Evidence-Gated Four-Dimensional Sustainability Readiness Appraisal of a Fixed-Bed Co-Pyrolysis System for Rice Husk, Rice Straw, and Sugarcane Bagasse
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65339/ijsis.V1.I2.74Keywords:
Agricultural Residues, Biochar, Bio-Oil, Co-Pyrolysis, Evidence-Gated Sustainability Readiness, Fixed-Bed System, Gas-To-Dryer Energy, Pilot Validation, Sustainability Assessment, Thermochemical ConversionAbstract
This study evaluated a laboratory-scale fixed-bed co-pyrolysis system for rice husk, rice straw, and sugarcane bagasse using an evidence-gated sustainability-readiness framework to determine whether existing evidence supports progression toward targeted pilot validation. A descriptive engineering case-study design was employed using one 5.50 kg reference batch operated at 500 °C with a 1:1:2 feedstock ratio. Engineering data, an assumption-based gas-to-dryer energy scenario, and a researcher-developed 20-indicator professional-appraisal instrument were analyzed. Twenty qualified evaluators were purposively selected to assess environmental, technical, operational, and social-deployment potential. The reference batch recovered 2.64 kg bio-oil (48.0%) and 1.60 kg biochar (29.1%), while the 1.26 kg residual fraction (22.9%) was derived by mass balance rather than directly measured as gas. Under the adopted screening assumptions, the residual fraction provided an estimated 3.17 MJ of potentially useful dryer heat, equivalent to 58.1% of the reference drying requirement; however, this remains an unverified scenario. Professional appraisal was uniformly favorable, with mean scores of 4.77 for environmental, 4.75 for technical, 4.74 for operational, and 4.75 for social-deployment potential. Evidence remained insufficient to establish comparative environmental performance, long-term reliability, quantified safety, economic feasibility, or community acceptance. The study concludes that the prototype merits targeted validation rather than being considered proven sustainable or deployment ready. Recommended validation includes repeated-run reliability, direct gas and dryer measurements, comparative environmental assessment, formal safety and maintainability evaluation, preliminary economics, and direct stakeholder participation. The study aligns conceptually with SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). Its sustainability impact lies in supporting technological, environmental, socio-economic, and institutional decision-making by distinguishing demonstrated performance from assumptions and professional judgments before pilot development.
References
Cornelio, A., Calce, S., Fahimi, A., & Bontempi, E. (2026). Early-stage sustainability screening for technology innovation: The ESCAPE approach. Journal of Environmental Management, 398, 128465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.128465 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.128465
El-Sayed, S. A. (2025). Chemical products yielded from different pyrolysis processes of rice waste residues: A comprehensive review. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 15, 20615–20655. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-025-06624-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-025-06624-3
Ferreira, R. M., de Souza, L. S., dos Santos, G. R., de Sousa, F. D., Duarte, J. B. F., Carneiro, F. O. M., de Andrade, C. F., Serra, D. S., & de Oliveira, M. L. M. (2025). Pyrolysis of sugarcane bagasse pellets: Influence of temperature and pellet density on co-product yields. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, 19(6), 1984–1996. https://doi.org/10.1002/bbb.2798 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/bbb.2798
Henderson, J., & Peeling, R. (2024). A framework for early-stage sustainability assessment of innovation projects enabled by weighted sum multi-criteria decision analysis in the presence of uncertainty. Open Research Europe, 4, 162. https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.18195.1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.18195.1
Ige, A. R., & Łaska, G. (2025). Production of antioxidant additives and biochar pellets from the co-pyrolysis of agricultural biomass: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 208, 115037. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2024.115037 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2024.115037
Matsueda, Y., & Antunes, E. (2024). A review of current technologies for the sustainable valorisation of sugarcane bagasse. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 12(6), 114900. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2024.114900 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2024.114900
Parolin, G., McAloone, T. C., & Pigosso, D. C. A. (2024). How can technology assessment tools support sustainable innovation? A systematic literature review and synthesis. Technovation, 129, 102881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2023.102881 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2023.102881
Paudel, P. P., Kafle, S., Park, S., Kim, S. J., Cho, L., & Kim, D. H. (2024). Advancements in sustainable thermochemical conversion of agricultural crop residues: A systematic review of technical progress, applications, perspectives, and challenges. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 202, 114723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2024.114723 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2024.114723
Pérez-Almada, D., Galán-Martín, Á., Contreras, M. M., & Castro, E. (2023). Integrated techno-economic and environmental assessment of biorefineries: Review and future research directions. Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 7, 4031–4050. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SE00405H DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SE00405H
Polipalli, K., Suraboyina, S., Kashimalla, M., & Polumati, A. (2025). A review on value addition of agricultural residues by chemical and bio-chemical processes to abate environmental pollution. Green Technologies and Sustainability, 3(4), 100241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.grets.2025.100241 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.grets.2025.100241
Sheer, A., Sardar, M. F., Younas, F., Zhu, P., Noreen, S., Mehmood, T., Farooqi, Z. U. R., Fatima, S., & Guo, W. (2024). Trends and social aspects in the management and conversion of agricultural residues into valuable resources: A comprehensive approach to counter environmental degradation, food security, and climate change. Bioresource Technology, 394, 130258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2023.130258 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2023.130258
Unsomsri, N., Koedthong, P., Tawkaew, S., Wiriyasart, S., & Kaewluan, S. (2025). Mitigating dust and air pollution from open-field rice straw burning through biochar production using an integrated biomass gasifier and burner. Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering, 11, 101222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscee.2025.101222 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscee.2025.101222
van Dijk, M., Goedegebure, R., & Nap, J.-P. (2024). Public acceptance of biomass for bioenergy: The need for feedstock differentiation and communicating a waste utilization frame. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 202, 114670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2024.114670 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2024.114670
Wulf, C., Haase, M., Baumann, M., & Zapp, P. (2023). Weighting factor elicitation for sustainability assessment of energy technologies. Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 7, 832–847. https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SE01170K DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D2SE01170K
Zhu, X., Labianca, C., He, M., Luo, Z., Wu, C., You, S., & Tsang, D. C. W. (2022). Life-cycle assessment of pyrolysis processes for sustainable production of biochar from agro-residues. Bioresource Technology, 360, 127601. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127601 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127601
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Neil Tristan M. Buenviaje, Michael A. Aloria (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication. All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License. This license permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and the journal, a link to the license is provided, and any changes made are indicated.
