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The EU has set the ambitious target of raising the share of EU energy consumption produced from renewable resources to 32% by 2030, with a target of climate neutrality by 2050. The aim of this paper is to assess the role of biomass usage in the context of these targets. The paper identifies the progress made between 2013 and 2022 by focusing on a selection of EU countries. The largest bioenergy increments of 130, 77, and 60 PJ were reported for Poland, Sweden, and the Netherlands. This study evaluates the crucial role of co-generation and heat in EU regions, with biomass usage between 55 and 80% of the combined heat and power (CHP) energy in Nordic countries. The future perspectives for bioenergy based on EU policies, biomass resources, and technical issues were addressed. The EU possesses around 9% of the global biomass supply, ensuring a certain level of biomass resource dependence. Thus, the biomass usage demand in energy production, non-energy sectors, and transport is expected to rise, leading to increments of 13–76% on biomass imports. It appears that bioenergy development is mostly limited by economic issues and uneven support for bioenergy in different EU countries as well as environmental issues. The study shows a promising and sustainable potential of bioenergy in the EU as a renewable energy source while minimizing negative impacts on the environment and the economy. By 2050, liquid biofuels are likely to be increasingly used in the transport sector. Non-energy sector usage of biomass is still in an early stage of development, except for the pulp and paper industry, and significant use of biomass in non-energy sectors seems unlikely in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioethanol produced from lignocellulosic feedstock is a renewable substitute tolessening fossil fuels. The potential of waste office paper (WOP) to be used as renewable biomass for the production of reducing sugar via the enzymatic hydrolysis was evaluated in this study, as well as the production of bioethanol. The pretreatment was accomplished by first presoaking of (WOP) for (24 h), followed by treatment with a 0.1% N NaOH solution. Hydrolysis process was conducted with a crude cellulolytic enzymes produced by Cellulomonasuda (PTCC 1259). The effects of three factors (hydrolysis time, temperature and pH) on the extent of Saccharification were optimized by means of central composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology (RSM). Two of three factors (hydrolysis time and temperature) were identified to have significant effects (p < 0.05) on glucose release. Under optimum hydrolysis conditions the maximum amount of sugar released and hydrolysis efficiency were (23.86 g/L) and (89.4%), respectively. Sugars released from (WOP) were fermented into bioethanol (0.498 g bioethanol/ g glucose) with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The bioethanol production from sugars released from (WOP) using Saccharomyces cerevisiae was (11.88 g/L) after 48 h of cultivation, corresponding to a volumetric productivity of (0.247 g bioethanol/ L h). This study of enzymatic hydrolysis was a promising technique to develop bioethanol production from (WOP). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste paper as a kind of biomass contains a great quantity of cellulose which is a renewable energy resource. However, complex cellulose supramolecular structure restricts the conversion of waste paper in near-critical water. This study aimed to investigate the change characteristics of cellulose supramolecular structure (hydrogen bond models and crystallinity) during hydrolysis and its effects on 5-HMF yield. Waste paper has been treated in near-critical water at 375 °C and 22.5 MPa for a reaction time (160–240 s) and correlation between 5-HMF yield and the supramolecular structure of cellulose residues has been built up. The 5-HMF yield was increased with the increase of intermolecular hydrogen bonds content in cellulose residues and was increased first and then decreased with the increase of crystallinity of cellulose residues. The rate of decrystallization was out of sync with that of depolymerization, which also influenced 5-HMF yield. Reaction time can be a macro method to adjust the supramolecular structure of cellulose during the conversion of waste paper to obtain more 5-HMF. It showed that 5-HMF yield reached maximum 9.41% ± 0.47% when the intermolecular hydrogen bonds content of cellulose in residue was 67.77% and the crystallinity of cellulose in residue was 57.14% at 200 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignocellulosic biomass (LB) is widely used in the field of renewable energy production because of its low price and easy availability. Many kinds of fuels from LB have been developed and are being used in our daily lives. The LB energy has become an indispensable part in the energy mix on account of its steady and sustainable supply. However, there are some neglected issues and misconceptions regarding its development and utilization, although it has numerous advantages over other energy sources. Firstly, its development and utilization can change the living environment of organisms and decrease biodiversity to some extent, relative to using other sources of energy. Secondly, it is not a completely carbon-neutralized fuel as has been claimed in some literature. Finally, its excessive exploitation can seriously damage the environment and biosystems. This editorial will give a brief discussion on some neglected issues and misconceptions during its development and utilization for its suitable exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports the plan by Flambeau River Biofuels to build and operate a biorefinery facility at the Flambeau River Papers' pulp and paper mill in Park Falls, Wisconsin. The biorefinery will process biomass-toliquids (BTL). The facility will use advanced gasification technologies to produce synthesis gas from forest residuals and agricultural wastes, followed by Fisher- Tropsch catalyctic conversion of the syngas into sulfur-free diesel fuels and waxes. The processed biofuel will be use in the operation of the paper mill as process heat.

This paper uses the biomass of livestock, poultry manure and straw to study the resource utilization and integration technology by division and classification. The SPSS regression analysis and integration were applied to analyze the economic benefits of the base period (2018) and the audit period (2020). The analysis gives an opportunity in rural areas to reduce chemical fertilizers, pesticides, electricity and coal cost in planting, and this paper opens a novel window for utilizing renewable energy resources and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there are some issues and concerns about the World Trade Organization dispute settlement system, it remains an effective tool for countries to find reasonable solutions for their trading problems. This paper aims to identify the mechanisms of the settlement process between WTO members and to provide a relevant review of the European Union's trade disputes, in particular for energy sector cases. For this purpose, the paper implies a conceptual and descriptive framework and a qualitative approach regarding the EU's trade disputes, especially for energy sector. The results show that the EU is one of the most frequent members in trade disputes, but most of them are concluded. At the same time, most of the cases in the energy sector remain in the