processes Review Analyzing Utilization of Biomass in Combined Heat and Power and Combined Cooling, Heating, and Power Systems Mohammad Ali Bagherian 1, Kamyar Mehranzamir 2 , Shahabaldin Rezania 3,* , Zulkurnain Abdul-Malek 4,* , Amin Beiranvand Pour 5 and Seyed Morteza Alizadeh 6 1 Ecole Polytechnique de Louvain, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; [email protected] 2 Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Jalan Broga, Semenyih 43500, Malaysia; [email protected] 3 Department of Environment and Energy, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Korea 4 Institute of High Voltage & High Current, School of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Malaysia 5 Institute of Oceanography and Environment (INOS), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Kuala Nerus 21030, Malaysia; [email protected] 6 School of Electrical Engineering and Industrial Automation, Engineering Institute of Technology, Melbourne Campus, Victoria 3000, Australia; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] (S.R.); [email protected] (Z.A.-M.) Abstract: Nowadays, ever-increasing energy demands and the depletion of fossil fuels require efficient and environmentally friendly technologies for energy generation. In this context, energy Citation: Bagherian, M.A.; systems integration makes for a very strong proposition since it results in energy saving, fuel Mehranzamir, K.; Rezania, S.; diversification, and the supply of cleaner energy. To this end, it is of the utmost importance to realize Abdul-Malek, Z.; Pour, A.B.; the current developments in this field and portray the state of the art of renewable generation in Alizadeh, S.M. Analyzing Utilization integrated energy systems. This review evaluates the utilization of bioenergy in cogeneration and of Biomass in Combined Heat and Power and Combined Cooling, trigeneration systems. The statistical reports of bioenergy and combined heat and power deployments Heating, and Power Systems. in 28 countries of the European Union are discussed. Then, the most common research objectives Processes 2021, 9, 1002. https:// of biomass-fueled combined heat and power systems are classified into three primary performance doi.org/10.3390/pr9061002 analyses, namely, energy and exergy analysis, thermo-economic optimization, and environment assessment. The influencing parameters of biomass utilization on each type of assessment are Academic Editors: Beatrice Castellani discussed, and the basic principles for carrying out such analyses in energy systems are explained. and Andrea Nicolini It is illustrated that the properties of feedstock, selection of appropriate conversion technology, associated costs with the biomass-to-bioenergy process, and sustainability of biomass are the primary Received: 20 April 2021 influencing factors that could significantly affect the results of each assessment. Accepted: 31 May 2021 Published: 5 June 2021 Keywords: integrated energy system (IES); combined heat and power (CHP); combined cooling; heating and power (CCHP); energy and exergy analysis; thermo-economic optimization Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. 1. Introduction Over time, the climate system experiences unforced and irregular variations (climate change), which may affect the climate of a certain area or the globe in many forms, such as wind or sea surface temperature [1]. Climate change often appears as a new weather Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. pattern that might last for as long as a decade to a million years, and it can be caused by This article is an open access article both natural incidence and human-induced activities. Unfortunately, in today’s world, distributed under the terms and human-induced activities are overtaking naturally occurring ones and enforcing the climate conditions of the Creative Commons system to observe more energy from the sun, which correspondingly results in increasing Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// global temperature or, as famously known, “global warming” [2]. The concept of global creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ warming is an important aspect of climate change for which human activities, including 4.0/). the excess emission of greenhouse gases (GHG), deforestation, CO2 and aerosols, are the Processes 2021, 9, 1002. