Biofuel Production Methods Research Articles

Cultivation of chlorella vulgaris using aquaculture wastewater: Assessing its viability as a promising resource for biodiesel production

This study investigates the viability of utilizing Chlorella vulgaris cultivated in aquaculture wastewater as a feedstock for biodiesel production. The research involved scaling up the algal culture from 10 ml to 10 liters in a photobioreactor, optimizing growth conditions, and analyzing the water parameters of the aquaculture wastewater medium. The results showed successful growth of the algal culture, with the highest growth rate achieved on day 15 in the 10-liter reactor. The harvested biomass was converted into biodiesel through direct transesterification, and the produced biodiesel was characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and fuel property tests. The FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of functional groups indicative of esterification, validating the successful conversion of the wet biomass into biodiesel. The fuel property tests revealed that the algal biodiesel exhibited marginally higher kinematic viscosity but a favourable flash point compared to established standards. Emission tests demonstrated an increase in CO2 and hydrocarbon emissions with higher engine loads, aligning with combustion principles. The findings highlight the potential of utilizing aquaculture wastewater as a sustainable medium for cultivating Chlorella vulgaris and producing biodiesel, contributing to the development of more resource-efficient and environmentally friendly biofuel production methods.

Influence of O2-content on gas-injected solution combustion design of nanostructured Mg-Al solid-solution used in transformation of vegetable fats to biofuel

The effect of variable O2 concentrations (5%, 10%, 15%, and 21%) in the injection mixing gas was examined on the properties of MgO/MgAl2O4 nanocatalysts created with solution combustion method for biofuel production. The results of XRD, FESEM, TEM, EDX, BET, FTIR and TG/DTG manifested that among all above-mentioned O2 contents injected into synthesis pot, the 21% O2 sample provides the possibility for the fuel to undergo complete combustion leading to superior characteristics of this nanocatalyst including better dispersion of MgO on the support, well-formed crystals, higher surface area with large pore volume and higher catalytic performance during transformation of vegetable fats to biofuel (98.2%) compared to the other samples without any gas injection or with lower oxygen contents. The conversion of air injected sample indicated only 2.8% connversion loss after five rounds of use, indicative of a mesoporous catalyst with still an acceptable conversion rate (93.8%) for biodiesel production.

Catalytic pyrolysis of Sweet Sorghum plant by using fixed-bed reactor; Effect of different temperatures on the pyrolytic bio-oil yield and FT-IR characterization

Pyrolysis of sweet sorghum, lignocellulosic graminaceous plant has been conceded using the fixed bed tubular reactor. Temperature plus catalyst are the important factors which effect the pyrolysis process. Here catalytic pyrolysis has been done by the catalyst ZnO-Fe2O3/Al2O3 at different temperatures. We have done our pyrolysis reactions on3changed temperatures i.e. 250̊ C, 350 ̊C, 450 ̊C. By using catalyst, we obtain the pyrolytic products at a very low temperature and it is proved very efficient method for biofuel production. From different temperature experimentation, we concluded that the best optimal temperature along with catalyst for pyrolysis is 350 ̊C for the yield of bio oil. Maximum yield can be obtained at this temperature.

Characterization of Fly Ash Catalyst Using XRD Method for Biofuel Production from Used Cooking Oil

The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of the fly ash catalyst and to test the catalyst in the production of biofuels from used cooking oil. Fly ash catalyst which has been activated using 1M NaoH was analyzed using XRD at an angle of 2θ = 15° - 80° with a wavelength (λ) of X-rays of 0.15406 nm. From the results of the analysis, the compound NaO26Si6Y9 was obtained with a hexagonal structure. Furthermore, the results of the XRD analysis that can be obtained in the form of wavelength, intensity, 2θ and FWHM values will be substituted into the Debye Scherrer Equation to calculate the crystal structure size of the Fly Ash catalyst. So that obtained Crystal Size (D) of 8.1942 nm. Crystal size is an important factor for the catalyst because it is related to the number of active catalyst sites and the surface area of the catalyst. In addition, the larger the crystal size, the greater the surface area of the catalyst so that the greater the surface energy it has. In testing the fly ash catalyst in the process of cracking used cooking oil into biofuel, the optimum condition of the catalyst was 10% and the volume of biofuel produced was 615 mL.

