Estudio de residuos biomásicos agrícolas para la instalación de una biorefinería de pequeña escala

White oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) have high economic value due to their nutritional content and the increasing market demand. However, optimizing an effective and environmentally friendly growing medium remains a challenge. This study aims to determine the effect of variations in growing media enriched with organic waste from coffee husks, sugarcane bagasse, and cocoa husks on the growth and yield of oyster mushrooms. The research was conducted from May to September 2023 at Bee Jamur, Peguyangan Village, Bali. The method used was a split-plot design. The first factor, as the main plot, consisted of three types of organic waste: coffee husks (L1), cocoa husks (L2), and sugarcane bagasse (L3). The second factor, as the subplot, comprised eight organic waste compositions: K1 = 100% sawdust (control); K2 = 15% organic waste (LO); K3 = 25% LO; K4 = 35% LO; K5 = 45% LO; K6 = 55% LO; K7 = 65% LO; K8 = 75% LO. The results showed that using organic waste as an additive in the growing medium increased mycelium growth speed, wet weight, and the physical characteristics of the oyster mushrooms compared to the control. The medium with the addition of coffee husks yielded the best results in terms of growth and mushroom production. Furthermore, organoleptic tests showed that mushrooms grown using sugarcane bagasse media were the most preferred in aroma, texture, and taste. Keywords: baglog, mushroom, coffee husks, cocoa husks, sugarcane bagasse

The selective oxidative conversion of seven representative fully characterized biomasses recovered as secondary feedstocks from the agroindustry is reported. The reaction system, known as the “OxFA process,” involves a homogeneous polyoxometalate catalyst (H8PV5Mo7O40), gaseous oxygen, p-toluene sulfonic acid, and water as solvent. It took place at 20 bar and 90 °C and transformed agro-industrial wastes, such as coffee husks, cocoa husks, palm rachis, fiber and nuts, sugarcane bagasse, and rice husks into biogenic formic acid, acetic acid, and CO2 as sole products. Even though all samples were transformed; remarkably, the reaction obtains up to 64, and 55% combined yield of formic and acetic acid for coffee and cocoa husks as raw material within 24 h, respectively. In addition to the role of the catalysts and additive for promoting the reaction, the influence of biomass components (hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin) into biogenic formic acid formation has been also demonstrated. Thus, these results are of major interest for the application of novel oxidation techniques under real recovered biomass for producing value-added products.Graphical abstract

The defluoridation of ground water is regarded as one of the key areas of attention among the universal water community. The present investigation deals with fluoride removal from aqueous solution by thermally activated biosorbents prepared from banana (Musa paradisiaca) peel and coffee (Coffea arabica) husk. Fluoride ion selective electrode was used for the determination and monitoring of fluoride ion concentration. Batch experiments were conducted to establish the optimal conditions like pH, dose of the adsorbent, and contact time. The optimum pH was found to be 2 for both the adsorbents, and the optimum dose was found to be 24 g/250 mL at 13 h contact time for banana peel and 18 g/250 mL at 3 h contact time for coffee husk. The concentrations determined in real water samples of flour factory, poultry, and Lake Hawassa sites were 12.54, 11.02, and 6.72 mg/L, respectively. The prepared biosorbents were applied on these water samples under optimized conditions and found to be effective with removal efficiency ranging from 80 to 84 %. In terms of time and adsorbent dose required, coffee husk was observed to be much better than banana peel. The adsorption process obeyed Langmuir adsorption model. From the kinetic perspective, the fluoride adsorption followed the pseudo second-order reaction kinetics.

Over recent decades, human activities have essentially depended on fossil fuels. The last Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports recommend a shift to renewables and a more energy-efficient economy. To fulfill the potential of bioenergy, tools are required to overcome the complexities of the decision-making processes for viable projects. This work presents a decision-making tool to select the most feasible biomass residues and a case study of the state of Minas Gerais, in Brazil. Among the 13 evaluated criteria, eucalyptus residues demonstrated the highest potential for electricity production, followed by sugarcane bagasse and coffee husks. The choice of Minas Gerais as a case study is important due to its diverse agricultural landscape and the potential for biomass residue generation. The presented methodology uses the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), a multi-criteria decision-making method (MCDM). Thirteen criteria were required to enable the best choice of biomass residue alternatives for electricity generation, which experts in the bioenergy field evaluated. The technical criterion was shown to be the one with the highest degree of importance. The results of the study identified that CO2eq emissions (11.46%) and electricity demand (ED) were the most relevant sub-criteria for prioritizing the viability of agricultural waste. Eucalyptus was ranked as the most promising biomass, followed by sugarcane bagasse and coffee husks. In addition, the use of GIS tools made it possible to map the regions with the greatest potential in Minas Gerais, providing a robust approach to identifying strategic sites for bioenergy.