consultation phase, the EU being complained by Argentina, Indonesia, Russia, China and Malaysia for sectors related to biodiesel, renewable energy generation and oil palm-based biofuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood-processing facilities, including pulp, paper, lumber, and engineered wood facilities, use large amounts of energy for such purposes as evaporative drying and the curing of adhesives. Much of that energy is already being supplied by the incineration of biomass, and there is opportunity to increase the proportion of renewable energy that is used. Specific changes can be made within such factories that allow them to come closer to what is thermodynamically possible in terms of avoiding the wastage of exergy, which can be defined as useful energy. Savings in exergy are often obtained by optimization of a network of heat exchangers within an integrated system. No steam should be allowed to leak to the atmosphere; rather the latent heat (due to phase transitions) and sensible heat (due to temperature changes) are recovered during the heating up of incoming air and water, ideally at a similar range of temperatures. Thus, by a combination of process integration and full utilization of cellulosic residues generated from the process, even bio-based industries can be made greener. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nigeria, often referred to as "the giant of Africa," boasts a sizable population, a thriving economy, and abundant energy resources. Nevertheless, Nigeria has yet to fully harness its renewable energy potential, despite its enormous capacity in this field. The goal of this review paper is to thoroughly examine the difficulties and untapped opportunities in utilizing biomass for bioenergy production in Nigeria. Notably, Nigeria generates substantial volumes of biomass annually, primarily in the form of agricultural waste, which is often either discarded or burned inefficiently, resulting in significant ecological and environmental damage. Therefore, an efficient approach to reducing pollution and transforming waste into wealth involves converting these biomass resources into energy. This work critically examines the status of biomass utilization for energy applications in Nigeria and highlights the bottlenecks that impede its widespread adoption. The review emphasizes the economic and ecological advantages of biomass utilization over traditional waste treatment methods. Additionally, it underscores the appeal of biomass as an industrial fuel source, particularly considering the current high cost of fossil fuels in contemporary Nigeria. Relevant literature on biomass, energy, agricultural waste, fossil fuel, and calorific value in the context of Nigeria was reviewed by utilizing a thorough search technique in key scientific databases. The analysis did not include any non-English publications. The findings of this research provide valuable insights into the challenges faced in maximizing Nigeria's biomass potential and offer strategic recommendations to promote the use of biomass for bioenergy development. This review paper will assist a wide range of local and international readers, as well as industries interested in green and bioenergy, in making informed decisions regarding the most suitable types of biomass for biofuel production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests are a potentially carbon-negative energy source and function as carbon sinks. However, both of these functions have become threatened significantly by spruce bark beetle infestation in Czechia. This paper assesses how this ecological issue may affect the future energy mix, and in the process, affect carbon emission reduction targets and the available share of renewable energy sources (RESs). We assess several forest development scenarios with three policy incentives: subsidising wood pellet production, striving for climate neutrality, and adhering to ecological constraints. We build a spatially enriched energy system model, TIMES-CZ, based on Eurostat's NUTS3 regions. We find that the spruce bark beetle infestation may not exert a lasting influence on overall decarbonisation pathways, the energy mix, or system-wide costs in any forest scenario. The RESs share is affected only until 2030, and the effect is minimal, at <1.5 percentage points. Nevertheless, Czechia's RES contribution is far below the 45% 2030 EU target. Subsidising wood pellet production is a costly transition that does not contribute to meeting the target. Limiting forest biomass availability and adhering to ecological constraints increase the overall system costs and worsen the chances of meeting decarbonisation targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, Energy has become one of the most important issues. Negative environmental effects of fossil fuels lead countries to use renewable and sustainable energy sources day by day. In addition, energy supply and security have been an motivator factor in this field. This study focus on biomass that renewable and sustainable energy source. According to studies in literature, energy production from biomass resource less than other energy sources. The most important reason for this is the logistics costs. Therefore, biomass supply chain optimization is an important issue. In this study, mathematical models of biomass supply chain are reviewed. When the studies are evaluated, there are three approaches in modeling biomass supply chains. These approaches are as follows: 1) Collection and Distirubiton, 2) Selection, 3) Clustering. In additon, researchers generally focus on single-aim mixed integer mathematical models. However, recently, it is seen that there are multi-aim models in the literature for minimizing emissions as well as supply chain costs. In this study, general information about biomass and biomass supply chain, studies of in this area, mathematical models, details of published papers are given. Objective functions, cost/income items, methods of these models are discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aim through this paper to highlight the positive aspects of the production and consumption of renewable energies, particularly liquid biofuel. Apart from sugar as a highly prized food product and bioethanol as a green fuel, the energy from sugarcane is considered renewable because it is made from sugarcane bagasse. We will try to show the other face of the expansion in the production of biofuel from agricultural products and its negative effects, on the medium to long term from the economic, social and environmental axes. Apart from the difficult and inhumane conditions of the production of the first and second generation of Brazilian bioethanol, its mass production contributes to increasing the price of raw materials, in this case the price of sugar. However, the most striking, it is by adding the social and environmental cost to the economic cost; this can make the price of this bioenergy uncompetitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental pollution caused by marine engines fueled with fossil fuels is a matter of growing significance. The search for renewable and clean energy sources and improvements in the way fossil fuels are burnt aims to reduce the environmental impact of these engines. For this purpose, fatty acid methyl esters were produced from pure canola oil using KOH-assisted methanol-based transesterification with a maximum yield of 90.68 ± 1.6%. The marine engine's model was created with CONVERGE software, followed by experimental