Removal of ofloxacin with biofuel production by oleaginous microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus

Microalgae-based technology is an environmental-friendly and cost-effective method for biofuel production and pollutants removal. In this study, Scenedesmus obliquus (S. obliquus) was cultured with varying concentrations of ofloxacin (OFL) in BG11 medium. In the algae-antibiotics culture system, S. obliquus could effectively remove OFL with a concentration of 10 mg/L; however, the removal efficiency was restricted under higher doses (20–320 mg/L). Meanwhile, the lipid content significantly increased by 21.10–49.63%, which was caused by carbon being converted from carbohydrate to lipid. The greatest lipid productivity (7.53 mg/L/d) occurred at an OFL concentration of 10 mg/L, which was approximately 1.5-fold greater than the control. Moreover, S. obliquus cultured with OFL was able to improve the biodiesel quality due to an increase of saturated fatty acids and a decrease of unsaturated fatty acids. This study demonstrates that an algae-antibiotics system is a promising solution to simultaneously achieve antibiotics removal and biofuel production.

Application of bubble carrying to Chlorella vulgaris flocculation with branched cationic starch: An efficient and economical harvesting method for biofuel production

Aiming at enhancing the microalgae biomass concentration to produce methane, electrolytic bubble carrying was introduced to Chlorella vulgaris flocculation. With the help of electrolytic microbubbles, instead of settling down, the microalgae flocs rise up. During this flocculation-rising process, the microalgae was concentrated to 63.6 g L−1 which was 5.5-fold of that concentrated in flocculation-settling process. Additionally, the mean floc rising velocity of 29.3 mm s−1 was 22.5-fold of the settling velocity of 1.3 mm s−1. The harvested biomass can be directly used as the substrates of methane fermentation and the fermentation period was shortened by 22.1% with a high C/N (28.0) of cationic starch. Furthermore, the additional cost for these improvements was only 0.09 kWh for per kilogram microalgae (kWh kg−1), and it was less than a quarter of the energy required for mixing. Therefore, based on the high biomass concentration and low additional energy consumption, the combination of electrolytic bubble carrying and cationic starch can be an ideal microalgae-harvesting method for biofuel production.

Simultaneous biohydrogen production from dark fermentation of duckweed and waste utilization for microalgal lipid production

A cost-effective and environmentally friendly method for biofuel production was developed, by utilizing duckweed as feedstock for biohydrogen production through dark fermentation and simultaneously using the fermentative waste to produce microalgal lipids. The results suggested that acid hydrolysis (1% H2SO4) was more suitable for the pretreatment of duckweed biomass. Maximum hydrogen production of 169.30 mL g−1 dry weight was determined under a temperature of 35 °C and an initial pH of 7.0. After the dark fermentation, the volatile fatty acids (VFAs) including acetate and butyrate, were detected in the waste, with concentration determined as 1.04 g L−1 and 1.52 g L−1, respectively. During the mixotrophic cultivation of Chlorella sacchrarophila FACHB-4 using waste as feedstock, the maximum microalgal biomass and the lipid productions were about 2.8 and 33 times higher with respect to the autotrophic growth. The simultaneous biohydrogen production and waste utilization method provided a green strategy for biofuel production.

Co-pyrolysis of rice straw and water hyacinth: Characterization of products, yields and biomass interaction effect

Co-pyrolysis of biomass with abundantly available materials could be an economical method for production of bio-fuels. Pyrolysis behavior of rice straw (RS) and water hyacinth (WH) were carried out in fixed bed reactor at temperature ranging from 300 to 450 °C at a heating rate of 20 °C/min. Co-pyrolysis of biomass with different reaction mixture were carried out at optimum condition 400 °C. The maximum liquid product yields for the pyrolysis of RS and WH obtained were 28.2 wt% and 24.7 wt%, respectively, whereas the maximum liquid product yield for RS+WH co-pyrolysis was 44.4 wt% at 400 °C with 5: 5 biomass mixture ratio. The bio-oils obtained from pyrolysis and co-pyrolysis was analyzed by using GC-MS, FT-IR, 1H NMR. The results of GC-MS and FT-IR analysis confirmed the interaction between RS and water hyacinth during co-pyrolysis, which resulted into increases the number of compounds and compound selectivity. The intensity of the peak enhanced at 1633 cm−1 in the case of bio-char due to an increase in the amount of aromatic carbon and decreased cellulose and hemicellulose contents in the biomass. This work aimed to summarize research progress on co-pyrolysis as well as their benefits on enhancement of bio-oils derived from biomass.

