Advancements in efficient energy sources have played a pivotal role in determining the present world energy structure. Renewable biomass energy has been incorporated in industrial regulations and ...policies in many European countries. Based on the statistics, more than one-seventh of the total world energy consumption is generated from biomass.The renewable energies movement was prompted by two important factors: a) growing world energy consumption and b) the abundance of generated biomass residues, especially in agriculture. In the case of the first, batteries containing different metals are considered, as is the production of items for human consumption (food, clothing, home comfort, etc.). In the second case, the biomass waste from plants and animals, as byproducts of cultivating and production processes, is the main source of generated waste.
The present study reviews the status of research on biomass supply chain modeling. Biomass has become increasingly important as a renewable alternative energy source. One of the most critical aspects ...associated with the use of biomass is its supply chain and all the elements that are part of it. Indeed, in order for the use of this type of energy resource to become viable, its supply chain, from collection and transport to storage and distribution, needs to be well structured and optimized. Modeling is a critical step in developing understanding that leads to improved supply chain efficiency. Thus far, investigations that utilize supply chain models have focused on assessing specific supply chain scenarios, usually with an objective of minimizing cost. Significant opportunity exists to improve and expand the modeling process to allow for efficient supply chain design and operation. During this article will be analyzed several models presented by recent research that approach different situations and scenarios. At the end it is shown that biomass for energy supply chain models must include the analysis of several different variables and include the main disadvantages of its use as well.
•The status of research on biomass supply chain modeling is reviewed.•The importance of biomass as a renewable alternative energy source is presented.•The most critical aspects associated with the use of biomass and its supply chain are analyzed.•Several models presented by recent research that approach different situations and scenarios are discussed.•Biomass for energy supply chain models include several different variables and disadvantages that shown in the end.
Monitoring of vegetation structure and functioning is critical to modeling terrestrial ecosystems and energy cycles. In particular, leaf area index (LAI) is an important structural property of ...vegetation used in many land surface vegetation, climate, and crop production models. Canopy structure (LAI, fCover, plant height, and biomass) and biochemical parameters (leaf pigmentation and water content) directly influence the radiative transfer process of sunlight in vegetation, determining the amount of radiation measured by passive sensors in the visible and infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Optical remote sensing (RS) methods build relationships exploiting in situ measurements and/or as outputs of physical canopy radiative transfer models. The increased availability of passive (radar and LiDAR) RS data has fostered their use in many applications for the analysis of land surface properties and processes, thanks also to their insensitivity to weather conditions and the capability to exploit rich structural and textural information. Data fusion and multi-sensor integration techniques are pressing topics to fully exploit the information conveyed by both optical and microwave bands.
Biomass is a renewable resource whose utilization has received great attention due to environmental considerations and the increasing demands of energy worldwide. This volume discusses the ...environmental impacts and social concerns of energy production in its various forms, offering comprehensive coverage of the many available biofuels.
Food versus fuel Rosillo-Calle, Frank; Johnson, Francis
2010., 2010, 2013-04-04, 2010-09-23, 20100101
eBook, Book
Presents an introduction to the science and economics behind a well-worn debate, that debunks myths and provides quality facts and figures for academics and practitioners in development studies, ...environment studies, and agricultural studies.
Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is globally available and sustainable feedstock containing sugar-rich platform that can be converted to biofuels and specialty products through appropriate processing. ...This review focuses on the efforts required for the development of sustainable and economically viable lignocellulosic biorefinery to produce carbon neutral biofuels along with the specialty chemicals. Sustainable biomass processing is a global challenge that requires the fulfillment of fundamental demands concerning economic efficiency, environmental compatibility, and social responsibility. The key technical challenges in continuous biomass supply and the biological routes for its saccharification with high yields of sugar sources have not been addressed in research programs dealing with biomass processing. Though many R&D endeavors have directed towards biomass valorization over several decades, the integrated production of biofuels and chemicals still needs optimization from both technical and economical perspectives. None of the current pretreatment methods has advantages over others since their outcomes depend on the type of feedstock, downstream process configuration, and many other factors. Consolidated bio-processing (CBP) involves the use of single or consortium of microbes to deconstruct biomass without pretreatment. The use of new genetic engineering tools for natively cellulolytic microbes would make the CBP process low cost and ecologically friendly. Issues arising with chemical characteristics and rigidity of the biomass structure can be a setback for its viability for biofuel conversion. Integration of functional genomics and system biology with synthetic biology and metabolic engineering undoubtedly led to generation of efficient microbial systems, albeit with limited commercial potential. These efficient microbial systems with new metabolic routes can be exploited for production of commodity chemicals from all the three components of biomass. This paper provides an overview of the challenges that are faced by the processes converting LCB to commodity chemicals with special reference to biofuels.
In recent years, the production of pellets derived from forestry biomass to replace coal for electricity generation has been increasing, with over 10 million tonnes traded internationally—primarily ...between United States and Europe but with an increasing trend to Asia. Critical to this trade is the classification of woody biomass as ‘renewable energy’ and thus eligible for public subsidies. However, much scientific study on the net effect of this trend suggests that it is having the opposite effect to that expected of renewable energy, by increasing atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide for substantial periods of time. This review, based on recent work by Europe's Academies of Science, finds that current policies are failing to recognize that removing forest carbon stocks for bioenergy leads to an initial increase in emissions. Moreover, the periods during which atmospheric CO2 levels are raised before forest regrowth can reabsorb the excess emissions are incompatible with the urgency of reducing emissions to comply with the objectives enshrined in the Paris Agreement. We consider how current policy might be reformed to reduce negative impacts on climate and argue for a more realistic science‐based assessment of the potential of forest bioenergy in substituting for fossil fuels. The length of time atmospheric concentrations of CO2 increase is highly dependent on the feedstocks and we argue for regulations to explicitly require these to be sources with short payback periods. Furthermore, we describe the current United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change accounting rules which allow imported biomass to be treated as zero emissions at the point of combustion and urge their revision to remove the risk of these providing incentives to import biomass with negative climate impacts. Reforms such as these would allow the industry to evolve to methods and scales which are more compatible with the basic purpose for which it was designed.
Trade in wood pellets from forestry biomass to replace coal for electricity generation is increasing dramatically. Critical to this trade is the classification of woody biomass as ‘renewable energy’ and thus eligible for public subsidies. However, scientific studies show that it is having the opposite effect and is increasing atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide for substantial periods of time. We argue that EU regulations and the current United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change accounting, which both allow imported biomass to be treated as zero emissions at the point of combustion, should be revised to remove incentives to import biomass with negative climate impacts.
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•An energy resource data for oil palm biomass is generated.•The data encompasses crucial fuel and physicochemical characteristics.•These characteristics guide on biomass behaviors and ...technology selection.•Oil palm biomass is advantageous in today’s energy competitive markets.•Overall, it is a green alternative for biorefinery establishment.
The scarcity of conventional energy such as fossil fuels (which will lead to eventual depletion) and the ever-increasing demand for new energy sources have resulted in the world moving into an era of renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency. The Malaysian oil palm industry has been one of the largest contributor of lignocellulosic biomass, with more than 90% of the country’s total biomass deriving from 5.4million ha of oil palms. Recent concerns on accelerating replanting activity, improving oil extraction rate, expanding mill capacity, etc. are expected to further increase the total oil palm biomass availability in Malaysia. This situation has presented a huge opportunity for the utilization of oil palm biomass in various applications including RE. This paper characterizes the various forms of oil palm biomass for their important fuel and other physicochemical properties, and assesses this resource data in totality – concerning energy potential, the related biomass conversion technologies and possible combustion-related problems. Overall, oil palm biomass possesses huge potential as one of the largest alternative energy sources for commercial exploitation.
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