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Pakistan has been facing an electricity shortage since the year 2005, which is negatively affecting the country's agricultural, industrial, and services sectors growth. In this study, Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP®) software was used for forecasting energy mix of Pakistan for the period of 2022–2050 under the baseline and transformation scenarios. Baseline scenario emphasizes to enhance the share of hydro while transformation scenario emphasizes to enhance the share of biomass in total energy mix of Pakistan. Transformation scenario is recommended because hydro plants will retire in future and delay in construction of new hydro plants is noticed due to limited budget. In this regard, electrical energy is harvested using biomass based distributed power generation (BBDPG) for the sustainable economic development of Pakistan. The aggregate capacity of biomass is used which includes agriculture residue, forest residue, municipal waste, and animal waste. The results of this study show that the share of hydro at around 54.09% (614.14 TWh) is dominated over other renewable sources in the baseline scenario, whereas, in transformation scenario the share of biomass at around 33.3% (378 TWh) is dominated over other renewable sources till 2050. Pakistan could generate a total of 1135.20 TWh energy units in 2050, which would be enough to meet the future energy demand of 966.05 TWh by 2050. • Modeling of Pakistan's energy systems for the period 2022 to 2050. • Create balance between power demand and supply for economic development. • Role of biomass in energy mix is significant. • Provide sufficient power at competitive price and avoid capacity shortfall. • Proposed an energy policy for achieving renewable energy supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of renewable fuel alternatives holds promise for reducing the financial burden of regulatory compliance and the social responsibility associated with greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is one of the most versatile technologies for converting renewable biomass feedstocks (especially in the wet state) into biofuel (biocrude oil) in a compact plant. Therefore, this review is devoted to thoroughly reviewing and critically discussing biocrude oil production from biomass feedstocks through the HTL process. This review starts by discussing the principles of biomass HTL processing and product upgrading, aiming to provide a grounded and broad understanding of current developments in this domain. The data reported in the published literature are analyzed and visualized in order to scrutinize the effects of the main process parameters on the quantity, quality, cost, and environmental impacts of resultant biofuels. Higher biocrude oil yields are obtained at temperatures, pressures, and residual times between 300 and 350 °C, 24–27 MPa, and 15–25 min, respectively. Concerning yield and calorific value, biocrude oil derived from homogeneous catalysts demonstrates figures of 23.6 % and 32.1 MJ/kg, whereas that from heterogeneous catalysts exhibits percentages of 66.8 % and 40 MJ/kg, respectively. The challenges and prospects for the future development of biocrude oil are also discussed. HTL has a long way to go before being used for biofuel production on a large scale. Future studies appear to be directed towards the use of HTL technology under the biorefinery framework to maximize the exploitation of biomass into value-added products, while minimizing waste generation. [Display omitted] • Biocrude oil production from biomass by hydrothermal liquefaction is reviewed. • The principles of hydrothermal liquefaction and biocrude oil upgrading are discussed. • The effects of the main parameters on various aspects of biocrude oil are investigated. • The higher biocrude oil yields are obtained at 300–350 °C, 24–27 MPa, and 15–25 min. • Environmental and economic aspects of biocrude oil production are thoroughly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has emerged as a key player with a high potential to develop a biomass and biobased economy due to its large geographic size and the massive amounts of agricultural and non agricultural biomass produced. India has joined hands with Europe to synchronize its efforts to create and facilitate the development of a biobased economy in this country. This paper aims to examine common research and development actions between the European Union (EU) and India to facilitate the development of these biobased economies. As a base, a thorough study has been performed considering the biomass potential and current status of the bioeconomy in both the EU and India based on the distillation of a series of 80 potential recommendations. The recommendations were grouped into four major categories: (1) biomass production, (2) by-products/waste, (3) biorefineries and (4) policy, market, and value-added products. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to key stakeholders belonging to: academia, industry, and policymakers in both India and the EU. A total of 231 responses were received and analyzed, based on the key recommendations made for the essential research and development topics that are of prime importance to develop biobased economies in both the EU and India. The findings of this study suggest recognizing the value-added contributions made by biobased products such as: food, feed, valuable materials and chemicals in both regions. It is important to reduce the overall process costs and minimize the environmental impacts of such a biobased economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investment in biofuels, as sustainable alternatives for fossil fuels, has gained momentum over the last decade due to the global environmental and health concerns regarding fossil fuel consumption. Hence, effective management of biofuel supply chain (BSC) components, including biomass feedstock production, biomass logistics, biofuel production in biorefineries, and biofuel distribution to consumers, is crucial in transitioning towards a low-carbon and circular economy (CE). The present study aims to render an inclusive knowledge map of the BSC-related scientific production. In this vein, a systematic review, supported by a keywords co-occurrence analysis and qualitative content analysis, was carried out on a total of 1,975 peer-reviewed journal articles in the target literature. The analysis revealed four major research hotspots in the BSC literature, namely (1) biomass-to-biofuel supply chain design and planning, (2) environmental impacts of biofuel production, (3) biomass to bioenergy, and (4) techno-economic analysis of biofuel production. Besides, the findings showed that the following subject areas of research in the BSC research community have recently attracted more attention: (i) global warming and climate change mitigation, (ii) development of the third-generation biofuels produced from algal biomass, which has recently gained momentum in the CE debate, and (iii) government incentives, pricing, and subsidizing policies. The provided insights shed light on the understanding of researchers, stakeholders, and policy-makers involved in the sustainable energy sector by outlining the main research