Going Carbon Neutral and Carbon Negative through Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass

Dear Colleagues,

A viable alternative to fossil fuels is represented by biomass, which is an abundant and dispatchable source of renewable energy. Moreover, this energy source enables a net-zero carbon balance, since the amount of carbon dioxide produced during the combustion process is virtually entirely used for oxygen production during photosynthesis. Additionally, capturing CO₂ during the production of energy or energy vectors from biomasses enables carbon removal because the carbon dioxide that is absorbed during growth is not re-released but, instead, captured and removed from the natural carbon cycle.

Encouraging ways to transform biomass into energy and energy vectors are pyrolysis and gasification processes, which have been demonstrated to be efficient and environmentally friendly methods.

For this Special Issue, we invite papers that consider the various aspects of converting biomass waste by means of pyrolysis and gasification into valuable products, with special attention to experimental and simulation works that investigate new processes and technologies at relatively high technological readiness levels (industrial and pilot scales) as well as the pretreatment and upgrading processes realized to enhance the productivity and efficiency of thermochemical conversion.

Topics of interests include but are not restricted to:

• biomass pyrolysis and upgrading processes;
• integrated pyrolysis systems;
• hydrogen from biomasses;

• advanced biomass pretreatment (e.g., hydrothermal carbonization, torrefaction);
• advanced cleaning and conditioning (e.g., plasma-enhanced catalytic oxidation, membranes);
• gas treatment and carbon capture processes;
• advanced/integrated electrical/thermal energy cogeneration (e.g., chemical looping gasification; carbon capture, storage, and use; power to gas);
• techno-economic assessment studies for optimization of the integrated system and life cycle assessment;
• modeling, thermodynamics, and process simulation.

Dr. Vera Marcantonio
Dr. Enrico Bocci
Prof. Dr. Mauro Capocelli
Guest Editors

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• biomass
• gasification
• pyrolysis
• hydrogen
• biochar
• biomass pretreatment

Title: Carbon Footprint in the Lignocellulosic Biomass Pyrolysis with Reactor: Electric and Traditional
Authors: Juan-Carlos Cobos-Torres; Juan Izquierdo; Manuel Alvarez-Vera
Affiliation: Universidad Católica de Cuenca
Abstract: In this industrialized world, where there is daily consumption of fossil fuels, companies seek to prioritize energy generation through renewable energy sources with minimal environmental impact to reduce their Carbon Footprint. The research objective was to calculate the carbon footprint when developing the pyrolysis process in two types of reactors: electric and traditional. In addition, the amount of polluting gases and the energy consumption necessary to convert biomass into biochar were compared. Residual lignocellulosic biomass (RLB) from various species present in the southern region of Ecuador (eucalyptus, capouli, and acacia) were used, with three replicates per reactor. The electric reactor (ER) consumed 91.25% less energy than the traditional reactor (RT) and distributed heat better in each pyrolytic process. The TR generated more pollution than the ER, in the case of CO 40.48%, NO2 50%, SO2 66.67%, and CH4 79.63%. Undoubtedly, the pyrolysis process in a RE reduces environmental pollution and creates new bioproducts that could replace fossil fuels.