Advanced biofuel production, policy and technological implementation of nano-additives for sustainable environmental management - A critical review.

This review article critically evaluates the significance of adopting advanced biofuel production techniques that employ lignocellulosic materials, waste biomass, and cutting-edge technology, to achieve sustainable environmental stewardship. Through the analysis of conducted research and development initiatives, the study highlights the potential of these techniques in addressing the challenges of feedstock supply and environmental impact and implementation policies that have historically plagued the conventional biofuel industry. The integration of state-of-the-art technologies, such as nanotechnology, pre-treatments and enzymatic processes, has shown considerable promise in enhancing the productivity, quality, and environmental performance of biofuel production. These developments have improved conversion methods, feedstock efficiency, and reduced environmental impacts. They aid in creating a greener and sustainable future by encouraging the adoption of sustainable feedstocks, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, and accelerating the shift to cleaner energy sources. To realize the full potential of these techniques, continued collaboration between academia, industry representatives, and policymakers remains essential.

Pyrolysis of Lantana camara and Mimosa pigra: Influences of temperature, other process parameters and incondensable gas evolution on char yield and higher heating value.

Pyrolysis of invasive non-indigenous plants, Lantana camara (LC) and Mimosa pigra (MP) was conducted at milligram-scale for optimisation of temperature, heating rate and hold time on char yield and higher heating value (HHV). The impact of scaling-up to gram-scale was also studied, with chromatography used to correlate gas composition with HHV evolution. Statistically significant effects of temperature on char yield and HHV were obtained, while heating rate and hold time effects were insignificant. Milligram-scale maximised HHVs were 30.03MJkg-1 (525°C) and 31.01MJkg-1 (580°C) for LC and MP, respectively. Higher char yields and HHVs for MP were attributed to increased lignin content. Scaling-up promoted secondary char formation thereby increasing HHVs, 30.82MJkg-1 for LC and 31.61MJkg-1 for MP. Incondensable gas analysis showed that temperature increase beyond preferred values caused dehydrogenation that decreased HHV. Similarly, CO evolution profile explained differences in optimal HHV temperatures.

Torrefaction of invasive alien plants: Influence of heating rate and other conversion parameters on mass yield and higher heating value.

With the aim of controlling their proliferation, two invasive alien plants, Lantana camara (LC) and Mimosa pigra (MP), both widespread in Africa, were considered for torrefaction for renewable energy applications. Using thermogravimetric analysis, the influence of heating rate (HR: 2.18-19.82°Cmin(-1)) together with variable temperature and hold time on char yield and HHV (in a bomb calorimeter) were determined. Statistically significant effects of HR on HHV with optima at 10.5°Cmin(-1) for LC and 20°Cmin(-1) for MP were obtained. Increases of HHV up to 0.8MJkg(-1) or energy yield greater than 10%, together with a 3-fold reduction in torrefaction conversion time could be achieved by optimisation of HR. Analysis of the torrefaction volatiles by TG-MS showed that not only hemicelluloses, but also lignin conversion, could influence the optimum HR value.