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Bioenergy is renewable energy obtained from biomass—any organic material that has stored sunlight in the form of chemical energy. Biogas is among the biofuels that can be obtained from biomass resources, including biodegradable wastes like manure, sewage sludge, the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes, slaughterhouse waste, crop residues, and more recently lignocellulosic biomass and algae. Within the framework of the circular economy, biogas production from biodegradable waste is particularly interesting, as it helps to save resources while reducing environmental pollution. Besides, lignocellulosic biomass and algae do not compete for arable land with food crops (in contrast with energy crops). Hence, they constitute a novel source of biomass for bioenergy.Biogas plants may involve both high-tech and low-tech digesters, ranging from industrial-scale plants to small-scale farms and even households. They pose an alternative for decentralized bioenergy production in rural areas. Indeed, the biogas produced can be used in heaters, engines, combined heat and power units, and even cookstoves at the household level. Notwithstanding, digesters are considered to be a sustainable technology that can improve the living conditions of farmers by covering energy needs and boosting nutrient recycling. Thanks to their technical, socio-economic, and environmental benefits, rural biogas plants have been spreading around the world since the 1970s, with a large focus on farm-based systems and households. However, several challenges still need to be overcome in order to improve the technology and financial viability.

Technology: general issues --- Environmental science, engineering & technology --- Mixing --- optimised --- household digester --- Chinese dome digester (CDD) --- self-agitation --- blank --- mixing --- Chinese dome digester --- impeller mixed digester --- unstirred digester --- hydraulically mixed --- total solids (TS) concentration --- plug-flow reactor --- anaerobic digestion --- animal manures --- biogas --- unconfined gas injection mixing --- mixing recirculation --- biomethane potential tests --- Italy --- manure --- energy crops --- agriculture residues --- digestate --- biochemical methane potential --- micro-aeration --- iron --- bioenergy --- H2S scrubber --- methane --- fermentation --- dairy --- poultry --- absorbent --- ammonia --- inhibition --- acclimatization --- trace elements --- anaerobic treatment --- energy assessment --- rural sanitation --- sludge --- wastewater --- agricultural runoff --- biomethane --- biorefinery --- microalgae --- photobioreactor --- pretreatment --- low cost digester --- psychrophilic anaerobic digestion --- thermal behavior --- anaerobic co-digestion --- slaughterhouse wastewater --- synergistic effects --- kinetic modeling --- biodegradability

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Bioenergy is renewable energy obtained from biomass—any organic material that has stored sunlight in the form of chemical energy. Biogas is among the biofuels that can be obtained from biomass resources, including biodegradable wastes like manure, sewage sludge, the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes, slaughterhouse waste, crop residues, and more recently lignocellulosic biomass and algae. Within the framework of the circular economy, biogas production from biodegradable waste is particularly interesting, as it helps to save resources while reducing environmental pollution. Besides, lignocellulosic biomass and algae do not compete for arable land with food crops (in contrast with energy crops). Hence, they constitute a novel source of biomass for bioenergy.Biogas plants may involve both high-tech and low-tech digesters, ranging from industrial-scale plants to small-scale farms and even households. They pose an alternative for decentralized bioenergy production in rural areas. Indeed, the biogas produced can be used in heaters, engines, combined heat and power units, and even cookstoves at the household level. Notwithstanding, digesters are considered to be a sustainable technology that can improve the living conditions of farmers by covering energy needs and boosting nutrient recycling. Thanks to their technical, socio-economic, and environmental benefits, rural biogas plants have been spreading around the world since the 1970s, with a large focus on farm-based systems and households. However, several challenges still need to be overcome in order to improve the technology and financial viability.

Mixing --- optimised --- household digester --- Chinese dome digester (CDD) --- self-agitation --- blank --- mixing --- Chinese dome digester --- impeller mixed digester --- unstirred digester --- hydraulically mixed --- total solids (TS) concentration --- plug-flow reactor --- anaerobic digestion --- animal manures --- biogas --- unconfined gas injection mixing --- mixing recirculation --- biomethane potential tests --- Italy --- manure --- energy crops --- agriculture residues --- digestate --- biochemical methane potential --- micro-aeration --- iron --- bioenergy --- H2S scrubber --- methane --- fermentation --- dairy --- poultry --- absorbent --- ammonia --- inhibition --- acclimatization --- trace elements --- anaerobic treatment --- energy assessment --- rural sanitation --- sludge --- wastewater --- agricultural runoff --- biomethane --- biorefinery --- microalgae --- photobioreactor --- pretreatment --- low cost digester --- psychrophilic anaerobic digestion --- thermal behavior --- anaerobic co-digestion --- slaughterhouse wastewater --- synergistic effects --- kinetic modeling --- biodegradability

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For a sustainable future, the need to use renewable sources to produce electricity is inevitable. Some of these sources—particularly the widely available solar power—are weather-dependent; therefore, utility-scale energy storage will be more and more important. These solar and wind power fluctuations range from minutes (passing cloud) to whole seasons (winter/summer differences). Short-term storage can be solved (at least theoretically) with batteries; however, seasonal storage—due to the amount of storable energy and the self-discharging of some storage methods—is still a challenge to be solved in the near future. We believe that biological Power-to-Methane technology—especially combined with biogas refinement—will be a significant player in the energy storage market within less than a decade. The technology produces high-purity methane, which can be considered—by using green energy and carbon dioxide of biological origin—as a Renewable Natural Gas, or RNG. The ease of storage and use of methane, as well as the effective carbon-freeness, can make it a competitor for batteries or hydrogen-based storage, especially for storage times exceeding several months.