The study describes the potential of producing bioethanol from corn (Zea mays) cobs, collard greens (Brassica oleracea) wasteand banana (Musa acuminate) peels using different methods of incubation. Wastes were pre-treated by grinding into smallerparticles and enzymatic hydrolysis was carried out using commercial cellulase from Aspergillus niger. Anaerobic fermentationwas done using cultured Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast suspension. Different incubation conditions (incubator, dark roomand under soil) at different temperatures 30oC, 21oC and 19oC respectively were optimised for bioethanol production atdifferent incubation times of 48, 96 and 144 hours. Maximum bioethanol percentages of corn cobs, banana peels and collardgreens were (0.48%), (0.39%) and (0.15%) respectively. The optimum conditions for maximum ethanol concentration in corncobs was the incubator conditions at temperature 30oC and 144 hours; banana peels was under soil conditions at 19oC and48 hours whilst collard greens was dark room conditions at 21oC and 48 hours incubation times. Results obtained show thepotential of producing bioethanol from corn cobs, collard greens and banana peels under different incubation conditions. Useof incubators for fermentation especially in collard greens wastes and banana peels can successfully be replaced with darkroom and soil which are more economically feasible.

Improving the fructooligosaccharides production by solid-state fermentation

Studies were carried out worldwide for evaluating different types of floor systems for growing-finishing pigs, specifically for assessing their effectiveness on pig performance, health and behaviour, leaving the opportunity for using multi-criteria analysis in decision-making towards the selection of flooring type. This study aimed to select the most suitable floor system for growing-finishing pigs under tropical conditions, considering performance traits and farmers management aspects. The analytic hierarchy process was applied for seeking the best solution considering both the farmers’ goals and the pigs’ welfare. Aspects considered in the analysis were: economic feasibility, rearing thermal and aerial ambient, animal behaviour, performance, and health status. The input used in the calculation was based on the results of a field trial using three treatments: whole concrete floor, coffee and rice husk bedding, and wood shavings deep-bedding. Rearing conditions and pigs’ physiological parameters, performance, behaviour, and health status were analysed. When the floor system was considered, the most significant criteria were economic feasibility (0.31) and overall pig performance (0.31) leading to a final deep-bedding selection ranking of coffee and rice husks (1st), concrete floor (2nd), and wood shavings (3rd). Conversely, when the animal welfare was considered, the most decisive criterion was health status (0.32), followed by physiological parameters (0.25), and behaviour (0.23) leading to a final bedding selection ranking of coffee and rice husks (1st), wood shavings (2nd), and concrete floor (3rd). Results indicate that the deep-bedding of coffee and rice husks provided the best choice for both the farmer and the growing-finishing pigs.

Objetivou-se, com a realização deste trabalho, avaliar as concentrações de carbono orgânico e nitrogênio total e a qualidade do composto produzido em leiras de compostagem de carcaça e diferentes camas de criatório de frangos. O material orgânico foi compostado em leiras estáticas com aeração forçada positiva (LEA), apresentando os seguintes tratamentos: LEA 01 - leira contendo bagaço de cana-de-açúcar, cama de frango e carcaças de frango trituradas; e LEA 02 - leira com palha de café, cama de frango e carcaças de frango trituradas. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, pôde-se concluir que, durante todo o período de compostagem, os valores de COfo do material contido na LEA 02 apresentaram-se superiores aos obtidos na LEA 01; houve perdas expressivas de N tanto no material coletado na leira que continha bagaço de cana-de-açúcar (65%) como no material da leira que continha palha de café (68%). No entanto, durante o processo de compostagem, a perda de N foi maior no material que compunha a LEA 01 que no da LEA 02; todos os atributos analisados nas duas leiras atenderam aos padrões estabelecidos pelo Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (MAPA) do Brasil, para comercialização do material composto orgânico.

