Biofuel Plant Research Articles

Production of Biofuels from Biomass as an Approach Towards Sustainable Development: A Short Review

Alternative fuels reduce the carbon footprint of internal combustion engines. Biofuels are the most important alternative fuels. Manufacturing processes for biofuels have made it possible to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from well to wheel. There are a number of popular alternative fuels for use in internal combustion (IC) engines, including biodiesel, bioethanol, and bio methanol. Biodiesel and petroleum diesel fuel blends in compression ignition (CI) engines have received a lot of attention. Biofuel is any liquid fuel derived from "biomass," such as plants and animal waste. Biofuels replace gasoline and diesel. Biofuels are promising because the carbon dioxide (CO2) they emit is recycled through the environment. Biofuel plants collect CO2 from the air and release it when burned. In principle, biofuels can be a "carbon neutral" or "carbon negative" means to power automobiles, trucks, and planes. Biofuels can reduce CO2 emissions without requiring many infrastructural changes. They can be used in existing cars and mass-produced from biomass like chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Future biofuels may be moved using current pipelines. Making carbon-neutral biofuels is difficult. Fermentation, processing energy, transportation, and even plant nutrients can produce CO2 and other greenhouse gases before biofuels are consumed. Biomass agriculture can have climate consequences if it replaces CO2-storing woods. How biofuels are generated and used affects their potential as a climate solution.

Comparative zinc tolerance and phytoremediation potential of four biofuel plant species

Soil pollution has become a serious environmental problem worldwide due to rapid industrialization and urbanization. Zinc (Zn) contamination has raised concerns about potential effects on plants and human health. This study was conducted to assess the capability of four biofuel plants: Abelmoschus esculentus, Avena sativa, Guizotia abyssinica, and Glycine max to remediate and restore Zn contaminated soil. Selected plants were grown in soil exposed to different Zn treatments (50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 mg Zn kg−1) for 12 weeks. Soil without spike taken as control. Zn induced toxicity significantly (p < 0.05) reduced seed germination and inhibited plant growth and leaf chlorophyll content. The investigated plants can tolerate a soil content of 800 mg Zn kg−1 with the exception of A. sativa, which was most tolerant to high Zn concentrations (1000 mg Zn kg−1) for all growth criteria. Moreover, increasing Zn content in soil resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) increase in Zn accumulation in various tissues of the four biofuel plants. According to phytoremediation efficiency, the four biofuel plants studied were arranged as follows: A. sativa (5.05%) > A. esculentus (4.15%) > G. max (2.31%) > G. abyssinica (1.17%). This study concluded that all tested biofuel plants species, especially A. sativa exhibited high Zn concentrations in roots and shoots, high Zn uptake capability, high tolerance, and high biomass at 50–800 mg Zn kg−1 treatments. Consequently, these biofuel plants are excellent candidates for phytoremediation in Zn contaminated soils.

A new energy crop onopordum spp.: A research on biofuel properties

Onopordum spp. is investigated experimentally for biofuel properties. The plant is introduced, biofuel production processes are explained, and exergy destruction is quantified. The aim of the research is to provide a solid candidate for production and adaptation of drought-resistant renewable energy plants. The plant is not regarded as a probable source of agricultural food ethics and insignificant food properties. The onopordum plant is regarded as an ideal biofuel plant. Solid fuels in pellet form were produced from its stalk and pulp, while biodiesel was produced from its oil seeds by means of a patented method. Properties of the biodiesel that was produced from the oil of the onopordum were determined. An exergy analysis was conducted in order to find the destructed exergy by the biofuel production process. The exergy analysis is crucial to distinguish similar energy plants with similar energy contents. The onopordum pellets have lower heating value of about 15.10 MJ/kg while liquid products have values of about 40 MJ/kg. The irreversibility throughout the biofuel production process was found to be 126.692 MJ. According to the obtained quantities and the nature of the plant, the onopordum spp. has a great potential for energy plant cultivation applications.