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9061002 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/processes Processes 2021, 9, x 2 of 30 Processes 2021, 9, 1002 2 of 29 including the excess emission of greenhouse gases (GHG), deforestation, CO2 and aero- sols,primary are the causes primary [3]. Aftercauses the [3]. industrial After the revolution,industrial revolution, the discovery the discovery of fossil fuels of fossil and fuels their andpotential their inpotential almost in every almost sector every resulted sector inresulted a significant in a significant increase inincrease GHG concentrationin GHG con- centrationlevels. The levels. emission The emission of carbon of dioxide carbon (COdioxide2) alone (CO is2) alone responsible is responsible for over for 66% over of 66% this ofincrease, this increase, reaching reaching 407.8 parts 407.8 per parts million per (ppm)million in (ppm) 2018, 1.5in 2018, times 1.5 that times of the that concentration of the con- centrationlevel in 1750 level [4]. in The 1750 primary [4]. The attributes primary of attributes this emission of this are emission the consumption are the consumption of fossil fuels ofin fossil different fuels sectors in different (95%), sectors and the (95%), production and the of production cement for variousof cement applications for various (4.5%) applica- [5]. tionsIn the (4.5%) energy [5]. sector, In the fossil energy fuels sector, are stillfossil considered fuels are still to beconsidered the main to source be the of main generation source ofdue generation to lower price,due to political lower price, relations, political and re weakerlations, energy and weaker efficiency energy efforts efficiency (Figure efforts1)[ 6]. (FigureApart from 1) [6]. the Apart fact thatfrom the the majority fact that of the countries majority still of countries promote thestill usepromote of fossil the energy, use of fossilover theenergy, past 10over years, the past substantial 10 years, contributions substantial havecontributions been made have by been developed made countries,by devel- opedparticularly countries, the Europeanparticularly Union the European (EU-28), toUnion replace (EU-28), conventional to replace methods conventional of generation meth- odswith of sustainable generation systemswith sustainable and promote systems renewable and promote energy renewable sources (RESs) energy instead. sources To(RESs) this instead.end, the To share this ofend, fossil the fuelsshare inof powerfossil fu productionels in power witnessed production a 1.7%witnessed reduction a 1.7% in reduc- value, tionwhile in renewable value, while generation renewable was generation increased by was over increased 4% between by over 2010 4% and between 2018 [7, 82010]. Taking and 2018the growing [7,8]. Taking consumption the growin ofg energy consumption and the of depletion energy and of the non-renewable depletion of energynon-renewable sources energyinto account, sources countries into account, are required countries to promoteare required and to develop promote sustainable and develop energy sustainable systems that utilize renewable energy sources not just in electricity generation, but also in other energy systems that utilize renewable energy sources not just in electricity generation, but sectors, such as heating and cooling [9]. also in other sectors, such as heating and cooling [9]. Households 28.6% Natural gas Industry 12.75% Solid fossil fuels Nuclear Other Renewable and biofuels Commercial and Transport public services Oil and petroleum products (a) (b) Figure 1. ClassificationClassification ofof finalfinal electricityelectricity consumption consumption in in 2017 2017 (a ()a by) by sector sector and and (b ()b primary) primary energy energy consumption consumption in 2017in 2017 by fuelby fuel type type in thein the case case of EU-28.of EU-28. Biomass is among the most available, renewablerenewable energy sources on the planet. This non-fossilized and biologically degradable material is either created from plants, species, and micro-organisms, or or it it can be derived fr fromom products, by-products, and and wastes wastes [10]. [10]. There are various types of biomass feedstocks available in Europe,Europe, includingincluding dedicated crops and and wastes wastes and and residues. residues. Sugar Sugar crops, crops, oil oil crops, crops, starch starch crops, crops, algae algae and and aquatic aquatic bi- omassbiomass and and lignocellulosic lignocellulosic crops crops are are in in the the de dedicateddicated crops crops category, category, while while waste waste gases, organic residues, residues, oil-based oil-based residues residues and and lignoce lignocellulosicllulosic residues residues are are in the in thewastes wastes and andres- iduesresidues category. category. Bioenergy Bioenergy is defined is defined as the as energy the energy derived derived from from the conversion the conversion of bio- of mass,biomass, where where biomass biomass can can be beused used directly directly as as fuel fuel or or processed processed