Sustainability Assessment of Bioenergy from a Global Perspective: A Review

Development of bioenergy technologies: A scientometric analysis

Bioenergy has the potential to substitute the current demand for fossil fuels in various applications. Recovering energy from bio-based materials due to environmental considerations has been adopted as a policy objective by governments and international organizations, which led to both vast financial investment and scientific research, especially in the last two decades. So far, various feedstocks and technologies have been scrutinised by the research community, although not all of them are commercially adopted due to sustainability considerations. This study employs scientometric analysis to survey the progress of scientific development in the field of bioenergy from 1966 to 2022, using ten parameters including publication year, type of document, categories, countries, affiliations, document citations, co-authorship, author citation networks, journal citation networks, and keywords. A total of 51,905 scientific documents were collected from the Web of Science, involving more than 96,000 authors from 162 countries. The dispersion of studies followed an ascending distribution with a sharp increase in the second half of the 2000s. The evolution of keywords in terms of burst strength confirmed the advancements of technologies from primary first-generation to advanced fourth-generation bioenergies. Based on the evolution of science in this area, it is concluded that integrated sustainability assessment studies, covering technical, economical, environmental, and social aspects, are needed to bridge the gap between abundant theoretical endeavours and limited commercial use of this energy source.

Recent advancements in strategies to improve anaerobic digestion of perennial energy grasses for enhanced methane production

Perennial energy grasses (PEGs) are supposed to be a momentous heading to the development of biomass energy on account of their characteristic superiorities of high yield, strong adaptability and no direct competition with food crops. Anaerobic digestion of PEGs with great biogas-producing potential occupies an irreplaceable status despite a variety of pathways for conversion to renewable energy. However, efficient digestion of PEGs suffers from severe challenges in connection with feedstock properties such as recalcitrant structures. This review highlights recent research in anaerobic digestion of PEGs and focuses on essential aspects enhancing anaerobic digestion performance: types and properties of grasses, diverse pretreatments, various co-feedstocks for co-digestion, dosing of different additives, and improvements in reactors. General discussions on the future prospects of anaerobic digestion of PEGs are proposed. Overcoming knowledge gaps and technical limitations will facilitate further application of PEGs on an industrial scale.

Positioning Bio-Based Energy Systems in a Hypercomplex Decision Space—A Case Study

The optimization of the energy portfolio for a small, open, landlocked economy with rather limited fossil resources is a complex task because it must find a long-range, sustainable balance between the various goals of society under the constant pressure of different interest groups. The opinions of independent, informed experts could be an essential input in the decision-making process. The goal of this research was to determine the relative importance of the values and goals potentially accompanying projects, based on the utilization of bioenergy. The current research is based on a wide-ranging survey of 65 non-partisan experts, applying the Pareto analytic hierarchy process to ensure the unbiased prioritization of project segments. The results of the survey put a spotlight on the importance of the economic role of bioenergy projects. Contrary to previous expectations and considerations, the social functions of these projects have hitherto been given relatively little importance. The results highlight the importance of bioenergy in increasing the income-generating capacity of agricultural producers by optimal utilization of natural resources for agricultural production. This can be achieved without considerable deterioration of the natural environment. Modern agricultural production is characterized by high levels of mechanization and automatization. Under these conditions, the social role of bioenergy projects (job creation) is rather limited.

Viability and Sustainability Assessment of Bioenergy Value Chains on Underutilised Lands in the EU and Ukraine

Bioenergy represents the highest share of renewable energies consumed in the European Union and is still expected to grow. This could be possible by exploring bioenergy production on Marginal, Underutilised, and Contaminated lands (MUC) that are not used for agricultural purposes and therefore, present no competition with food/feed production. In this paper, the viability and sustainability of bioenergy value chains on these lands is investigated and measures for market uptake were developed. Using three case study areas in Italy, Ukraine, and Germany, a screening of MUC lands was conducted, then an agronomic assessment was performed to determine the most promising crops. Then, techno-economic assessments followed by sustainability assessments were performed on selected value chains. This concept was then automated and expanded through the development of a webGIS tool. The tool is an online platform that allows users to locate MUC lands in Europe, to define a value chain through the selection of bioenergy crops and pathways, and to conduct sustainability assessments measuring a set of environmental, social, and economic sustainability indicators. The findings showed positive results in terms of profitability and greenhouse gas emissions for bioethanol production from willow in Ukraine, heat and power production from miscanthus, and biogas and chemicals production from grass in Germany. The webGIS tool is considered an important decision-making tool for stakeholders, which gives first insights on the viability and sustainability of bioenergy value chains.