verification. This paper examines the blended fuel characteristics of a diesel engine with biodiesel blends (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%) at different loads of engines (50%, 75%, and 100%). It also explores the variation in these characteristics of B10 (10% biodiesel–diesel blends) at three different load conditions and four different EGR rates (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%). The results indicate that the addition of biodiesel to diesel fuel reduces CO, HC, and soot emissions, while increasing NOx emissions. Additionally, the EGR rate decreases NOx emissions but results in higher levels of soot, CO, and HC emissions. Finally, response surface methodology was used to elicit the engine's characteristics. It was determined that the optimum experimental operating conditions were 100% engine load, 6.9% biodiesel addition, and 7.7% EGR. The corresponding BTE, BSFC, NOx, and HC emissions were 38.15%, 282.62 g/(kW-h), 274.38 ppm, and 410.37 ppm, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia, is anticipated to experience an increase in energy consumption due to the growth of its manufacturing and industrial sectors, which aims to establish Vietnam as the world's new production hub. Fossil fuels, which are ecologically unfriendly and quickly running out, are now Vietnam's primary energy source. Due to the detrimental effects of fossil fuels on the environment, we can apply strategic decision-making in the industrial sector to choose the best alternative for a renewable energy resource (RER). RERs such as solar energy, wind energy, solid waste energy, biomass energy, geothermal energy, biofuel energy, and hydropower energy are important for generating energy and will be crucial for the survival of humanity, the planet, and other living things in the future. The actions of RER-based industrial development must be encouraged since they will make a significant contribution to overcome environmental impact limitations. The 2-tuple linguistic q -rung orthopair fuzzy set (2TL q -ROFS) is a novel development in fuzzy set theory that presents a decision-making method for selecting the most appropriate alternative. In this paper, we develop a family of the 2TL q -ROF Maclaurin symmetric mean aggregation operators such as the 2TL q -ROF Maclaurin symmetric mean (2TL q -ROFMSM) operator, the 2TL q -ROF dual Maclaurin symmetric mean (2TL q -ROFDMSM) operator and its weighted forms. We also look into a few of the proposed operators' properties and special cases. Then based on 2TL q -ROFS, a new Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) model is constructed, which can use the decision makers' preferences to get the optimum objective weights for attributes. Next, we extend the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method to 2TL q -ROF version which not only covers the uncertainty of human cognition but also gives decision makers a larger space to represent their decisions. Utilizing this model the best RER for Vietnam is selected. The outcomes of the hybrid 2TL q -ROF-DEMATEL-TOPSIS method reveal that among the energy resources, hydropower energy ranked highest, followed by biofuel energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fast depletion of fossil fuels and growing concerns about environmental sustainability have increased interest in using biomass as a renewable energy source. Fast pyrolysis, a thermochemical conversion process, has emerged as a promising technique for converting biomass into valuable biofuels and bio-based chemicals. The aim of this literature review is to comprehensively analyze recent advances in biomass fast pyrolysis, focusing on the principles, process parameters, product yields, and potential applications of biomass fast pyrolysis. This comprehensive review, based on an in-depth analysis of 61 scientific papers and 4 patents, provides an overview of various biomass technologies (combustion, gasification, pyrolysis) used for biofuel production. It focuses on the principles, benefits and applications of these technologies and serves as a valuable resource for researchers, engineers and policy makers. Based on the wealth of information from rigorously selected sources, we explore the key process parameters and reactor types associated with each technology, providing insight into its efficiency and product composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Woody biomass has gained increased attention as a source of renewable energy. However, its categorization as a sustainable source of energy remains controversial, as its carbon neutrality depends on its end use, moisture content, bulk density, and the distance between the source of biomass and its end use. Due to these mediating factors, policies largely shape its sustainability and ability to mitigate emissions. This paper organizes and evaluates the current state of research through a systematic review of global literature from 2011 to 2021 (n = 345) on the governance of the production, transportation, sale, and use of woody biomass for energy. Peer-reviewed literature emphasizes the role of woody biomass as a decentralized energy source for individual households and communities, focusing on its harvest, transport, and localized energy conversion. Policies primarily address land management and energy infrastructure rather than direct emissions reduction. Research gaps in policy within the Global South underscore the need to examine biomass regulation in regions with limited energy diversity. The key factors that drive the sustainable uptake of woody biomass include strict sustainability criteria, fiscal incentives, technological development, and wood utilization from across its value chain. Effective policy implementation increases rural employment, boosts rural economies, provides energy security to remote areas, improves overall environmental sustainability, reduces emissions, and improves land management practices. Our systematic review reveals that future research should focus on improving conversion efficiencies in small-scale systems, reducing emissions in the international trade of woody biomass, and using the wood value chain to increase the profitability of bioenergy products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of civilization is related to an increase in energy demand, while its production is still based mainly on fossil fuels. The release of carbon into the environment, which disturbs the balance of the global system, is the consequence of using these fuels. One possible way to reduce the carbon footprint of the energy sector is the widespread use of cover crops' biomass for energy production. The aim of this paper is to critically review the knowledge on the dissemination of catch and cover crops' cultivation in different regions of the world, and the yield, chemical composition and biomethane potential of their biomass. Additionally, the environmental benefits, as well as the challenges and opportunities associated with this biomass use in the energy sector, are considered. The review showed that the aboveground biomass of cover and catch crops is a valuable source for the production of bioenergy in biogas plants. However, the key role of these crops is to prevent soil degradation. Therefore, changes in biomass target use must be preceded by a multi-aspect analysis that allows their impact on the environment to be assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the strategies to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the energy sector is to increase