Comparison of Bioethanol Preparation from Triticale Straw Using the Ionic Liquid and Sulfate Methods

Triticale straw constitutes a potential raw material for biofuel production found in Poland in considerable quantities. Thus far, production of bioethanol has been based on food raw materials such as cereal seeds, sugar beets or potatoes, and the biofuel production methods developed for these lignocellulose raw materials can threaten the environment and are inefficient. Therefore, this study aimed to compare of methods for pretreatment of triticale straw using 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate and the sulfate method in the aspect of ethanol production intended for fuel. Based on the conducted experiments it has been determined that the use of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate for the pretreatment of triticale straw resulted in an increase of reducing sugars after enzymatic hydrolysis and ethyl alcohol after alcoholic fermentation. Furthermore, the study compared the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of triticale straw without pretreatment, after processing with ionic liquid, recycled ionic liquid and using sulfate method, allowing a comparison of these methods. The more favorable method of lignocellulose material purification was the use of ionic liquid, due to the lower amount of toxic byproducts formed during the process, and the efficiency test results of bioethanol production using pretreatment with ionic liquid and sulfate method were similar. Ionic liquid recycling after pretreatment of rye straw using lyophilization allowed us to reuse this solvent to purify rye straw, yet the efficiency of this method remained at a low level. As a result of the conducted study it was determined that the use of ionic liquid-1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate enhanced the yield of bioethanol from triticale straw from 1.60 g/dm3 after processing without pre-treatment to 10.64 g/dm3 after pre-treatment.

Role of glycine/nitrates ratio on structural and texture evolution of MgO-based nanocatalyst fabricated by hybrid microwave-impregnation method for biofuel production

The synthesis of MgO/MgAl2O4 was conducted using hybrid microwave-impregnation with different glycine fuel ratios (1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5). To this end, the combustion synthesis (CS) and microwave heating were applied for the synthesis of MgAl2O4, and impregnation was used for the dispersion of MgO active phase on the given samples. The characterization of samples was done using TGA, XRD, BET, BJH, FTIR, FESEM, and EDX to reach the optimal glycine fuel ratio for CS. The best physiochemical properties were observed in 1.5 ratio. The pore size, the surface area, and the mean pore diameter of the mentioned nanocatalyst were respectively 0.358 cm3/g, 93.8 m2/g, and 5 nm. Finally, transesterification reaction was employed for the preparation of biodiesel to measure the nanocatalysts activity. The findings showed that the nanocatalyst produced by hybrid microwave-impregnation method with fuel ration of 1.5 (at the presence of glycine) is highly desirable for biodiesel production. Using optimal sample, transesterification reaction conversion reached 92.7%. Reusability investigation of the optimal catalyst showed that this sample possessed a relatively good reusability for biodiesel production. Regarding the simple and fast synthesis method (hybrid microwave impregnation), it can be said that the catalyst synthesized by this method is suitable for industrial biodiesel preparation.

Organic acid pretreatment of oil palm trunk: effect on enzymatic saccharification and ethanol production.

Effective lignocellulosic biomass saccharification is one of the crucial requirements of biofuel production via fermentation process. Organic acid pretreatments have been gained much interests as one of the high potential methods for promoting enzymatic saccharification of lignocellulosic materials due to their lower hazardous properties and lower production of inhibitory by-products of fermentation than typical chemical pretreatment methods. In this study, three organic acids, including acetic acid, oxalic acid, and citric acid, were examined for improvement of enzymatic saccharification and bioethanol production from oil palm trunk biomass. Based on response surface methodology, oxalic acid pretreated biomass released the maximum reducing sugar of 144mg/g-pretreated biomass at the optimum condition, which was higher than untreated samples for 2.30 times. The released sugar yield of oil palm trunk also corresponded to the results of FT-IR analysis, which revealed the physical modification of cellulose and hemicellulose surface structures of pretreated biomass. Nevertheless, citric acid pretreatment is the most efficient pretreatment method to improve bioethanol fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae TISTR 5606at 1.94 times higher than untreated biomass. These results highlighted the selection of organic acid pretreatment as a potential method for biofuel production from oil palm trunk feedstocks.

