This paper reports the construction and performance of an algae biofilm photobioreactor that offers a significant reduction of the energy and water requirements of cultivation. The green alga Botryococcus braunii was cultivated as a biofilm. The system achieved a direct biomass harvest concentration of 96.4 kg/m(3) with a total lipid content 26.8% by dry weight and a productivity of 0.71 g/m(2)...

Cellulosic biomass can be used as a feedstock for biofuel manufacturing. Pelleting of cellulosic biomass can increase its bulk density and thus improve its storability and reduce the feedstock transportation costs. Ultrasonic vibration-assisted (UV-A) pelleting can produce biomass pellets whose density is comparable to that processed by traditional pelleting methods (e.g. extruding, briquetting...

In order to investigate the effect of variation of the moisture content of forest biomass residues on a supply chain strategy, a simulation was performed using integrated biomass supply analysis and logistics modeling. A simple supply chain strategy was chosen and applied for Miramichi and Plaster Rock, two different regions in New Brunswick, Canada. These regions are selected based on three cr...

For the replacement of fossil fuel forestry biomass should help mitigating Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. However the supply of energy wood is challenging because of high supply costs and rapidly increasing demand. Considering the typical, heterogeneous structure of landownership, contractors and energy producers in Mid-Europe, supply network optimization becomes of major importance. Mathemat...

In this study, thermochemical biomass gasification was performed on a bench-scale fluidized-bed gasifier with steam and air as fluidizing and oxidizing agents. Distillers grains, a non-fermentable byproduct of ethanol production, were used as the biomass feedstock for the gasification. The goal was to investigate the effects of furnace temperature, steam to biomass ratio and equivalence ratio o...

BACKGROUND An optimal valorization of plant biomasses to produce biofuels requires a good knowledge of the available contents and molecular composition of the main chemical components, which changes with the harvesting date. Therefore, we assessed the influence of harvesting date on the chemical characteristics of various energy crops in the context of their conversion to biofuels. RESULTS We...

Independence of the limited fossil fuel supplies as a main source of energy and chemicals remains a highly attractive perspective [1]. Biomass of the second to fourth generation constitutes a possible solution. Due to its recalcitrant nature, its conversion is however not trivial. Moreover, molecules obtained from biomass need further upgrading which is mostly done by hydrogenation, with fossil...

Understanding the energy requirement for biomass size reduction would be very significant for the process of converting the biomass to bioenergy. A hammermill was used for size reduction operations. One 12.7 mm size screen was applied to hammer mill for different particle size reduction. Torque Sensor was connected to the engine shaft to measure the transfer of torque and engine rotational spee...

Coproduction of biofuels with biochar (the carbon-rich solid formed during biomass pyrolysis) can provide carbon-negative bioenergy if the biochar is sequestered in soil, where it can improve fertility and thus simultaneously address issues of food security, soil degradation, energy production, and climate change. However, increasing biochar production entails a reduction in bioenergy obtainabl...

The production of ethanol from pretreated plant biomass during fermentation is a strategy to mitigate climate change by substituting fossil fuels. However, biomass conversion is mainly limited by the recalcitrant nature of the plant cell wall. To overcome recalcitrance, the optimization of the plant cell wall for subsequent processing is a promising approach. Based on their phylogenetic proximi...