the use of renewable energy sources such as bioenergy crops. Bioenergy is not necessarily carbon neutral because of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during biomass production, field management and transportation. The present study focuses on the cultivation of reed canary grass (RCG, Phalaris arundinaceae L.), a perennial bioenergy crop, on a mineral soil. To quantify the CO2 exchange of this RCG cultivation system, and to understand the key factors controlling its CO2 exchange, the net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) was measured during three years using the eddy covariance (EC) method. The RCG cultivation thrived well producing yields of 6200 and 6700 kg DW ha-1 in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Gross photosynthesis (GPP) was controlled mainly by radiation from June to September. Vapour pressure deficit (VPD), air temperature or soil moisture did not limit photosynthesis during the growing season. Total ecosystem respiration (TER) increased with soil temperature, green area index and GPP. Annual NEE was -262 and -256 g C m-2 in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Throughout the studied period, cumulative NEE was -575 g C m-2. When compared to the published data for RCG on an organic soil, the cultivation of this crop on a mineral soil had higher capacity to take up CO2 from the atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous depletion of global fossil energy, optimizing the energy structure has become the focus of attention of all countries. With the support of policy and finance, renewable energy occupies an important position in the energy structure of the USA. Being able to predict the trend of renewable energy consumption in advance plays a vital role in economic development and policymaking. Aiming at the small and changeable annual data of renewable energy consumption in the USA, a fractional delay discrete model of variable weight buffer operator based on grey wolf optimizer is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the variable weight buffer operator method is used to preprocess the data, and then, a new model is constructed by using the discrete modeling method and the concept of fractional delay term. The parameter estimation and time response formula of the new model are deduced, and it is proved that the new model combined with the variable weight buffer operator satisfies the new information priority principle of the final modeling data. The grey wolf optimizer is used to optimize the order of the new model and the weight of the variable weight buffer operator. Based on the renewable energy consumption data of solar energy, total biomass energy and wind energy in the field of renewable energy, the grey prediction model is established. The results show that the model has better prediction accuracy, adaptability and stability than the other five models mentioned in this paper. According to the forecast results, the consumption of solar and wind energy in the USA will increase incrementally in the coming years, while the consumption of biomass will decrease year by year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the climate crisis worsens, power grids are gradually transforming into a more sustainable state through renewable energy sources (RESs), energy storage systems (ESSs), and smart loads. Virtual power plants (VPP) are an emerging concept that can flexibly integrate distributed energy resources (DERs), managing manage the power output of each DER unit, as well as the power consumption of loads, to balance electricity supply and demand in real time. VPPs can participate in energy markets, enable self-scheduling of RESs, facilitate energy trading and sharing, and provide demand-side frequency control ancillary services (D-FCAS) to enhance the stability of the system frequency. As a result, studies considering VPPs have become the focus of recent energy research, with the purpose of reducing the uncertainty resulting from RESs distributed in the power grid and improving technology related to energy management system (EMS). However, comprehensive reviews of VPPs considering their formation, control techniques, and D-FCAS are still lacking in the literature. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a thorough overview of state-of-the-art VPP technologies for building sustainable power grids in the future. The review mainly considers the development of VPPs, the information transmission and control methods among DERs and loads in VPPs, as well as the relevant technologies for providing D-FCAS from VPPs. This review paper describes the significant economic, social, and environmental benefits of VPPs, as well as the technological advancements, challenges, and possible future research directions in VPP research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to point out the scientific development and research density of renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic, wind, and biomass, using a mix of computational tools. Based on this, it was possible to verify the existence of new research trends and opportunities in a macro view regarding management, performance evaluation, and decision-making in renewable energy generation systems and installations. A scientometric approach was used based on a research protocol to retrieve papers from the Scopus database, and through four scientometric questions, to analyze each area. Software such as the Science Mapping Analysis Software Tool (SciMAT) and Sci2 Tool were used to map the science development and density. The scientific development of renewable energy areas is highlighted, pointing out research opportunities regarding management, studies on costs and investments, systemic diagnosis, and performance evaluation for decision-making in businesses in these areas. This paper was limited to the articles indexed in the Scopus database and by the questions used to analyze the scientific development of renewable energy areas. The results show the need for a managerial perspective in businesses related to renewable energy sources at the managerial, technical, and operational levels, including performance evaluation, assertive decision making, and adequate use of technical and financial resources. This paper shows that there is a research field to be explored, with gaps to fill and further research to be carried out in this area. Besides, this paper can serve as a basis for other studies and research in other areas and domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combustion of fossil fuels constitutes a significant catalyst for climate change, resulting in the annual release of about two billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2). The increase in CO2 emission is directly linked to a heightened occurrence of natural calamities and health-related issues. The substitution of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources is a fundamental approach to reduce the negative impacts caused by consumption of these nonrenewable energy resources. The utilisation of biological methodologies to produce environmentally friendly energy from renewable sources holds significant potential for the sustainable production of fuel. However, the cultivation of first- and second-generation biofuel crops presents a challenge, since they compete for limited cropland, hence constraining their overall viability. In contrast, photosynthetic microorganisms such as algae and cyanobacteria exhibit significant potential as third-generation biofuel catalysts, devoid