Sustainability of biomass use for renewable energy

Abstract

Biomass constitutes the most abundant source of renewable energy and can be found distributed in different quantities. Biomass sources can be classified based on different factors, and their valorization strategy usually depends on their classification. Biorefineries are platforms that use biomass to obtain products like energy, fuels, and chemicals. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of biomass use for renewable energy, discussing the benefits and challenges of different conversion technologies. Two types of processing routes are highlighted and presented: the thermochemical route and the biochemical route. It was shown that several biofuels can be produced, besides the well-known ones like bioethanol, biogas, and electricity, biofuels like jet fuel, biohydrogen, and syngas can be valuable fuels soon. Finally, bioethanol to produce bioenergy and derived value-added products are presented, identifying critical research, and trends are analyzed as a case study.