The agricultural economic policy of Cuba pretends to triplicate the crops of coffee and cocoa by 2021, a measure which will bring about both an increase in biomass waste and the need to find a proper method for its disposal. Slow pyrolysis process can transform lignocellulosic waste into added value products as biochar, bio-oil and gas. The present research evaluated the yield and the theoretical potential energy of co-products (biochar, bio-oil, and gas) from coffee and cocoa seed husks using the pyrolysis process as a source of friendly and renewable energy. Results indicated that coffee husks are more suitable for the production of gas with a yield of 40.4%, while cocoa seed husks are better suited for the production of bio-oil, with a yield of 37.4%. For 2021 the theoretical energy potential estimated is 8291 MWh, equivalent to 716000 kg for the coffee husks, and 1384 MWh equivalent to 121000 kg for the cocoa seed husks. The bio-char characterization indicated high contents of carbon, calcium, potassium, nitrogen, and oxygen, which makes it a suitable candidate for being used as a soil amendment. The conversion of coffee and cocoa seed husks into added value products through slow pyrolysis process will help clean the environment, decrease the greenhouse effect, and will aid farmers in the rural populations by providing them with an additional source of income.

The valorization of agro-industrial residues is crucial for the circular bioeconomy. This study elucidates the thermal decomposition mechanisms and volatile product distribution of four distinct Ecuadorian biomasses: balsa wood (Bl), sugarcane bagasse (Bg), cocoa husks (Cc), and coffee husks (Cf), TGA kinetics. TGA and DTG profiles showed the characteristic multistage degradation of lignocellulosic materials, with maximum mass-loss rates occurring between 320 and 360 °C depending on the biomass. Bl and Bg, which contained the highest cellulose fractions (33–35%), exhibited sharp DTG peaks and higher decomposition temperatures. In contrast, Cc and Cf, both lignin-rich residues (up to 42–47%)—displayed broader degradation profiles, delayed devolatilization, and higher char yields (>26%). Kinetic evaluation confirmed these trends, with cellulose-rich samples showing higher activation energies than lignin-dominated husks. The in-situ FTIR monitoring revealed clear compositional differences in evolved gases: Bl and Bg generated higher proportions of CO and carbonyl-containing volatiles, whereas Cc and Cf produced more CO₂ and phenolic signals associated with lignin fragmentation. Py-GC/MS supported these observations, identifying dominant aldehydes and alcohols in Bl and Bg, while Cc and Cf produced elevated levels of phenols, guaiacols, and nitrogenous aromatics. Overall, the integration of TGA–FTIR and Py-GC/MS allowed establishing direct correlations between lignocellulosic composition, kinetic parameters, and volatile speciation. Unlike previous studies that report either kinetic parameters or volatile fingerprints separately, this work establishes direct kinetic–molecular correlations between activation energy domains and dominant volatile families for Ecuadorian biomasses. The results indicate that balsa wood is a promising feedstock for generating oxygenated chemical intermediates, whereas coffee husk shows strong potential for biochar-oriented processes due to its high lignin content and char yield. These findings expand the thermochemical characterization of Ecuadorian agro-industrial residues and support their selective valorization through pyrolysis.

Coffee and cocoa are among the largest commodities in Indonesia. During the processing, high amounts of these husks are generated as agricultural waste that contains pectin, which applicable to be used for biopolymers. The research aimed to 1) extract pectin from coffee and cocoa husks and 2) synthesize and characterize pectin-based biopolymers from both husks. Pectin extraction was done based on alcoholic precipitation methods. About 6.82% and 4.91% of pectin were extracted per 100 g of dried coffee and cocoa husk powder, respectively. FTIR has confirmed the extracted pectin from both husks. This study applied two compositional variations: pectin coffee biopolymer (CB) with a 1:0 ratio of coffee pectin to cocoa pectin, and combined pectin biopolymer from coffee and cocoa (CCB) with a 1:1 ratio. Thickness, lightness, and tensile strength of biopolymer variation CB were obtained at 0.16 mm; 28.76; and 0.00012 MPa, respectively. The thickness, lightness, and tensile strength of biopolymer variation CCB were 0.24 mm; 37.41; and 0.00014 MPa. The soil burial degradation test over 3 days, CB and CCB biopolymers showed respective biodegradability of 99.58% and 99.63%. These findings confirm pectin from coffee and cocoa husks can create valuable biopolymers, with further development required to expand applications

Methane production by co-digestion of poultry manure and lignocellulosic biomass: Kinetic and energy assessment