Phytochemical Studies and Identification of Bioactive Compounds using High-performance Liquid Chromatography and Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry of Leaf Extract of Jatropha curcas

Chronic, recurring, and remitting inflammatory disease with an unknown cause is inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is a condition that affects people throughout their lives and has many consequences because it is clinically common. Numerous risk factors are still unknown, and the pathophysiology of IBD is still not fully understood. There are a variety of side effects associated with conventional ulcerative colitis treatment. Globally, there is a rise in the use of herbal therapy for IBD. The medicinal plant Jatropha curcas (L.) belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. It is a biofuel plant with a few pharmacological effects that have been researched. The study’s purpose was to discover and investigate the bioactive components in an ethanolic extract of J. curcas. The leaves of L. J. curcas were gathered, shade dried, crushed up, and gradually extracted with ethanol using the soxhlet percolation method. By using fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the phytoconstituents in the Jatropha leaf extract were confirmed. Along with the interpretation of mass spectra, the isolated chemicals were identified by contrasting their peak areas and retention times. Due to the discovery of possible, bioactive components as a result of the current inquiry, we are now able to investigate biological activity. After that, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to analyze the crude extracts. A large variety of secondary metabolites were detected in the extracts’ profile, which was then spectroscopically described. The presence of phytoconstituents, including flavonoids, tannins, and triterpenoids significantly reduces internal inflammation and lessens damage to the intestinal mucosa. Herbal treatments work through a variety of processes, including immunological control and antioxidant activities.

Oil price volatility and industrial productivity: a comparative analysis of Nigeria and Egypt

This study examines the relationship between oil price volatility and industrial productivity in Nigeria and Egypt from 1980 - 2020. The study employs cointegration analysis and the Error Correction model to analyze data. The result shows that oil price volatility hinders industrial productivity in both Countries. But the magnitude of the effect was more in Nigeria than in Egypt. It can be traced to the fact that Nigeria is an importing Country while Egypt is a net exporting country. Also, Nigeria has neglected important sectors like the Industrial sector at the advent of oil, which made Nigeria a mono-product country for decades. Based on these findings, the study recommended diversification of the export revenue base for Nigeria to minimize reliance on oil. Also, alternative energy sources such as biofuel and solar power plants should be developed for the two countries to reduce dependency on oil consumption.

Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Sustainable Aviation Fuel through a Net-Zero Carbon Biofuel Plant Design

Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Sustainable Aviation Fuel through a Net-Zero Carbon Biofuel Plant Design

Science and Business Developments

Science and Business Developments

Bi-criteria optimization of cleaner biofuel supply chain model by novel fuzzy goal programming technique

In engineering, the biofuel supply chain (BSC) is a significant supply chain optimization challenge. Here, the multi-objective optimization problem for biofuel distribution is based on the life cycle energy consumption (LCEC) and the emission of CO2 involve in supply network of a biofuel. It includes numerous feedstocks, means of transportation, and locations for biofuel plant construction, as well as multiple technologies, the number of feedstocks in the agricultural system, transportation capabilities, crop yields, and market needs. To provide a modelling framework for optimization issues with multi-fold uncertainty, different reduction approaches to turn a Type-2 Fuzzy variable into a Type-1 Fuzzy variable through the expected value method are described. The deterministic BSC model is then solved utilizing Goal Programming and Weighted Sum Method using Generalized Reduced Gradient Technique. The goal BSC models are (i) Minimization of life cycle energy consumption (ii) total emission of CO2 in uncertain environment. The numerical experiments demonstrated with different optimistic labels by which managers can control their objects by choosing optimistic values. Here, we have developed a systematic optimization approaches for the advancement of biofuel transportation, supply and process chain analysis, sustainability, and industrial optimization. Finally, a real-world case study is used to demonstrate the applicability of the suggested approach. The findings show that the proposed solutions are successful in reducing logistical expenses.

Analysis of modern wood processing techniques in timber terminals

Abstract The transportation of forestry products is performed over long distances and is quite expensive, which limits the development of biofuel plants in Russia and around the world. The use of timber terminals contributes to transportation cost reduction and mitigates negative environmental impacts. This work aims to analyze various technological solutions for optimization of forestry products processing at temporary terminals and cost reduction of transportation, shipping, and wood treatment. The work presents a discussion on the technological and economic possibilities of the mobile pellet plant, the mobile essential oil production plant, and an enhanced autonomous electric generator system. It is shown that the use of mobile plants for obtaining pellets and essential oils allows processing wood residues at the terminal, which reduces the cost of transportation and shipment of raw materials and improves the quality of the finished products. The current study also examines some of the modern scanning technologies used to detect log defects and obtain complete biometric information in real time while assessing the productivity of wood processing operations. The results of the study can be used to develop efficient movable timber terminals.