of the limitations associated with contemporary biofuels. Cyanobacteria, a type of photosynthetic prokaryotes, exhibit significant potential for the direct conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into biofuels, chemicals, and various other valuable compounds. There has been a growing interest in the concept of utilising biological processes to convert carbon dioxide into fuels and chemicals. The introduction of a limited number of heterologous genes has the potential to confer upon cyanobacteria the capability to convert particular central metabolites into a diverse range of end products. The progress in the field of synthetic biology and genetic manipulation has enabled the manipulation of cyanobacteria to synthesise compounds that are not generally produced by these organisms in their natural environment. This study focuses on recent papers that employ various methodologies to engineer cyanobacteria for the purpose of producing high-value compounds, such as biofuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To be socially robust, renewable energy policies aiming at achieving a low-carbon society require public support. Woody biomass is an important renewable energy source. It accounts for a large share of the renewable energy consumption in several EU countries. However, its sustainability credentials are contested. Little is known as yet about how the public perceives woody biomass. This paper aims to examine the public's intention to vote for continued use of woody biomass, and to find out whether this voting intention can be explained using the cognitive hierarchy model. This model posits that values, attitudes and beliefs predict higher order cognitions like intention. We extend the model by including an additional variable (perceived benefit). Although the model is widely used in connection with natural resource management issues, it has not yet been applied to the case of increasingly contested energy sources like woody biomass. We use Denmark as a case study given that woody biomass makes up the largest share of the renewable energy mix in the country. Results: Results of a nationwide questionnaire-based survey of the general public show that a large proportion of Danes are undecided about their attitudes towards, and their intention to vote for, woody biomass. Structural equation modeling results show that belief in the mitigation potential of woody biomass has a significant positive effect on both attitudes and voting intention. Altruistic and egoistic values have a significant positive effect on attitudes, which in turn have a significant positive influence on voting intention. We also confirm the mediating role of attitudes. Conclusions: Understanding public opinion-making processes can help to promote environmental decision-making that takes due account of public perceptions of the ways in which energy transitions come about. The cognitive hierarchy model is an apt framework with which to predict voting intention in the context of contested energy sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of resource depletion, energy scarcity, and toxic waste management, gasification is regarded as a viable waste-to-energy conversion method. Moreover, the Gasifier-Engine-Genest combo provides a suitable alternative for distributed electric power, waste conversion, and alleviating electricity scarcity. Despite an abundance of research report, it is not usually acknowledged as a viable alternative to traditional energy sources. Thus, to promote Gasification, efficient technology is required to maximize the yield of syngas with clean and improved calorific value. Furthermore, there is a void in the prior study that summarises the various types of biomasses and their pre-treatment, as well as the progression of conventional gasification to advanced gasification for the improvement of syngas quality and respective critical applications. Moreover, this is necessary in order to organise the conditions and biomass for gasification, which are many and frequently scattered in the literature. Hence, this study summarises the detailed review of recent novel concepts development over conventional techniques of biomass gasification. Recent reports on feed material properties of diverse biomass, as well as pre-treatment employing biomass torrefaction for gasification, are presented in this paper in order to evaluate their potential. In addition, a literature review of the various categories of gasification, the gasification processes, and the impact of technology on the quality of syngas, power generation and distribution were reported. In conclusion, it is proposed that enhanced gasification technology be employed to implement sustainable development in order to reduce the existing reliance on non-renewable energy sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the emergence of biofuels and its changing institutional mandates having implications for India's renewable energy policy. Biofuels have commanded much attention in research and policy circles as a renewable energy source providing energy security, creating sustainable livelihoods, mitigating climate change and fostering international trade. Diverting land for biofuels might compromise food security and health for the poor and vulnerable. The NMB was inaugurated in India in 2003 to produce biodiesel from jatropha, a biofuel crop, on unutilized wastelands, and promoted jatropha as a workable solution to this food-versus-fuel quandary owing to the plant's supposed ability to grow and produce oil-rich seeds on poor quality soils deemed unsuitable for food production. Jatropha's ability to thrive on barren lands might have been overstated, thus examining whether industrial and agricultural research institutions follow the global demand-pattern of biofuels and raising the concerns over their necessity, funding resources vis-à-vis differing mandates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In view of the increase in environmental degradation and the deterioration of natural resources, a set of previous studies has focused on clean energy sources, especially biomass energy. Although studies on the effects of biomass energy on economic growth have been given increasing attention recently, this research topic remains insufficiently investigated and the results remain inconclusive. Emerging countries, whether or not they are abundant in natural resources, rely heavily on energy sources that promise economic growth while being clean. This study examines the effects of biomass energy and natural resource rents on economic growth in the case of 14 selected emerging countries during the period 1984–2017, by applying a long-term approach and also following an analysis of various effects under different quantiles. The paper is aimed at developing a sustainable growth model by studying the varying economic effects of biomass energy consumption and natural resource rents (NRR) at different scales of economic growth. The purpose of the paper is, therefore, to verify whether biomass energy as a renewable energy can constitute a lever for economic expansion in different economic cycles. Panel quantile regression was used to analyze the varying effects of biomass energy consumption on economic growth, supported by a long-term analysis based on the Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) methods. The findings showed that emerging countries did not experience the same effects of biomass energy and natural resource rents on their economic growth. Indeed, the