Abstract
Rising environmental concerns and the imminent depletion of fossil resources have sparked a strong interest towards the production of renewable energy such as biomethane. Inclusion of alternative feedstock’s such as lignocellulosic biomass could further expand the production of biomethane. The present study evaluated the potential of a novel hybrid organosolv-steam explosion fractionation for delivering highly digestible pretreated solids from birch and spruce woodchips. The highest methane production yield was 176.5 mLCH4 gVS−1 for spruce and 327.2 mL CH4 gVS−1 for birch. High methane production rates of 1.0–6.3 mL min−1 (spruce) and 6.0–35.5 mL min−1 (birch) were obtained, leading to a rapid digestion, with 92% of total methane from spruce being generated in 80 h and 95% of that from birch in 120 h. These results demonstrate the elevated potential of the novel method to fractionate spruce and birch biomass and deliver cellulose-rich pretreated solids with superior digestibility.
Highlights
Rapid industrialization has led to high energy demand, which is met mostly by fossil-based products
Due to the rigid structure of lignocellulose, the different operational conditions of the hybrid fractionation method could result in a varied digestibility potential and, fluctuations in methane production rates (MPR)
It is worth noting that under the same experimental condition, bioconversion was considerably higher with pretreated solids derived from birch than spruce
Summary
Rapid industrialization has led to high energy demand, which is met mostly by fossil-based products. The consumption of fossil fuels, causes air pollution, global climate change, and irrevocable harm to the environment. A focus on renewable energy sources aims to ensure a sustainable growth and diminish global environmental problems. Anaerobic digestion (AD) offers a versatile technology for the production of renewable energy (biogas) from different feedstock’s due to its low cost, easy setup, and limited initial investment (Wainaina et al, 2020; Martínez-Gutiérrez, 2018). Bioresource Technology 316 (2020) 123973 of organic waste/wastewater, production of biogas for fuel, heating, and for the co-generation of electricity and heat (El-Mashad and Zhang, 2010; Yang et al, 2019). Paolini et al (2018) reported that, if properly handled, AD systems had no negative effect on human health or the environment (Paolini et al, 2018)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
