Efforts toward Biomass Waste Utilization and Future Initiatives for its Widespread Adoption

Abstract

This study investigates the current state and challenges of biomass waste utilization by examining workshops conducted over the past 20 years by the Biomass Waste Research Group of the Waste Management Society of Japan, annual presentations related to biomass utilization at conferences, and academic papers published in the English journal of the Society, JMCWM. At present, implementation of biomass utilization technologies remains limited. Challenges that have been identified as hindrances to the widespread adoption of the technologies include ensuring a homogeneous and sufficient supply of raw materials, developing efficient and economically viable conversion technologies, and addressing various issues to ensure economic feasibility. Additionally, efforts to overcome these challenges and advance the utilization of biomass waste involve research into novel conversion technologies. This encompasses the application of molecular biology to analyze and optimize complex microbial systems, such as composting and anaerobic digestion. Other focal points include microbial fuel cells designed for the direct production of electrical energy from biomass waste and the production of bio-jet fuels utilizing oil-producing algae. This study summarizes the comprehensive investigations, inclusive of economic feasibility and environmental impact assessments, which have been conducted not only on these technologies but also on the research associated with them.