results of the quantile regression support the neutral hypothesis and suggest that biomass energy and natural resource rents do not have positive effects on economic growth whatever the level of economic development of the selected emerging countries. Further analysis revealed that the growth hypothesis is confirmed only for Oil-Rich Emerging Countries (OREC) and for medium and high levels of economic growth. The long-term analysis based on the FMOLS and DOLS techniques also supports the positive effects of biomass energy consumption on economic growth. The findings also indicated that only Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC countries) benefit from positive effects of natural resource rents on economic growth in the long term and for the different quantiles. The originality of this paper lies in its provision of a method for decision makers to reconcile natural resources and biomass energy as a renewable energy source in their economic development strategies based on recorded economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo has become a new trend or focus point as a source of biomass energy in which its proper application is believed to generate the electricity with near-zero waste. ASEAN countries especially have an abundant amount of bamboo that has been use for decades in various applications through their civilization. This study aims to determine the feasibility of bamboo as a renewable energy resource in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Japan. This paper reviews general biomass bamboo, availability, and methods of technology in the respective countries based on the review of publication papers and country reports. This fast-growing crop is identical for biomass production as it rapidly self-propagates. Bamboo requires minimum maintenance to grow and is always accessible to be harvested. The woody nature of the tropical bamboo stem contributes to its high calorific value in the form of energy. It was found that Indonesia had become a leading country in generating renewable energy via biomass bamboo through a power plant with a capacity of 700 kW off-grid in Mentawai, Japan with a power generation capacity of 995 kW and Malaysia with 4 MW, will be commercialised by 2023 and 2022. In conclusion, biomass bamboo has great potential for renewable energy generation within these countries. This has consequently contributed to increase in the value of bamboos while positively impacting the socioeconomic stance of the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is aimed at studying the methodological aspects of assessing the features and advantages of implementing climate-neutral investment projects in the context of environmental protection and energy security. For this purpose, investigation is focused on the performance of investment projects in nature resource sectors (agriculture, forestry, etc.) that provide renewable resources (biomass) for the generation of green energy. The paper identifies the peculiarities of the transition to low-carbon economy and creation of carbon markets as platforms for the development of a system for managing climate-neutral investment projects. The scientific novelty of this research lies in the improvement of approaches to substantiating the economic feasibility of investments in nature resource sectors in view of the climate change. Namely, a comprehensive approach to comparing alternative variants of investment project solutions in climate- neutral projects is suggested. Moreover, the developed methodological recommendations account for the variable meteorological factors in calculating economic indicators. The paper's practical value can be seen in the determination of the benefits from the implementation of climate-neutral projects using the example of production and processing of the agro-biomass for the development of renewable energy based on the circular use of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world is moving towards a low-carbon economy through renewable energy sources. In this context, concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies can exploit the rich solar resource in Brazil, diversifying the national electricity mix. The aim of this paper is to support the insertion of CSP generation in the Brazilian bottom-up model MATRIZ by analyzing the environmental performance of three CSP technologies: (i) solar tower power (STP) with a thermal storage system (TSS) of 7.5 h; (ii) solar thermal parabolic trough (STPT) with a TSS of 6 h; and (iii) STPT without TSS. From a life cycle perspective, their freshwater consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are addressed by employing the software SimaPro, the Ecoinvent database, and the ReCiPe 2016 method, as well as information from the system advisory model (SAM) and the literature. As a result, STP is the most environmentally sound CSP alternative, presenting lower GHG emissions and water consumption than the two STPT technologies. In general, CSP generation proves to be more environmentally attractive than some fossil-fired power plants and renewable energy sources. Moreover, moving the manufacturing of CSP technologies to Brazil has the potential to reduce GHG emissions from the upstream processes of their value chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the anticipated benefits from the introduction of a battery energy storage system (BESS) behind-the-meter (BtM) of a wind farm (WF) located in a small non-interconnected island (NII) system. Contrary to the standard storage deployment applications for NII, where storage is either installed in front of the meter as a system asset or integrated into a virtual power plant with renewable energy sources, the BESS of this paper is utilized to manage the power injection constraints imposed on the WF, aiming to minimize wind energy curtailments and improve WF's yield. A mixed integer linear programming generation scheduling model is used to simulate the operation of the system and determine the permissible wind energy absorption margin. Then, a self-dispatch algorithm is employed for the operation of the WF–BESS facility, using the BESS to manage excess wind generation that cannot be directly delivered to the grid. Additionally, the contribution of BESS to the capacity adequacy of the NII system is investigated using a Monte Carlo-based probabilistic model, amended appropriately to incorporate storage. Finally, an economic feasibility analysis is carried out, considering the possible revenue streams. By examining several BESS configurations, it has been shown that BtM BESS reduces energy curtailments and contributes substantially to resource adequacy as its energy capacity increases. However, the investment feasibility is only ensured if the capacity value of the BtM storage is properly monetized or additional dependability of wind production is claimed on the ground that the inherent intermittency of the wind production is mitigated owing to storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy use of residues from agriculture, forestry, and solid waste can foster the transition towards a more renewable energy supply. This paper analyzes the energy potential of the above-mentioned sources for energy applications in Kosovo. The analysis is based on statistical data from different studies and reports, analyzing and calculating them to determine the theoretical and energy biomass potential. Kosovo can increase its self-sufficiency by taking advantage of its rich but under-utilized potential of biomass energy