Emergy-based sustainability analysis of bioenergy production from marginal and degraded lands of India

Analysing the sustainability of cultivating biomass and biofuel plant species on marginal and degraded lands is essential for assessing the socio-economic and environmental perspectives. Various approaches have been suggested for the sustainability analyses, such as life cycle assessment, footprint analysis, multi-criteria decision analysis, and emergy analysis. Among these approaches, the emergy analysis is one of the most direct methods to assess the system's sustainability. The present article was aimed to perform the emergy analysis to quantify the ecological impacts, bioenergy potential, socio-economic efficiency, and the sustainability of the bioenergy production systems. The emergy-based sustainability analysis was conducted for the Soyabean-, Pongamia-, Jatropha-based biodiesel and Tectona-based biomass production systems from the Indian marginal and degraded lands. Results depicted that under a set of system boundaries for each plant species, total emergy output (U) of 1000 kg biodiesel (biomass in case of Tectona) was calculated to be 0.99E+16 for Soyabean-; 1.01E+16 for Pongamia-; 1.33E+16 for Jatropha- and 0.72E+16 sej for Tectona-based bioenergy production options. Emergy of fuels dominated the economic inflows (F) (32.53%) under the Soyabean-based option making it the second system to represent a greater environmental load ratio (ELR) of 17.98. Furthermore, the emergy of water resources was dominated under F in other studied bioenergy options, i.e., 38.08% of F in Pongamia-, 44.54% in Jatropha-, and 66.52% in Tectona-based systems. The emergy sustainability indices (ESI) of 0.06, 1.04, 0.34, and 0.02 were found for Soyabean-, Pongamia-, Jatropha-, Tectona-based bioenergy production systems, respectively. Sensitivity analysis further suggested that a decrease of 3.5% in F resulted in a 10.02% increase of ESI for the Pongamia-based option. Pongamia-based options depicted an ESI > 1, which could be considered to have a sustainable contribution to the economy for medium periods. The estimated ESIs were fundamentally low because the systems were dependent mainly on the F.

Biofuels policy and innovation impacts: Evidence from biofuels and agricultural patent indicators

In the early 2000s, governments implemented policies stimulating the use of ethanol and biodiesel to reduce carbon emissions and encourage domestic energy production. Blend mandates requiring gasoline or diesel to contain a minimum percentage of these biofuels were a favored policy instrument. Theoretical work by Clancy and Moschini (2017) concluded that, if innovation were stimulated by mandates, then the socially optimal mandate would be higher than if innovation were not possible. We test the impact of blend mandates and other biofuels policies on innovation using measures of patenting activity that correspond with research effort and research output. Our analysis shows that ethanol blend mandates significantly increased both R&D effort and quality-weighted innovation output in biofuels technologies while reducing the R&D inputs to plant technologies. This suggests that biofuels innovation increased in response to the policies, with firms substituting some R&D effort away from plant technologies research. Despite decreased R&D effort, output of plant innovation held steady as effort shifted to biofuels, supporting the presence of a spillover effect between biofuels innovation and plant innovation. We find that biodiesel blend mandates did not significantly impact R&D efforts in either plant or biofuels technologies. Furthermore, policies other than blend mandates had varying effects, ranging from limited increases in R&D activity to significant decreases in innovation. JEL Codes: O31, O38, Q16, Q48, Q55.

Reference gene selection for quantitative RT-PCR in Miscanthus sacchariflorus under abiotic stress conditions.