Technology: general issues --- History of engineering & technology --- seasonal energy storage --- power-to-methane --- wastewater treatment plants --- techno-economic assessment --- power-to-gas --- regulation --- energy storage --- biogas --- biomethane --- disruptive technology --- decarbonization --- innovation --- Power-to-Gas --- Power-to-Fuel --- P2M --- P2G --- P2F --- biomethanization --- biomethanation --- competitiveness --- hydrogen utilization --- Hungary --- Power-to-X --- Power-to-Hydrogen --- Power-to-Methane --- hydrogen --- methanation --- sector coupling --- sectoral integration --- energy transition --- eFuels --- electric fuels --- 100% renewable energy scenarios --- thermophilic biogas --- fed-batch reactor --- Methanothermobacter --- metagenome --- starvation --- H2 and CO2 conversion --- methane --- acetate --- n/a

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The negative impacts of global warming and global environmental pollution due to fossil fuels mean that the main challenge of modern society is finding alternatives to conventional fuels. In this scenario, biofuels derived from renewable biomass represent the most promising renewable energy sources. Depending on the biomass used by the fermentation technologies, it is possible to obtain first-generation biofuels produced from food crops, second-generation biofuels produced from non-food feedstock, mainly starting from renewable lignocellulosic biomasses, and third-generation biofuels, represented by algae or food waste biomass.Although biofuels appear to be the closest alternative to fossil fuels, it is necessary for them to be produced in competitive quantities and costs, requiring both improvements to production technologies and the diversification of feedstock. This Special Issue is focused on technological innovations, including the utilization of different feedstocks, with a particular focus on biethanol production from food waste; different biomass pretreatments; fermentation strategies, such as simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) or separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF); different applied microorganisms used as a monoculture or co-culture; and different setups for biofuel fermentation processes.The manuscripts collected represent a great opportunity for adding new knowledge to the scientific community as well as industry.

Technology: general issues --- Biotechnology --- biofuels --- corn --- extraction --- enzyme-assisted --- protein --- soybean --- molecular sieve --- water removal --- rotary shaking --- electromagnetic stirring --- biofuel --- gasohol --- trend analysis --- promotion policy --- regulatory measure --- bottleneck --- synthesis gas fermentation --- volumetric mass transfer coefficient --- Tween 80® surfactant --- gasification --- multi-objective optimization --- bioethanol --- syngas fermentation --- modeling --- sustainability --- soapberry pericarp --- carbonization --- biochar --- pore property --- surface chemistry --- biomethane --- food waste --- co-production --- biorefinery --- bioelectrochemical system (BES) --- carbon dioxide sequestration --- extracellular electron transfer (EET) --- electroactive microorganisms --- microbial biocatalyst --- electro-fermentation --- circular economy --- downstream processing (DSP) --- gene manipulation --- biogas --- compost leachate --- pressurized anaerobic digestion --- ethanol --- simultaneous saccharification and fermentation --- Saccharomyces cerevisiae --- single cell protein --- pineapple waste --- cell wall sugar --- fermentation --- spent sugar beet pulp --- model --- economics --- pretreatment --- saccharification --- B. ceiba --- biomass --- second-generation biofuel --- bioenergy --- biodiesel --- non-fossil fuel --- empty fruit bunches --- response surface methodology --- central composite design --- biofuel production technologies --- downstream processing --- energy --- bioethanol production --- agroforest and industrial waste feedstock valorization --- microorganisms for biofuel

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The focus of this Special Issue was on biomass ash valorization with respect to their potential for various material applications. Most of the publications in this Special Issue focused on the production of biogenic silica with different properties. Additionally, some of the publications considered application of biomass ashes and biochar as a fertilizer, for soil amendment and recovery of ash forming elements such as N and P, as well as the application of biomass feedstocks in biofuel production.Accordingly, ashes produced from the thermochemical conversion of agricultural residues have high potential to be utilized for different material applications. However, local availability, as well as scaling up the process and life-cycle assessment should be considered prior to the utilization of these materials. Furthermore, densification as a mechanical pre-treatment can be crucial to improve the fuel properties, while purification of some of the ash forming elements, such as calcium, potassium, and prosperous should also not be disregarded in future investigations.

Technology: general issues --- rice husk --- rice husk ash --- silica --- engineered particle --- bottom-up process --- silica extraction --- valorization --- agricultural byproduct --- sustainable material --- biomass --- renewable material --- biogenic amorphous silica --- green chemistry --- maize leaves --- sugarcane fiber --- sugarcane leaves --- sugarcane pith --- biorefinery --- multi-objectives RSM --- nano-silica --- de-ashing --- cellulose crystals --- carbon nanotubes --- cellulose --- sugarcane bagasse --- capacitance --- maize straw --- acid leaching --- ash --- pyrolysis --- nitrogen conversion --- wood ash --- fertilizer --- heat and power plants --- heavy metals --- nutrients --- German fertilizer legislation --- alkaline leaching --- continuous process --- bio-based material --- waste --- exhausted grape marc --- biochar --- soil amendment --- biogas --- lifecycle assessment --- greenhouse gas emissions --- mitigation potential --- GHG mitigation costs --- manure --- biomethane --- RED II --- EU ETS --- smoldering --- high moisture content --- specific surface area --- rice straw --- nanosilica --- methylene blue --- zero waste generation --- decolorization --- SDGs --- municipal sewage sludge --- energy recovery --- phosphorus recovery --- techno-economic analysis --- mono-combustion --- co-combustion --- n/a