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Due to the recent climate change, organizations all over the globe are developing plans for reducing carbon emissions by developing clean energy technologies and energy efficient devices. In this regard, the developments have not been done over the past two decades on green energy in Pakistan and in general, the representation of renewable sources especially biomass feedstock supply such as agriculture residue, forest residue, municipal waste and animal waste for green energy transition pathways is limited. Using the Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP®) software, path for green energy transition is analyzed in Pakistan by incorporating the biomass feedstock under the ongoing and sustainable energy scenarios from 2022 to 2050. Results showed that the bioelectricity production will increase from 18.73 TWh (in the ongoing scenario) to the 265.20 TWh (in the biomass based sustainable energy scenario) till 2050. Furthermore, the development of biomass plants would help in reducing the CO 2 emissions from 138.47 million metric tonnes in the current scenario to 8.71 million metric tonnes in the sustainable energy scenario by 2050. This study will provide the fundamental data and aid the policy makers and other stakeholders to shift toward developing renewable and sustainable energy systems in Pakistan. • Role of biomass in energy mix is significant for Pakistan. • Pakistan is producing 560.19 million tons of biomass resource annually. • Bioelectricity production will increase from 18.73 to 265.20 TWh using biomass till 2050. • LEAP® model is developed for sustainable climate change. • Bioelectricity will reduce CO 2 emissions from 138.47 to 8.71 million metric tonnes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This virtual special issue published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews contains 25 high-quality selected extended papers presented at the HERAKLION 2019 7th International Conference on Sustainable Solid Waste Management held in Heraklion, Crete in Greece from 26th to June 29, 2019. The articles published in this special issue focus on recent developments in sustainable waste-to-energy systems and waste management practices and highlight the critical challenges and potential solutions. The editorial paper aims to give a brief overview of the key findings and future perspectives proposed in these 25 selected papers. It is worth noting that although the articles presented in this special issue covered a wider range of topics, they are categorized into five categories. These include the latest developments in 1) waste-to-energy technologies, 2) biofuels and bioenergy, 3) waste valorization, 4) emerging renewable and sustainable energy systems, and finally, 5) biorefineries and circular economy. • Twenty five high quality peer-reviewed papers were selected from HERAKLION 2019 Conference. • The mian theme of sustainable waste-to-energy systems catogorised into five topics. • It will support advancement of waste-to-energy technologies and circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the global population and economy grow, so does the energy demand. Over-reliance on non-renewable resources leads to depletion and price spikes, making renewable alternatives necessary. Biodiesel is an eco-friendly and non-toxic fuel that closely resembles traditional fossil fuels. It is produced from various sources, including animal fat, palm oil, and non-edible plant oil. Biodiesel releases fewer harmful air pollutants and greenhouse gases than fossil fuels and is simpler to manage. Despite these advantages, it cannot replace traditional diesel fuel on a large scale. This overview summarizes biodiesel production, explaining the different types of feedstock utilized and their benefits and drawbacks. Various biodiesel production methodologies are discussed. The primary objective of this article is to inform engineers, industrialists, and researchers involved in waste biodiesel, as well as to highlight waste biodiesel as a potential substitute for fossil fuels. This review article discusses the nano - additives in biodiesel and applications of internet of things, artificial intelligence, and machine learning in biofuel. This review shows that nano-additives can potentially improve biodiesel fuel properties, favorable economic and policy environments promoting biodiesel production, and internet of things, artificial intelligence, and machine learning technologies optimize the biodiesel production processes. These advances can help promote biodiesel as a cleaner, renewable energy source, lowering the consumption of fossil fuels. It also suggests further biofuel development by improving efficiency, expanding feedstock options, creating policy support, developing infrastructure, and increasing public awareness. • Biofuel methods, economic