Contribution of Biomass Supply Chains for Bioenergy to Sustainable Development Goals

This work evaluates the relationships between bioenergy and related biomass supply chains and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Using Nilsson et al. (2016) seven-point scoring framework, the relationships between biomass supply for bioenergy and the SDGs were evaluated based on existing synthesis papers, modeling studies and empirical analyses, and expert knowledge. To complement this, contributions to SDG targets of 37 best practice case studies from around the world were documented. In reviewing these case studies, it was found that when supply chains are implemented appropriately and integrated with existing systems, they can have overwhelmingly positive contributions. Beyond directly contributing to SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), at least half of all case studies supported progress toward SDGs 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and 12 (Responsible Production and Consumption); however, the ways in which supply chains contributed often differed. Agricultural biomass supply chains (energy crops and residues) were most likely to contribute to SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger) and 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), while waste and forest supply chains were most likely to contribute to SDG 15 (Life on Land). The development of bioenergy systems in rural and indigenous communities also indirectly supports societal SDGs such as SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Inequality), and 10 (Reduced Inequalities). This work informs how SDGs can be used as a normative framework to guide the implementation of sustainable biomass supply chains, whether it is used for bioenergy or the broader bioeconomy. Recommendations for key stakeholders and topics for future work are also proposed.

The Importance of Higher Education in the EU Countries in Achieving the Objectives of the Circular Economy in the Energy Sector

The main purpose of the article was to identify and present the current situation and changes in higher education in the field of electricity and energy studies in the European Union countries. The specific objectives include determining the degree of concentration of education in the fields of electricity and energy in the EU countries, showing the directions of their changes, types of dominant education in this field, establishing the correlation between education in the fields of electricity and energy and the parameters assessing the achievement of circular economy assumptions in the energy sector. All Member States of the European Union were deliberately selected for research. The research period covered the years 2013–2018. The source of the materials is a literature review on the subject and Eurostat data. For the analysis and presentation of materials, methods such as descriptive, tabular, graphical, dynamics indicators with a constant basis, Gini concentration coefficient, concentration analysis using the Lorenz curve, coefficient of variation, Pearson’s linear correlation coefficient were used. A high concentration of education in the fields of electricity and energy was found in several EU countries, the largest in countries with the highest energy consumption, i.e., in France and Poland. Changes in the level of concentration practically did not take place, only in the case of master’s studies, there was an increase in concentration. However, the EU countries did not differ significantly in terms of the structure of the number of students studying electricity and energy.

Resources, Collaborators, and Neighbors: The Three-Pronged Challenge in the Implementation of Bioeconomy Regions

Over the last decade, the bioeconomy has become increasingly important and visible in international policy agendas, with several strategies being recently developed. The implementation of bio-based technologies mostly takes place on a regional scale. Therefore, from a regional perspective, a key question revolves around what main challenges are associated with technological developments that could catalyze the implementation of sustainable bioeconomy regions. In this study, a cross-cutting analysis was carried out to determine these challenges. First, interviews were conducted with industry practitioners and scientists working in the bioeconomy field. These interviews were supplemented with a literature review to determine the status quo of bioeconomy strategies and their implementation, particularly on a regional level. A multidisciplinary workshop was then organized to identify the most relevant challenges in the short- and mid-term associated with establishing bioeconomy regions. The results show that there is a three-pronged challenge in innovative technological development from a regional perspective: (1) Resources: The establishment of sustainable regional feedstock strategies and supplies for supporting the bio-industrial sector; (2) collaborators: The establishment of a regional “critical mass” by fostering supply chain clusters and networks; and (3) neighbors: Understanding the local dynamics of societal trends and preferences and social acceptance of bio-technologies and their representative bio-based products.

Assessment of the Impact of Bioenergy on Sustainable Economic Development

The Solow-Swan macroeconomic model reveals the fact that the marginal capital rate of the bioenergy sector, as well as the bioenergy productivity and productivity of the resources variation, having positive values of their estimated coefficients, have the capacity of stimulating the sustainable economic development of an emerging country, such as Romania. The economic model substantiated by the correlations between the macroeconomic indicators evaluates the convergence in relation with the European Union (EU) average. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the impact of bioenergy on sustainable economic development. The econometric analysis revealed the fact that the bioenergy productivity, the productivity of the resources and the capital productivity of the bioenergy sector have a positive and statistically significant impact on the sustainable economic development. Data was collected from The European Statistical Office and analyzed with SPSS 22 statistical software package. Quantitative methods highlight the disparities between developed and developing countries of EU in terms of bioenergy use and efficiency.