Bioconversion of cellulose and simultaneous production of thermoactive exo- and endoglucanases by Fusarium oxysporum

Saccharification of cellulose is a promising method for production of biofuels. However, low bioconversion efficiency of cellulose to soluble sugars is a major challenge. In this study, a cellulolytic strain of Fusarium oxysporum was cultivated on pure cellulosic substrates (avicel, α-cellulose, carboxymethylcellulose and methylcellulose) and conversion efficiency into glucose was investigated. Production of exo- and endoglucanases during the bioconversion process was evaluated. Influence of pH on saccharification of cellulose and enzyme production by F. oxysporum were determined. Highest yield of glucose (1.76 μmol/ml) was obtained from F. oxysporum on methyl cellulose at 192 h under basal conditions. Liberated glucose under optimized condition of pH 6.0 at 96 h of fermentation was 2.12 μmol/ml with maximum production of exo- and endoglucanases (23.70 and 34.72 U/mg protein, respectively). The crude exo- and endoglucanases had optimum activities at pH 8.0, 70 °C and pH 7.0, 50 °C, respectively. The enzymes were stable over pH of 4.0–7.0 with relative residual activity above 60% after 1 h incubation. Exoglucanase activity was enhanced by Ca2+ and Cu2+ at 5 mM and Mg2+ at 10 mM. Endoglucanase activity was greatly enhanced in the presence of Mn2+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cu2+ and Fe3+ at 5 and 10 mM. Activities of both enzymes were inhibited in the presence of Hg2+ at 5 and 10 mM. Results show that F. oxysporum possessed good cellulolytic enzyme system for efficient conversion of cellulose. Exhibited thermotolerance of exoglucanase with the striking tolerance of endoglucanase to metal ions demonstrate potentials of enzymes for biofuel industry.

Batch cultivation of marine microalgae Nannochloropsis oculata and Tetraselmis suecica in treated municipal wastewater toward bioethanol production

Algae have come into prominence over the last decade as a commercial biofuel feedstock due to their high production efficiencies compared to first and second feedstocks. However, algal investment is not economically feasible currently due to the operational and capital cost. There is still need for innovations for both high productivity and green productions. In order to decrease the cost of the algal processes, usage of some wastes as cultivation medium for algal productions and novel biofuel production methods should be considered according to green chemistry principals. In this study, seawater and wastewater supplied from Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (ISKI) were used and combined at different ratios to be utilized as a growth medium for Nannochloropsis oculata and Tetraselmis suecica microalgae strain under the same growth conditions, and its effect on cell proliferation and growth kinetics were investigated. It was found that, both N. oculata and T. suecica can tolerate and utilize the wastewater and, the specific growth rate of the cultures can up to 0.5430 d−1 (75% of wastewater) for N. oculata and 0.4778 d−1 (25% of wastewater) for T. suecica. Different concentrations show different results for the growth of two species due to the effect of higher concentrations of the fundamental sources on growth stage and change of ionic composition of the culture medium. To evaluate bioethanol production performance of these two strains, samples which included maximum carbohydrate content as well as control groups were chosen for further studies. The results showed that T. suecica is much suitable for ethanol production using municipal wastewater as a culture medium.

Potential of Black Liquor of Potassium Hydroxide to Pretreat Corn Stover for Biomethane Production

Reducing the pretreatment cost of lignocellulosic biomass by utilizing alkali to alter its recalcitrant nature is an effective method for biofuel production. In this experiment, 1.5% KOH solution and its black liquor (spent liquor of KOH) (BL) were applied to pretreat corn stover (CS) at a temperature of 20 °C to enhance the digestibility for anaerobic digestion (AD). Results showed no significant difference in weighted average methane content on the basis of experimental methane and biogas yields between BL-treated and original KOH-treated CS after AD. The BL process significantly increased the overall methane yield by 52.4% compared with untreated CS (135.2 mL/gVS), whereas no significant difference between the overall methane yields of 1.5% KOH-treated and BL-treated CS was observed. In addition, the BL process significantly saved water and KOH consumption, by 56.2% and 57.4%, respectively, compared with the 1.5% KOH pretreatment. Overall methane production was well explained by the modified Gompertz model. The physiochemical changes to CS after BL pretreatment were confirmed by SEM, FTIR, and XRD analyses. Our findings collectively suggest that recycling and reuse of KOH black liquor might be an efficient method for lignocellulosic biomass treatment and have the capability to reduce input costs in future AD processes.

