Abstract
Nowadays, more and more attention is paid to the development and the intensification of the use of renewable energy sources. Hemp might be an alternative plant for bioenergy production. In this paper, four varieties of Polish industrial hemp (Białobrzeskie, Tygra, Henola, and Rajan) were investigated in order to determine which of them are the most advantageous raw materials for the effective production of bioethanol. At the beginning, physical and chemical pretreatment of hemp biomass was carried out. It was found that the most effective is the alkaline treatment with 2% NaOH, and the biomasses of the two varieties were selected for next stages of research: Tygra and Rajan. Hemp biomass before and after pretreatment was analyzed by FTIR and SEM, which confirmed the effectiveness of the pretreatment. Next, an enzymatic hydrolysis process was carried out on the previously selected parameters using the response surface methodology. Subsequently, the two approaches were analyzed: separated hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) and a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process. For Tygra biomass in the SHF process, the ethanol concentration was 10.5 g∙L−1 (3.04 m3·ha−1), and for Rajan biomass at the SSF process, the ethanol concentration was 7.5 g∙L−1 (2.23 m3·ha−1). In conclusion, the biomass of Polish varieties of hemp, i.e., Tygra and Rajan, was found to be an interesting and promising raw material for bioethanol production.
Highlights
The European Union countries have been obliged to achieve a certain share of biofuels in transport and to take measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
There has been an increase in the acreage of cultivated industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) in Poland
It was found that the highest values of reducing sugars were obtained for fractions up to 2 mm, and two varieties, Tygra and Białobrzeskie, showed higher sugar values for the tested fractions compared to Rajan and Henola (Table 1)
Summary
The European Union countries have been obliged to achieve a certain share of biofuels in transport and to take measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions It is, necessary to replace diesel and gasoline with biofuels which are produced from lignocellulosic raw materials and represent an advantageous option for the fuels currently in use due to their renewable nature and the emission of an acceptable quality exhaust gases. Hemp is an environmentally friendly plant characterized by a short vegetation period (3–4 months), a rapid growth up to 4 m in height, and a dry matter yield up to 15 Mg·ha−1 These plants improve soil quality and are useful for the remediation of degraded land (e.g., in the region of lignite mine). Hemp is extremely resistant, perfectly adapts to various climatic conditions, is resistant to various pests, requires a slight number of pesticide treatments, and the cultivation of 1 ha of hemp in one season absorbs approximately 11 Mg of CO2 from the atmosphere [2,3,4]
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