backgrounds, developments, and tendencies within the BSC arena. Looking at the provided knowledge map, potential research directions in BSCs towards implementing the CE model, including (i) integrative policy convergence at macro, meso, and micro levels, and (ii) industrializing algae-based biofuel production towards the CE transition, were proposed. [Display omitted] • The findings revealed four major research hotspots in the BSC domain. • Algal biofuels have recently gained momentum in the circular economy (CE) debate. • Integrative policy convergence is needed to link bioeconomy with the CE. • Future research avenues for BSC management towards the CE transition were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global trend is shifting toward circular economy systems. It is a sustainable environmental approach that sustains economic growth from the use of resources while minimizing environmental impacts. The multiple industrial use of microalgal biomass has received great attention due to its high content of essential nutrients and elements. Nevertheless, low biomass productivity, unbalanced carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio, resistant cellular constituents, and the high cost of microalgal harvesting represent the major obstacles for valorization of algal biomass. In recent years, microalgae biomass has been a candidate as a potential feedstock for different bioenergy generation processes with simultaneous treating wastewater and CO 2 capture. An overview of the appealing features and needed advancements is urgently essential for microalgae-derived bioenergy generation. The present review provides a timely outlook and evaluation of biomethane production from microalgal biomass and related challenges. Moreover, the biogas recovery potential from microalgal biomass through different pretreatments and synergistic anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) with other biowastes are evaluated. In addition, the removal of micropollutants and heavy metals by microalgal cells via adsorption and bioaccumulation in their biomass is discussed. Herein, a comprehensive review is presented about a successive high-throughput for anaerobic digestion (AD) of the microalgal biomass in order to achieve for sustainable energy source. Lastly, the valorization of the digestate from AD of microalgae for agricultural reuse is highlighted. [Display omitted] • Biomethane recovery potential from algal biomass is evaluated. • Technical harvesting methods of algal biomass are reviewed. • Microalgae is a great low-cost contender for biogas fermentation. • Algal biomass to bioenergy offers good environmental remediations. • Key challenges and opportunities of sustainable algal biomass valorization to bioenergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Algal biomass (AB) have received significant research attention in 3G biorefinery. • Microbial conversion of AB can produce diverse industrially important products. • Microbial AB processing can produce biopolymers, peptides, bioacids, and biofuels. • Future advancement of green technology utilizing algal-microbial systems. The global demand for clean products obtained from biobased resources has increased significantly with the rapid growth of the world's population. In this context, microbially-produced compounds are highly attractive for their safety, reliability, being environment friendly and sustainability. Nevertheless, the cost of the carbon sources required for such approaches accounts for greater than 60% of the total expenses, which further limits the scaling up of industries. In recent years, algae have been used in numerous industrial areas because of their rapid growth rate, easy cultivation, ubiquity and survival in harsh conditions. Over the past decade, notable advances have been observed in the extraction of high-value compounds from algae biomass (ABs). However, few studies have investigated ABs as green substrates for microbial conversion into value-added products. This review presents the potential of ABs as the substrates for microbial growth to produce industrially-important products, which sheds light on the importance of the symbiotic relationship between ABs and microbial species. Moreover, the successful algal-bacterial gene transformation paves the way for accommodating green technology advancements. With the escalated need for natural pigments, biosurfactants, natural plastics and biofuels, ABs have been new resources for microbial biosynthesis of these value-added products, resolving the problem of high carbon consumption. In this review, the fermentative routes, process conditions, and accessibility of sugars are discussed, together with the related metabolic pathways and involved genes. To conclude, the full potential of ABs needs to be explored to support microbial green factories, producing novel bioactive compounds to meet global needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically reviews the current status of utilization of municipal solid waste and biomass blends for energy and resources recovery together with identifying the opportunities for future development in technological equipment and physicochemical waste compositions involved in such complex processes. Among numerous thermochemical conversion techniques, gasification of municipal solid waste with different biomass blends has unveiled as an auspicious technology to develop a sustainable waste management system that would substantially reduce pollution and maximize energy and materials recovery. Municipal solid wastes and biomass have different properties and elemental compositions and are abundantly available. These materials have the potential to produce various types of value-added products in terms of energy and chemicals through the gasification process. Recently, hybrid systems have been introduced with simple gasification technologies in terms of fuel oxidation system, plasma torch, or some biochemical conversion systems to enhance the process efficiency, energy, economics, quality, the yield of syngas, and to alter the composition of gaseous products. Consequently, gasification of biomass and waste would be the most suitable option to reduce toxic elements and harmful gases for the surroundings. For instant, ecological influence is not the real issue for limitation of biomass and waste gasification development, while a feasible economic return could appeal to investors and initiate its commercialization. Energy and resource recovery is assessed as an integrated approach to overcoming limitations. Also, techno-economic and environmental impact, life cycle assessment, and their implications are discussed in detail. Key bottlenecks that need urgent attention to facilitate global recognition of hybrid technology are highlighted. Image 1 • Blending practices of municipal solid waste with biomass are critically reviewed. • Hybrid configurations of gasification are assessed to overcome technological limitations. • Gasification of biomass and waste could reduce toxic elements and harmful gases. • Practical approaches of the gasification process are till on an initial point of utilization. • Hybrid systems with gasification would enhance process efficiency and energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]