sources. This is a novelty study in this area, considering Kosovo lignite-dominated heat energy and electricity consumption and the available special literature. According to our estimates, the theoretical potential is 6.13 million tons/year, while the biomass energy potential should be around 4.57 million tons/year, including approximately 74.6% of biomass, which can be used for energy needs (heating and electricity). Based on the data and calculations, the available and usable potential shows biomass as an energy source with high potential in Kosovo; its share is very low, but it is reasonable to grow for both environmental and economic reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ukraine is gradually forming a new model of energy space, which provides for the departure from the monopolization of energy markets by large producers, diversification of energy sources, reduction of fossil fuel use and operation of outdated energy generation technologies associated with increased environmental risks and depletion of natural resources. Currently, one of the leading directions of transformation of relations in the energy sector of the country is to develop energy production from renewable sources, which includes biomass. This development means not only an increase in the capacity of renewable energy in general and bioenergy in particular, which allows solving purely energy problems, but also a significant improvement in the environmental and social characteristics of the energy sector. The available legal means do not allow a comprehensive approach to this issue, because the degree of adaptation of Ukrainian legislation in the field of renewable energy sources to the principles and requirements of sustainability remains quite low. In this regard, the search for legal ways to harmonize the mechanism for stimulating bioenergy with the priorities of sustainable development is becoming a very important scientific and practical task. The aim of the research is to substantiate conceptual approaches and scientific and practical proposals on legal ways to increase the effectiveness of stimulating bioenergy on the basis of sustainability in the context of the peculiarities of the social and economic situation in Ukraine. It is demonstrated that the impact of the sustainability factor on the mechanism for stimulating the development of the bioenergy sector in Ukraine is weak and insufficiently pronounced. The authors emphasized that the lack of special requirements for sustainability of biofuels in Ukraine makes impossible the environmental and climate transformation of the feed-in tariff, "green" auctions, tax, credit benefits and other forms of bioenergy support. This paper formulated a theoretical position stating that the framework of sustainability clearly defined in the legislation should be considered as the limits of state support for bioenergy projects, which will ensure a real environmental orientation of the incentive mechanism in the bioenergy sector. The consideration of the sustainability and the greenhouse gas emissions saving criteria established by the legislation of the European Union during the assessment of state aid admissibility for biomass use with the introduction of appropriate changes to the Criteria for assessing the admissibility of state aid to economic operators for environmental protection is argued. The authors specified that the implementation of these criteria can be fully or partially postponed at least for the period of martial law, taking into account institutional, technical, economic and other challenges, as well as the primary needs of ensuring the country's energy security. This deviation from the European course of "green" energy transformation is forced, short-term and will not lead to changes in long-term development priorities of Ukraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass as an abundant renewable energy source can play a vital role in controlling the greenhouse gas emissions. The distributed nature of biomass and its low energy density have complicated the utilization of this cheap and available source of energy. Governments can stimulate the bioenergy industry and remove barriers for adoption of bioenergy by implementing supporting regulations and incentives. In this paper, two types of government incentives, representing direct and indirect incentives, are analyzed and their efficiencies in fostering bioenergy generation are compared. A Stackelberg (leader–follower) game is proposed to formulate the integration of incentives as a bi-level problem in coordination of biomass supply chains. We further illustrate the applicability of the proposed approach through an empirical case study of three Canadian remote communities. The case study demonstrates the effects of incentives on coordination of biomass suppliers and end-user communities and promoting bioenergy share in electricity generation mix of communities. The findings of this study highlight the importance of government's support, in form of indirect incentives, for provisioning of infrastructure needed for biomass supply and conversion, with a significant impact on increasing the share of bioenergy generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates biomass and solar energy's present and future perspectives in low/zero energy and carbon emissions. Its data source is published articles indexed in the Scopus database. By analyzing the articles extracted in Vos viewer software, four main areas of research are found: sustainable development, economic and managerial issues, methods, algorithms, modeling technologies, and renewable energy and its sources and types. In all four sections, research gaps were observed in the field of the third generation of photovoltaics (semi-transparent solar cells)organic)) and algae. As part of the study, advanced bibliometric analysis was carried out by VOS viewer software, and 34129 articles were examined from Scopus, alongside a patent analysis using Google patents, in addition to the bibliometric analysis. It has been shown by machine learning that about 9% of future articles in all energy fields will consist of building articles, and a quarter of these articles will be in the field of renewable energy. While residential and commercial sectors are the dominant areas of renewable energy utilization and commercialization research, the potential of new generations of renewable energy technologies will create significant opportunities to achieve low/zero energy-carbon emission buildings. The paper concludes by predicting the increasing rate of renewable energy and building articles compared to energy articles by 2030, emphasizing the critical role of research in advancing sustainable energy solutions. This data mining analysis helps to identify the current gaps and opportunities. Therefore, great potential will be created to develop and commercialize a new generation of technologies in this industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combating global warming-related climate change demands prompt actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide. Biomass-based biofuels represent a promising alternative fossil energy source. To convert biomass into energy, numerous conversion processes are performed at high pressure and temperature conditions, and the design and dimensioning of such processes requires thermophysical property data, particularly thermal conductivity, which are not always available in the literature. In this paper, we proposed the application of Chemoinformatics