Towards Full Utilization of Biomass Resources: A Case Study on Industrial Hemp Residue and Spent Mushroom Substrate

Wubliker Dessie,Jiachen Tang,Zuodong Qin,Meifeng Wang,Wufei Tang,Xiaofang Luo,Yimin Tan

doi:10.3390/pr9071200

Abstract

This was early-stage, proof-of-concept research on the full utilization of biomass resources. The current study considered industrial hemp residue (IHR) and spent mushroom substrate (SMS) to demonstrate the initial upstream steps towards the total valorization of biomass. Accordingly, different pretreatment methods such as autohydrolysis, thermal hydrolysis, and thermochemical hydrolysis methods were employed against individual and various mix ratios of IHR and SMS. To this end, raw materials, hydrolysates, and residual solids were analyzed to gain some insights, identify gaps, and suggest future research directions in this area. Implementation of the full utilization of biomass resources is, in fact, not only a matter of transforming the resources into valuable products, but it is also a plausible waste management strategy in the quest towards the development of a circular bioeconomy and sustainable future.

Highlights

Continuous growth in the human population obviously leads to high demand and consumption of resources
spent mushroom substrate (SMS) is rich in lignocellulose content that could contain (%) up to 48.7 cellulose, 34 hemicellulose, and 39.8 lignin, depending on the source of the mushroom cultivation medium [14]
Different pretreatment methods were evaluated for valorization of these bioresources

Summary

Introduction

Continuous growth in the human population obviously leads to high demand and consumption of resources. Different pretreatment methods such as autohydrolysis (AH), thermal hydrolysis (TH), and thermochemical hydrolysis (TCH) were employed to degrade IHR and/or SMS individually as well as with various mix ratios (0, 10, 25, 50, 75, 90, and 100%) The objectives of this early-stage research were to (1) evaluate the efficiency of various lignocellulose pretreatment methods, (2) assess the effect of blending IHR and SMS, and (3) analyze hydrolysates and solid residues so as to gain insights for implementation of the full utilization of biomass resources. To our knowledge, this is the first report to co-utilize IHR and SMS as part of an alternative pretreatment strategy, which could increase the economic value of both waste biomass resources.

Pretreatment

FTIR and SEM Analysis

Hydrolysates and Solid Residues

SEM Analysis

Conclusions