Reference genes are necessary for quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis and their stability can directly influence the accuracy of gene expression result. Miscanthus sacchariflorus, a perennial C4 grass that serves as promising biofuel plant for temperate climates, has not been explored for the identification of stable reference genes yet. Nine potential reference genes (ACT, EF1a, FBOX, GAPDH, PP2A, SAND, TIP41, TUB and UBC) of M. sacchariflorus under different abiotic (salinity, drought and cadmium) stresses, as well as in two tissues (roots and leaves) were evaluated. The expression stability of these genes were analyzed by four commonly used software programs (geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, ΔCt method and RefFinder). Our results found that FBOX and SAND are the most stable genes among all tested samples. FBOX and EF1a are suitable for gene expression normalization of cadmium-treated samples and salinity-treated leaves. FBOX and PP2A are appropriate reference genes for salt-stressed roots and PEG-treated leaves. The traditional reference gene ACT and GAPDH exhibited the most variable pattern, which would not be recommended for qRT-PCR analysis under different abiotic stresses. Furthermore, the expression levels of PIP2, NHX1 and MT2a under drought, salt and cadmium treatment were detected with above reference genes. This work identified the appropriate reference genes for qRT-PCR in M. sacchariflorus and FBOX was recommended to be effective internal control for gene expression normalization in M. sacchariflorus in response to different abiotic stresses.

Identification of Suitable Sites for Jatropha curcas L. Bioenergy Plantation Using the AquaCrop Model

Jatropha curcas (JC), as a biofuel plant, has been reported to have various desired characteristics such as high oil content seeds (27–40%), fast-growth, easy cultivation, drought tolerance, and can be grown on marginal soil and wasteland, requiring fewer nutrients and management and does not interfere with existing food crops, insects, and pest resistance. This investigation was the first study of its type to use climatological data, blue/green water footprints, and JC seed production to identify suitable sites for JC bioenergy plantation using the AquaCrop FAO model across the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan. The JC seed yield (10 ton/ha) was at a maximum in the districts of Bannu, Karak, Hangu, Kurram, North Waziristan, Lakki Marwat, South Waziristan, and Dera Ismail Khan, in addition to its frontier regions, Tank, Peshawar, Mohmand, Orakzai, Khyber, Kohat, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, and Nowshera, respectively. Green water footprint (264 m3/ton of JC seed) and blue water footprint (825 m3/ton) was less in these areas. Furthermore, the results revealed that, depending on climatological circumstances, the southern part of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is more appropriate for JC bioenergy plantation than the northern region. The districts of Bannu, Karak, Hangu, Kurram, North Waziristan, Lakki Marwat, South Waziristan, Dera Ismail Khan, and its frontier regions, Tank, Peshawar, Mohmand, Orakzai, Khyber, and Kohat, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were identified to be the most ideal places for JC bioenergy plantation. As a result, under the Billion Tree Afforestation Project (BTAP) and the Green Pakistan Project, the Forest Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should consider planting JC species in the province’s southern region. Furthermore, this research will provide scientific information to government and private sector officials for better management and optimum yield of the JC biofuel crop, as well as for the promotion of energy forestry in Pakistan.

A Continental-Scale Connectivity Analysis to Predict Current and Future Colonization Trends of Biofuel Plant’s Pests for Sub-Saharan African Countries

Biofuel production in Sub-Saharan Africa is an important part of local low-income countries. Among many plant species, Jatropha curcas gained popularity in this area, as it can be grown even where crops of agricultural interest cannot. A natural African pest of J. curcas is the Aphthona cookei species group, for which future climatic suitability is predicted to favor areas of co-occurrence. In this research, we identify the possible climatic corridors in which the colonization of J. curcas crops may occur through a circuit theory-based landscape connectivity software at a country scale. Additionally, we use the standardized connectivity change index to predict possible variations in future scenarios. Starting from ecological niche models calibrated on current and 2050 conditions (two different RCP scenarios), we found several countries currently showing high connectivity. Ghana, Zambia and Ivory Coast host both high connectivity and a high number of J. curcas cultivations, which is also predicted to increase in the future. On the other side, Burundi and Rwanda reported a future increase of connectivity, possibly acting as “connectivity bridges” among neighboring countries. Considering the economic relevance of the topic analyzed, our spatially explicit predictions can support stakeholders and policymakers at a country scale in informed territorial management.

Environmental sustainability assessment of biodiesel production from Jatropha curcas L. seeds oil in Pakistan.

