Evaluation and Optimization of the Different Process Parameters of Mild Acid Pretreatment of Waste Lignocellulosic Biomass for Enhanced Energy Procreation.

Abstract

The screening and evaluation of different waste lignocellulosic biomasses to meet the ever-increasing energy demand, from the widely available waste lignocellulosic biomasses evaluated. For the current study, peanut shell biomass is considered for energy procreation. However, the energy content of biomass is still lesser as compared to conventional fossil fuels like coal and petroleum. The dilute acid pretreatment has been proven to improve the energy content of the lignocellulosic biomasses to a significant extent. Various pretreatment process parameters have been reported to have different degrees of impact on the betterment of energy procreation. Among various types of pretreatments, dilute acid pretreatment holds notable cognizance. Accordingly, the current manuscript is to evaluate the impact of various pretreatment process parameters (time, temperature, acid concentration, mass:liquor ratio, and particle size which were defined through an exhaustive literature search) for improving the energy recovery potential. The obtained results indicated notable changes in the devolatilization characteristics of the biomass as a result of pretreatment, thereby resulting in the upgradation of the fuel properties. A sustainability investigation has been carried out to point out the efficacy of the optimized pretreatment of biomass in terms of environmental sustainability and was also compared with the raw variant (untreated form of biomass). The proposed scheme of study will definitely be beneficial toward the mitigation of the energy crisis in the state of Jharkhand.