The Rationality of Biofuel Certification: A Critical Examination of EU Biofuel Policy

Certification for biofuels has been developed to ensure that biofuel production methods adhere to social and environmental sustainability standards. As such, requiring biofuel production to be certified has become part of EU policy through the 2009 renewable energy directive (RED), that aims to promote energy security, reduce emissions and promote rural development. According to the EU RED, in 2020 10 % of our transport energy should come from renewable sources, most of which are expected to be biofuels. In this paper I examine what biofuel certificates are, what they can achieve and what their limitations are. Methodologically, I will evaluate them using the standards of instrumental, practical and communicative rationality. With regard to instrumental rationality, I conclude that the EU RED makes an important but unjustified assumption in demanding certified biofuels for its target: that if biofuel production is sustainable, then biofuel use is too. I also argue that, where the EU assumes that biofuel certification is a sufficient means to achieve the EU RED’s goals, it is at best an insufficient means and at worst not a means at all towards achieving these goals. With regard to practical rationality, I argue that more attention needs to be paid to trade-offs between different goals in the EU RED, particularly with regard to providing investor security and not capping transport energy consumption. With regard to communicative rationality, I argue that the policy-making process of the EU RED has been seriously flawed, and that certification development processes also can improve significantly.

Identification of furfural resistant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces paradoxus from a collection of environmental and industrial isolates.

BackgroundFermentation of bioethanol using lignocellulosic biomass as a raw material provides a sustainable alternative to current biofuel production methods by utilising waste food streams as raw material. Before lignocellulose can be fermented, it requires physical, chemical and enzymatic treatment in order to release monosaccharides, a process that causes the chemical transformation of glucose and xylose into the cyclic aldehydes furfural and hydroxyfurfural. These furan compounds are potent inhibitors of Saccharomyces fermentation, and consequently furfural tolerant strains of Saccharomyces are required for lignocellulosic fermentation.ResultsThis study investigated yeast tolerance to furfural and hydroxyfurfural using a collection of 71 environmental and industrial isolates of the baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its closest relative Saccharomyces paradoxus. The Saccharomyces strains were initially screened for growth on media containing 100 mM glucose and 1.5 mg ml−1 furfural. Five strains were identified that showed a significant tolerance to growth in the presence of furfural, and these were then screened for growth and ethanol production in the presence of increasing amounts (0.1 to 4 mg ml−1) of furfural.ConclusionsOf the five furfural tolerant strains, S. cerevisiae National Collection of Yeast Cultures (NCYC) 3451 displayed the greatest furfural resistance and was able to grow in the presence of up to 3.0 mg ml−1 furfural. Furthermore, ethanol production in this strain did not appear to be inhibited by furfural, with the highest ethanol yield observed at 3.0 mg ml−1 furfural. Although furfural resistance was not found to be a trait specific to any one particular lineage or population, three of the strains were isolated from environments where they might be continually exposed to low levels of furfural through the ongoing natural degradation of lignocelluloses, and would therefore develop elevated levels of resistance to these furan compounds. Thus, these strains represent good candidates for future studies of genetic variation relevant to understanding and manipulating furfural resistance and in the development of tolerant ethanologenic yeast strains for use in bioethanol production from lignocellulose processing.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13068-015-0217-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Screening heterotrophic microalgal strains by using the Biolog method for biofuel production from organic wastewater

Heterotrophic cultivation of microalgae based on organic wastewater is a promising way to improve the feasibility of large-scale microalgal biofuel production and thus has received much attention recently. Biolog-ECO plates, which has been widely applied to analyze the ability of different bacteria to oxidize or utilize organic compounds, was firstly used in this study to evaluate the heterotrophic metabolic properties of five wastewater-borne microalgal strains (Scenedesmus sp. ZTY1, ZTY2 and ZTY3, Chlorella sp. ZTY4 and ZTY5). The results revealed that the microalgal strains could use a wide range of organic substrates. Scenedesmus sp. ZTY1 and Chlorella sp. ZTY4 could utilize 23 and 20 kinds of substrates among all 31 kinds of organic substrates in Biolog-ECO plate, respectively. The other three microalgal strains could also assimilate half the total kinds of the substrates. Furthermore, the metabolic patterns of the microalgal strains on different substrates were summarized according to the biochemical categories of the substrates. This study provides a new and rapid method to screen heterotrophic microalgal strains for microalgal biofuel production, and presents an evidence that some wastewater-borne microalgal strains could assimilate a wide range of organic substrates.