According to IPCC Annual Report (AR-5), environmental impact assessment of any product prototype is recommended before its large-scale commercialization; however, no environmental profile analysis of any biodiesel prototype has been conducted in Pakistan. Therefore, objective of this study was to conduct a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA), water footprint and cumulative energy demand (CED) of biodiesel production from Jatropha curcas L. (JC) seeds oil in Pakistan. A cradle-to-gate LCA approach was applied for 400 liter (L) JC biodiesel produced in Pakistan. JC biodiesel production chain was divided into three stages i.e., 1). cultivation of JC crop 2). crude oil extraction from JC seeds and 3). crude oil conversion to biodiesel. Primary data for all the stages were acquired through questionnaire surveys, field visits and measurements in the field. Potential environmental impacts were calculated in SimaPro v.9.2 software using Eco-indicator 99 methodology. Results showed that crude oil extraction stage accounted for highest emissions (77%) to the overall environmental impact categories evaluated, followed by oil conversion stage (21%) and JC cultivation stage (02%), respectively. The three stages of JC biodiesel production chain are major contributor to ecotoxicity with a contribution of 57% to this impact category. Higher contribution to ecotoxicity was due to agrochemicals used in the JC cultivation. Similarly, fossil fuels impact category was responsible for 38% of overall environmental impacts. In addition, water footprint of JC biodiesel production chain was 2632.54 m3/reference unit. Cumulative energy required for 400L JC biodiesel production chain was 46745.70 MJ in Pakistan. Fossil diesel consumption, synthetic fertilizers use and purchased electricity were major hotspot sources to environmental burdens caused by JC biodiesel production in Pakistan. By performing sensitivity analysis at 20% reduction of the baseline values of fossil diesel used, synthetic fertilizers and purchased electricity, a marked decrease in environmental footprint was observed. It is highly recommended that use of renewable energy instead of fossil energy would provide environmental benefits such as lower greenhouse gases and other toxic emissions as compared to conventional petroleum fuels. It is also recommended that JC as a biofuel plant, has been reported to have many desired characteristics such as quick growth, easy cultivation, drought resistance, pest and insect resistance, and mainly great oil content in JC seeds (27-40%). Therefore, JC plant is highly recommended to Billion Tree Afforestation Project (BTAP) for plantation on wasteland because it has multipurpose benefits.

Future landscape of renewable fuel resources: Current and future conservation and utilization of main biofuel crops in China

Biofuel crops are one of the most promising regenerative alternatives of energy resources to fossil fuels. Revealing the current and future resource distribution patterns of biofuel crops will promote the development of green energies and the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, we first conducted a comprehensive and systematic analysis on the distribution patterns of main biofuel crops in China, using 22,352 occurrence records of 31 biofuel plant species and thirty-year environmental variables (1970–2000) with maximum entropy modeling, as well as nine-year field investigation of land use (2011–2019). The results showed that there were six different sub-regions for main biofuel crops in China, while Southwest China and South China were determined as the main concentrated potential regions. Specifically, the ranges of these regions were wider than those of current land use of main biofuel crops in China, indicating great potential for industrial cultivation. Moreover, the main biofuel crops had diverse changing patterns including increase, decrease and unstable under future climate change. Among them, biofuel crops with increase pattern (six crops) and decrease pattern (seven crops) should receive high attention for future resource utilization and production. Further field validation results confirmed that the above distribution patterns were mainly determined by increasing global temperature and precipitation. Collectively, these results will provide valuable references for the utilization and development of main biofuel resources under climate change in China, thereby shedding light on studies regarding the production of green biofuels globally.

Exergy, economic, and environmental assessment of ethanol dehydration to diesel fuel additive diethyl ether

Ethanol dehydration to diethyl ether makes it suitable for diesel engines by improving its cetane number, autoignition temperature, flammability limits, and petrodiesel miscibility. Therefore, the present investigation aimed at analyzing the ethanol dehydration process in a continuous reactor from thermodynamic, economic, and environmental perspectives. An integrated soft computing approach was also used to model and optimize the ethanol dehydration conditions. The effects of three reaction variables, i.e., weight hourly space velocity (WHSV), dehydration temperature, and dehydration pressure, were thoroughly analyzed on the exergy, exergoeconomic, and exergoenvironmental indicators. The WHSV was the most influential variable on the exergetic indicators investigated, while the studied indicators were hardly affected by the dehydration pressure. The optimal dehydration temperature, pressure, and WHSV were found to be 398 °C, 82.3 bar, and 2.96 1/h, respectively. At the selected optimal ethanol dehydration conditions, the process exergy efficiency was found to be 22.7%. The cost and environmental impact of unit product exergy at the optimal ethanol dehydration conditions were 95.0 USD/GJ and 85.7 mPts/GJ, respectively. Generally, it could be deduced that chemical biofuel plants could be well understood and optimized using the exergy-based approaches, particularly exergoeconomic and exergoenvironmental methods.