methodologies to investigate the prediction of thermal conductivity for hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds. A compilation of experimental data followed by a careful data curation were performed to establish a database. The support vector machine algorithm has been applied to the database leading to models with good predictive abilities. The support vector regression (SVR) model has then been applied to an external set of compounds, i.e. not considered during the training of models. It showed that our SVR model can be used for the prediction of thermal conductivity values for temperatures and/or compounds that are not covered experimentally in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass energy has the characteristics of renewable and decentralized and plays a certain role in mitigating climate change. Now it is considered to be a very important renewable energy and has great potential for development. Based on Science Citation Index Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index databases, this paper retrieved the publication data through topic search using the keywords biomass energy and related words during 2007–2016. This paper investigates the development characteristics in biomass energy research based on bibliometrics methods and data mining techniques. The main purpose of this paper is to explore the knowledge structure and citation landscape in this field. The general development trends, Essential Science Indicators publications characteristics, and leading journals in this area are discussed. The main advantage of this analysis is based on massive data which can, to some extent, reveal the macrostate of the development of the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural electrification represents a great worry for developing nations. Isolated microgrids establishment is the brightest solution for this problem. Optimization strategies for mathematical simulation and modelling are accomplished in this research to size an isolated residential microgrid in Egypt consists of wind generators (WG), photovoltaic (PV), battery energy storage system (BESS) and Biomass generator. This paper's novelty relies on the techno-economic performance comparison of three sizing strategies of isolated microgrid based on renewable sources, considering the sources' uncertainty. Also, the environmental and economic effects of using rice straw in biomass gasification are introduced to handle the problem of dark clouds from its open-air burning. Three categories with nine combinations of renewable energy sources (RES) are introduced in this paper to select the ideal option. Multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) optimized the systems under both deterministic and stochastic conditions, taking into consideration the uncertainties of solar radiation and wind speed using Monte-Carlo techniques. The obtained results are compared with the results of epsilon multiobjective genetic algorithm ("-MOGA). Simulation outcomes show that PV with BESS is the most economical option for microgrid sizing with a total system cost of $ 4.04 million. Besides, Scenario 6's hybrid system provides an appropriate ecological-reliable configuration, especially when considering sources' uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review presents the technical and operational performances of solar and biomass energy technologies viz photovoltaic thermal (PVT) and biomass gasification systems. This work aims to offer a reference and guidelines to the renewable energy‐related players, especially for those at the operational level and investors. This paper highlights the technical advantage of hybrid PVT with phase change material in terms of electrical and thermal efficiencies. While the operational performance of biomass gasification is thoroughly discussed via sensitivity analysis, the potential integration between solar and biomass gasification technologies is explored to complement and bolster the capabilities of both renewable systems within the power energy mix portfolio. Finally, few directions and significant takeaways considering the technical criteria are addressed for identifying efficient renewable energy generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a hybrid technique for load frequency control (LFC) in an inter‐connected deregulated power‐system. The proposed method is the combination of a gannet optimization algorithm (GOA) and spiking neural network (SNN), hence, it is named as GOA‐SNN technique. The objective of the proposed method is to minimize frequency deviations within the power system (PS). By lessening the frequency‐deviation and tie‐line power variation, this approach ensures system frequency‐control under the effect of load disturbances. The GOA method is utilized to generate the set of control signals of the controller. The SNN method is used to predict the optimum gain parameter of the controller. By then the proposed method is run in MATLAB software and evaluated their performance with various existing approaches. The proposed method shows better results than other existing methods, such as Ant Lion Optimization (ALO), particle swarm optimization (PSO), and Salp Swarm Algorithm (SSA). The GOA‐SNN approach shows a low Area control error is 0.48% and a high efficiency is 96% compared with other existing approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality is a crucial issue for the energy use of residual biomass, especially for agricultural biomass [[20]]. The authors highlighted that local sourcing of biomass materials with an efficient logistics system presents environmental benefits and significant economic advantages regarding various logistical aspects of biomass transport and energy distribution. All the published papers deal with aspects connected with the SI's theme, such as residual biomass quality, sustainability assessment of solid biofuel production, and bioenergy sustainability assessment. Ilari et al. [[45]] analytically defined the quality of residual woody biomass produced in marginal areas and the solid biofuels obtained from that biomass material. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents a study which focuses on providing a new method to the validation of modelled Net Primary Productivity (NPP) of forest areas in Germany using the dynamic biomass model Biosphere Energy Transfer Hydrology (BETHY/DLR). It relates that the new method fills important gap for validating modelled NPP. It identifies estimation of the theoretical sustainable energy potentials using the validated NPP as the secondary objective of the study.

The paper proposes to find out the relevance of bioeconomy for sustainable needs of people. In order of this many researches were studied starting from concept to content. Due of industrial progress, the conventional resources were exccesiv exploited which conducted to diminishing of these. A such situation reduced the quality and maintenance of life with many consequences in time. As an interdisciplinary approach, this paper take into consideration issues such as renewable resources and their management, sustainable development, waste and bioenergy. It is found that bioeconomy has an enourmous contribution for industry and agriculture in terms of sustainability. This means that bioeconomy must be promoted because the advantages are higher that conventional economy. The paper is treated on the basis of personal accumulation, after were studied numerous references. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]