Abstract
Renewable energy or biofuel from lignocellulosic biomass is an alternative way to replace the depleting fossil fuels. The production cost can be reduced by increasing the concentration of biomass particles. However, lignocellulosic biomass is a suspension of natural fibres and processing at high solid concentration is a challenging task because it will affect the mixing quality between the enzyme and cellulose particles and the generation of sugars. Thus, understanding the factors that affect the rheology of biomass suspension is crucial in order to maximize the production at a minimum cost. Our aim was to develop a solution strategy for the modelling and simulation of biomass suspension during enzymatic hydrolysis. The complete model was solved using the DAE-QMOM technique in a finite-element software package, COMSOL. Essentially, we made a clear connection between the microscopic and macroscopic properties of biomass slurries undergoing enzymatic hydrolysis. The results showed that the quality of mixing within a reactor is crucial in optimizing the hydrolysis product. The model improved the predictive capabilities, hence increasing our understanding on the behaviour of biomass suspension.
Highlights
Enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose is a complex phenomenon
It consists of several effects that occur simultaneously in a biomass suspension reactor, such as fragmentation of cellulose chains, in homogeneity in the tank, mixing effect and adsorption of enzymes to the cellulose substrates
Besides advection and the diffusion factor, another critical aspect in the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose for bioethanol production is the contact between the enzymes and the cellulose substrates (Jager and Buchs, 2012)
Summary
Enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose is a complex phenomenon. It consists of several effects that occur simultaneously in a biomass suspension reactor, such as fragmentation of cellulose chains, in homogeneity in the tank, mixing effect and adsorption of enzymes to the cellulose substrates. Even though numerous issues have been explored, they cannot be considered as fully covered. It was discovered that advection did represent a significant phenomenon that could increase the number of cellulose particles generated during the hydrolysis process. Besides advection and the diffusion factor, another critical aspect in the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose for bioethanol production is the contact between the enzymes and the cellulose substrates (Jager and Buchs, 2012). The problems that arise at present are very low solubility of cellulose substrates and as for the economic issue; costly high enzyme concentrations are commonly applied
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