Towards Commercialization of Third‐Generation Biofuel Industry for Sustainable Energy Production in Nigeria

AbstractDue to the potential depletion of fossil fuels and the need for the shift from its use to combat the aggravated impacts of climate change, the unsustainable use of these conventional fuels has been widely recognized. This has prompted commercialization of biofuels as an alternative sustainable fuel. This study summarizes the potential of third‐generation biomass feedstocks, algae, for biofuel production on the example of Nigeria, where most biofuel plants still use first‐ and second‐generation feedstocks, which have led to food and land mass competition. It is shown that the production and consumption of third‐generation biofuel is at its infancy in the country. It was also found that the climatic conditions in Nigeria are conducive for the cultivation of microalgae, which are the primary sources of the third‐generation biofuel, even though there are barriers such as inadequate reliable resource database for investment decisions and technical expertise to develop and deploy biofuels in commercial form. The large population of Nigeria is a potential market for biofuel, therefore, commercialization of the third‐generation biofuel can be a viable alternative energy source to conventional fossil fuels and it can generate employment for many in the country.

Mapping of energy demand and potential of biofuel development in Kelara watershed

The increase in population on earth is increasing, stimulating the need for energy to grow. The Indonesian Government is looking for alternative renewable energies such as Biofuels. Various types of biofuel plants have been developed, such as Nyamplung and Kemiri Sunan. These biofuel crops can also be used for land rehabilitation and reduced carbon emissions in the Kelara watershed, which have been in critical condition. On this basis, a study on the mapping of energy needs and potential for the Development of biofuel plants in the Kelara watershed. This study makes extensive use of the analysis of geographic information systems. The analysis begins with the zoning of the watershed morphology (upstream, middle, and downstream). Watershed morphology zoning in a watershed for energy demand data collection using the energy list recording method. This method represents energy use data, including the type and volume of energy use, the affordability of energy sources, the availability of energy stocks, and people’s purchasing power for energy. Also, spatial analysis of land suitability for Nyamplung and Kemiri Sunan plants as a function of biophysical conditions and critical lands for biofuel energy development. Biophysical conditions include elevation, slope, annual precipitation, dry months, soil pH, and soil texture. Most Kelara watershed people work as farmers, with the most significant number of dependents of 3-5 persons/heads of households around 73.68%. The average energy needs of the community are around 396,437 kcal/day for LPG and firewood. The potential for biofuel development for the Nyamplung type is 10,130 hectares, with an area of 5,477 hectares in critical lands. The potential for the Development of Kemiri Sunan biofuels 17,370 ha with an area of 3,479 ha. The future Development of biofuel energy is a concept of sustainable Development. Economically, biofuel crops serve as sources of income for the community and ecologically improve soil conditions, carbon storage sources, and function hydrology.

Modeling of cost optimized process integration of HTL fuel production

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is an advanced biomass conversion process for biocrude production from a broad variety of organic feedstock, including wet waste streams. The intermediate biocrudes can be further upgraded to liquid hydrocarbon fuels and thereby contribute to the mitigation of greenhouse gases from the transport sector. This work investigates an optimized sub-system integration of transportation fuel production via sub-critical HTL of primary sewage sludge. The plant design integrates HTL conversion, biocrude upgrading via hydrotreatment, and an energetic valorization of the residual aqueous phase from HTL conversion via catalytic hydrothermal gasification (cHTG). The option of on-site hydrogen production via reforming of cHTG gas is examined for the purpose of biocrude upgrading. The modeling results show that the hydrogen demand for hydrotreatment could be covered by the valorization of the HTL by-products. The thermal management of an integrated biofuel plant is optimized with respect to subsystem cost based on in-depth process modeling to quantify mass and energy flows and principles of pinch analysis to design a heat exchanger network. The cost optimized configuration results in an overall process energy efficiency of 40.5%. The results provide a basis for design choices for future HTL plants.