Carassius auratus and Catla catla are polyculture species where growth and intensification have adverse effects on water quality, raising the risk of infection and disease prevalence. Due to these factors, the survival rate of farm fish is reduced. The demand for aquaculture continues to rise with human population growth, emphasizing the importance of well-formulated feeds in aquaculture success. High-quality feed can be prepared using industrial byproducts. It leads to minimizing feed expense, controlling disease outbreaks, and increasing net profit. This research work was conducted to study the impact of banana peel and cocoa husk on growth, microbial community, and pigmentation in C. catla and C. auratus. For this purpose, 30 specimens each of C. catla and C. auratus were randomly assigned to three groups: control (T0) and experimental (T1 and T2). T0 received commercial feed, whereas T1 and T2 were fed banana peel and cocoa husk diets at 2% body weight, respectively. For statistical analysis, a 2-factor factorial under CRD was performed. In the experimental group, length, weight, and specific growth rate (SGR) were non-significant between the species, but showed significant differences compared to the control group. In comparison to the control group, the bacterial count and pigmentation in the experimental group were significant. Because of their carotenoids and antioxidant qualities, banana peel and cocoa husk increased both species' immunological responses and pigmentation. Finally, integrating banana peel and cocoa husk into the diet of C. auratus and C. catla holds potential benefits in terms of reducing intestinal microorganisms, improving growth, and enhancing pigmentation of the fish species.

Objectives, methodology: In this paper we evaluate the effect of the substrate type on the physicochemical and physiological parameters of tomato fruits (Solanum lycopersicum) type hydroponic saladette. Fourteen hydroponic substrates of mineral origin were evaluated, and mixtures of the same with the aim of selecting substrates that can satisfy the needs or objectives desired by the producer and allowing the consumer to know a fruit with a better quality reflected by its physicochemical properties such as yield, size, colour, total soluble solids (°Brix), titrated acidity, firmness, ethylene and CO2 production. Contribution Substrates such as tezontle, tepezil and coffee husk are favorable in the cultivation of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) type hydroponic saladette benefiting some of its quality parameters being the most feasible options for the producer and the consumer. Substrates such as the tezontle with compost, tepezil with vermicompost, sugarcane bagasse with compost, coffee husk with vermicompost and coffee husk with compost are other options to consider for cultivation; while the vermicompost, sugarcane bagasse, tepezil with vermicompost, tepezil with compost and sugarcane bagasse with vermicompost, were the least efficient treatments, redicing the fruit quality parameters.

Recent research has focused on use of waste agro- residues for growth of oleaginous microbial biomass as renewable feedstock for biodiesel. However, pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugar is necessary for microbial growth, increasing production costs. An oleaginous fungal isolate from the tropical mangrove wetlands, IBB G4, identified as Aspergillus candidus was assessed for its growth on waste agro-residues viz., banana peel, copra meal, corn cob, grape stalks and sugarcane bagasse,which had not been given any thermo-chemical or enzymatic pre-treatment. The resulting fungal biomass was subjected to in situ (direct) acid transesterification for fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) extraction. Maximal FAME production was obtained on raw untreated banana peel (420 mg/L) and sugarcane bagasse (400 mg/L) with the yields significantly higher (52–68 mg/g of fermented biomass) than those for glucose (32 mg/g). The FAMEs showed major presence of monounsaturated methyl esters (41.7 %; C18:1, C15:1, C17:1, C14:1) and methyl linoleate (C18:2, 36.8 %) and 20 % as saturated fraction when sugarcane bagasse was the substrate for fungal strain. For banana peel, the saturated fatty acid methyl esters (48.6 %; C16:0, C18:0) were abundant, methyl oleate (C18:1, 25 %) was the major monounsaturated fatty ester while methyl linoleate (C18:2, 19 %) and methyl arachidonate (C20:4, 3.8 %) were prevalent as polyunsaturated methyl esters. Biodiesel fuel properties (density, kinematic viscosity, iodine value, cetane number, free and total glycerol) were in accordance with international(ASTM D6751, EN 14214) and national (IS 15607) biodiesel standards, suggesting their suitability as biodiesel fuel.The results in our study indicate the potential suitability of A. candidus IBBG4 biomass grown on raw untreated banana peel and sugarcane bagasse waste and its conversion to FAME by direct in situ acid transesterification. This would help improve process economics for a green and sustainable production of biodiesel.