Techno-economic comparisons of hydrogen and synthetic fuel production using forest residue feedstock

Mobile distributed pyrolysis facilities have been proposed for delivery of a forest residue resource to bio-fuel facilities. This study examines the costs of producing hydrogen or synthetic petrol (gasoline) and diesel from feedstock produced by mobile facilities (bio-oil, bio-slurry, torrefied wood). Results show that using these feedstock can provide fuels at costs competitive to conventional bio-fuel production methods using gasification of a woodchip feedstock. Using a bio-oil feedstock in combination with bio-oil steam reforming or bio-oil upgrading can produce hydrogen or petrol and diesel at costs of 3.25 $ kg−1 or 0.86 $ litre−1, respectively, for optimally sized bio-fuel facilities. When compared on an energy basis ($ GJ−1), hydrogen production costs tend to be lower than those for synthetic petrol or diesel production across a variety of bio-fuel production pathways.

Feasibilities of consolidated bioprocessing microbes: from pretreatment to biofuel production.

Lignocelluloses are rich sugar treasures, which can be converted to useful commodities such as biofuel with the help of efficient combination of enzymes and microbes. Although several bioprocessing approaches have been proposed, biofuel production from lignocelluloses is limited because of economically infeasible technologies for pretreatment, saccharification and fermentation. Use of consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) microbes is the most promising method for the cost-effective production of biofuels. However, lignocelluloses are obtained from highly diverse environment and hence are heterogeneous in nature. Therefore, it is necessary to develop and integrate tailor-designed pretreatment processes and efficient microbes that can thrive on many different kinds of biomass. In this review, the progress towards the construction of consolidated bioprocessing microbes, which can efficiently convert heterogeneous lignocellulosic biomass to bioenergy, has been discussed; in addition, the potential and constraints of current bioprocessing technologies for cellulosic biofuel production have been discussed.

Materials for Renewable and Sustainable Energy provides the connection between materials, energy, and sustainability

Looking at the future of humanity, major efforts are devoted to finding pathways for sustainable development. The quality of life is unevenly distributed worldwide with many areas still needing to develop adequate conditions for a dignified life. To this aim, energy is required in far larger amounts than the presently available reserves, which are mostly based on fossil fuels. Energy is the single most valuable resource for human activity and the basis for all human progress. Thus, it is vital to assess and conserve available resources, to consolidate the economical feasibility of under-deployed renewable technologies, and to search for novel methods of energy harvesting, conversion, storage, saving, and use. All should be efficient, renewable and environmentally friendly. In this framework, while chemistry is the underlying scientific basis, materials are vital in enabling technologies that can offer promising solutions for a sustainable energy future [1]. Most technologies for power supplies that are alternatives to fossil fuel combustion are either too expensive or inefficient, hindering their broad use. These include fuel cells, batteries, supercapacitors, photovoltaics and solar cell devices. Materials with new properties and improved functionalities are needed for boosting the performance and efficiency of the different types of devices, at a lower cost. The same is applicable for deploying solar hydrogen and biofuel production methods, and for introducing new energy-saving technologies, such as in buildings, novel illumination sources for efficient lighting, and thermoelectrics. Materials for Renewable and Sustainable Energy will offer a new forum for presenting research linking materials, energy, and sustainability. While binary links have been emphasized for ‘‘materials and energy [2]’’ and ‘‘materials and sustainability [3]’’, the intertwining of the different concepts is both necessary and timely. The role of this multidisciplinary journal is to facilitate the dissemination of high-quality scientific results on the material aspects of the deployment of renewable and sustainable energy technologies. The journal covers experimental and theoretical aspects of materials and prototype devices for sustainable energy conversion, storage, and saving, together with materials needed for renewable fuel production. The readers will benefit from the fact that, though different issues need to be solved for the various technologies, very often similar approaches can be borrowed across disciplines. This knowledge exchange will, without doubt, inspire and stimulate endeavours for new discoveries. Since engineering of the materials nanoand microstructure with their differing associated properties is crucial in improving their performance, close and focused attention is given to advanced materials characterization and testing techniques, such as in situ and in operando methods, and also to materials modelling and computation. In summary, to make renewable energy processes sustainable, considerable efforts are needed at the fundamental, applied and theoretical levels. Materials for Renewable and Sustainable Energy is an Open Access journal, supported by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, aiming to become the world’s E. Traversa (&) International Research Center for Renewable Energy, State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow in Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China e-mail: traversa.enrico@gmail.com