effects and sustainability with nano-additives discussed • Nano-additives transformed biodiesel with efficiency breakthroughs • Economic strategies and policy regulations driven sustainable biofuel transition • IoT, AI, and ML revolutionized biodiesel production and monitoring • Advancements in nano-additives and AI/ML technologies for biofuel sustainability [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An integrated process was developed for gasification and power production. • The impact of parameters on syngas and power production is investigated. • Power generation was in the range of 4 to 5 MW from 1000 kg/h feed. • Energy analysis was carried out using the Aspen Energy Analyzer tool. • 78% of heating utilities are fulfilled within the system using heating integration. Date palm waste (DPW) is an important waste that is abundantly available in the Middle East. However, this DPW is underutilization in the entire Middle East region. DPW could be a useful source of feedstock to generate sustainable and renewable energy via various thermochemical processes. The core objective of current investigation is to convert the DPW into syngas and the electricity generation from the produced syngas. Furthermore, to configure an integrated system to predict the gas composition and power generation under operating variables of temperature, steam/biomass ratio, compression ratio, and air flowrate. The integrated process simulation model of gasification and power generation model was developed using Aspen Plus V10®. The model consisted of two parts; the production of syngas from steam gasification and the second was the combustion-integrated power turbine system for power generation. The syngas composition at a temperature of 850 °C and steam/biomass of 1.0 was obtained as; H 2 37.88 vol%, CO 14.24 vol%, CO 2 11.29 vol%, CH 4 0.001 vol%. The power generation from the gas turbine increased from 3.2 to 3.6 MW with the increase in temperature. Whereas the total power generation was in the range of 3.2 to 5 MW with an increased steam flowrate of 500–2500 kg/h. Energy analysis shows that the process heat integration of the system is able to fulfill the 78 % utilities requirement within the system. This study provides the potential utilization of DPW for renewable fuel gas and electricity generation through a sustainable route and also provides environmentally friendly disposal of DPW in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world. [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]

The rapid depletion of fossil fuel resources and climatic changes has triggered the researchers' attention to find an alternative and renewable energy source. Thus, biodiesel has been recognized as a potential alternative to petrodiesel for its biodegradability, non-toxicity, and environment-friendly attributes. In this study, an efficient and recyclable Cu–Ni doped ZrO 2 catalyst was synthesized and used to produce biodiesel from a novel non-edible caper (Capparis spinosa L.) seed oil. The synthesized catalyst was characterized by x-ray diffraction, fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive x-ray analysis. The catalyst was reused in four consecutive transesterification reactions without losing any significant catalytic efficiency. Transesterification reaction conditions were optimized via response surface methodology based on Box-Behnken design for predicting optimum biodiesel yields by drawing 3D surface plots. Maximum biodiesel yield of 90.2% was obtained under optimal operating conditions of 1:6 M ratio of oil to methanol, reaction temperature of 70 °C, reaction time of 1.5 h, and 2.5% catalyst loading. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance (1H and 13C) analysis confirmed the high quality of biodiesel produced from non-edible caper (Capparis spinosa L.) seed oil. The fuel properties of the produced biodiesel were also found, such as kinematic viscosity (4.17 cS T), density (0.8312 kg/L), flash point (72 °C), acid no (0.21 mgKOH/g) and sulphur content (0.00042 wt%). These properties were matched and are in close agreement with the International Biodiesel Standards of European Union (EU-14214), China GB/T 20,828 (2007), and American (ASTM6751). Thus, non-edible Capparis spinosa L. seed oil and Cu–Ni doped ZrO 2 catalyst appeared to be highly active, stable, and cheap candidates to boost the future biodiesel industry. • Biodiesel was produced from novel non-edible caper (Capparis spinose L.) seed oil. • An efficient and recyclable Cu–Ni doped ZrO 2 catalyst was synthesized and used. • Response surface methodology based on Box-Behnken design used for process optimization. • Maximum biodiesel yield of 90.2% was obtained at optimum process conditions. • Biodiesel showed excellent potential as a sustainable and renewable source of bioenergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]