paulownia tomentosa, Populus alba, Populus nigra, Salix viminalis, and microalgae cultures. This article is useful for researchers or entrepreneurs who want to know what kind of crops can produce which biofuels in MDC soils.

Bioethanol Production Efficiency from Sorghum Waste Biomass

The problem of global warming is still a major issue, alongside shrinking oil reserves. A great alternative to fossil fuels is offered by biofuels, such as bioethanol from lignocellulosic plants. The sorghum biomass can be effectively used in many industrial directions. It is possible to use every part of this plant; the grain can be used for food production and straw can be used for energy purposes, i.e., for bioethanol. The aim of this study was to analyze the possibilities of bioethanol production from five varieties of sorghum biomass, which is a waste product of seed harvesting. The yields of sorghum cultivars in a three-year vegetation period; the amount of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin in the biomass of sorghum; and the amount of ethanol obtained per hectare were evaluated. It was observed that the highest average yield for all cultivars, except GK Emese, was found in the second year of the study. The bioethanol yield per hectare from this biomass was the highest for Sweet Caroline and was 9.48 m3∙ha−1. In addition, significant differences were found in the content of lignin and hemicellulose for the varieties tested in all years of the study and for the content of cellulose in the first and third years. The discussed results were confirmed by detailed statistical analyses, including combined matrices of Pearson correlation coefficients (crp) varieties and cluster analysis. In summary, the usefulness of the biomass of the studied sorghum varieties for the production of bioethanol was demonstrated.

Recent Developments and Applications of Hemicellulose From Wheat Straw: A Review

Hemicellulose is an important component of plant cell walls, which is mainly used in biofuels and bioproducts. The hemicellulose extracted from different plant sources and plant locations has different microstructure and molecule. Wheat straw is an important biomass raw material for the extraction of hemicellulose. The aims of this review are to summary the recent developments and various applications of hemicellulose from wheat straw. The microstructure and molecule of hemicellulose extracted by different methods are comparably discussed. The hemicellulose-based derivatives and composites are also reviewed. Special attention was paid to the applications of hemicellulose such as biofuel production, packaging field, and adsorbent. The problems and developing direction were given based on our knowledge. We expect that this review will put forward to the development and high-value applications of hemicellulose from wheat straw.

Comparing Bioeconomy Potential at National vs. Regional Level Employing Input-Output Modeling

The support of economic sectors that exploit natural bio-based resources in a particular region is an opportunity to benefit from local potentials in terms of sustainability, employment, output, and household income. Hence a relevant question emerges, namely, how can bioeconomy sectors be adequately supported? Within this context, another issue is whether the bioeconomy development strategy at a national level should be the same as that at a regional level. To address these issues, in the current study a comparison was made between the bioeconomy sectors at the country level based on the case study of Poland and one of the poorest regions in the European Union—the Lubelskie Region. A regional input–output model was built for the regional economy and compared with the national model. The bioeconomy-oriented regional input–output table was built by applying a hybrid regionalization method, combining non-survey techniques and a questionnaire survey that was carried out in companies of mixed bio-based sectors. Sectoral linkages, such as multipliers and elasticities, indicate notable differences among the bio-based sectors’ potentials of the regional and national economies. Therefore, a bioeconomy development strategy should be seen to differ at national and regional levels.

Optimisation of Energy Use in Bioethanol Production Using a Control Algorithm

In this work, the possibility of limiting energy consumption in the manufacturing process of bioethanol to obtain biofuel was analysed. For this purpose, a control algorithm has been optimised while retaining the good quality of the control signals. New in this study is the correlation of the control algorithm not only with the signal’s quality, but also with the energy consumption in such an energy-intensive process as rectification. The rectification process in a periodic production system has been researched. The process was modelled on a test station with the distillation mixture capacity of 25 dm3. For the optimization, the following control algorithms have been applied: relay, PID and PID after modification to I-PD. The simulation was carried out on a transfer function model of the plant that has been verified on a real object, a rectification column. The simulations of energy consumption and control signal’s quality have been carried out in the Matlab®-Simulink environment after implementing the model of the research subject and control algorithms. In the simulation process, an interference signal with an amplitude of 3% and frequency of 2 mHz was used. The executed analyses of the control signal quality and the influence of the control algorithm on the energy consumption has shown some essential mutual relationships. The lowest energy consumption in the rectification process can be achieved using the I-PD controller—however, the signal quality deteriorates. The energy savings are slightly lower while using the PID controller, but the control signal quality improves significantly. From a practical point of view, in the considered problem the best control solution is the classic PID controller—the obtained energy effect was only slightly lower while retaining the good quality of the control signals.