The valorization of shell-based agricultural waste biomass for biofuel production represents a promising approach within the circular bioeconomy. This study employs a bibliometric analysis to investigate research trends and identify key developments in the field from 1997 to 2023, using data from the Web of Science and VOSviewer for scientific mapping. A total of 1333 research articles were examined, revealing notable shifts in research focus: from pyrolysis and biomass energy (1997-2005) to gasification (2006-2014), and more recently, to enzymatic hydrolysis and lignocellulosic biomass gasification (2015-2023). Findings highlight the critical role of pre-treatment processes such as combustion, pyrolysis, and torrefaction in enhancing biofuel yields. The analysis also underscores Asia's leading role in research contributions, with collaborative networks strengthening across various global institutions. Future research is encouraged to explore innovative and cost-effective pre-treatment methods, fostering sustainable, large-scale biofuel production from agricultural waste shells.
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on the 11th of March 2020, but the world is still reeling from its aftermath. Originating from China, cases quickly spread across the globe, prompting the implementation of stringent measures by world governments in efforts to isolate cases and limit the transmission rate of the virus. These measures have however shattered the core sustaining pillars of the modern world economies as global trade and cooperation succumbed to nationalist focus and competition for scarce supplies. Against this backdrop, this paper presents a critical review of the catalogue of negative and positive impacts of the pandemic and proffers perspectives on how it can be leveraged to steer towards a better, more resilient low-carbon economy. The paper diagnosed the danger of relying on pandemic-driven benefits to achieving sustainable development goals and emphasizes a need for a decisive, fundamental structural change to the dynamics of how we live. It argues for a rethink of the present global economic growth model, shaped by a linear economy system and sustained by profiteering and energy-gulping manufacturing processes, in favour of a more sustainable model recalibrated on circular economy (CE) framework. Building on evidence in support of CE as a vehicle for balancing the complex equation of accomplishing profit with minimal environmental harms, the paper outlines concrete sector-specific recommendations on CE-related solutions as a catalyst for the global economic growth and development in a resilient post-COVID-19 world.