Enhancement of biomethane production and decomposition of physicochemical structure of corn straw by combined freezing-thawing and potassium hydroxide pretreatment

Luyao Yang, Xiujin Li, Hairong Yuan, Beibei Yan, Gaixiu Yang, Yao Lu, Juan Li and Xiaoyu Zuo

Energy, 2023, vol. 268, issue C

Abstract: Pretreatment is necessary for improving biodegradability and biomethane production from lignocellulosic materials such as corn straw (CS). In this study, freezing-thawing (FT) method was combined with KOH alkaline pretreatment technology to form a new CS pretreatment that was proposed to enhance anaerobic digestion (AD) performance. The results showed that among all pretreatment conditions, the −20 °C + 20 °C + KOH pretreatment group showed the best results, in which the biomethane production represented by the unit volatile solids (VS) was 274 mL⋅g−1VS−1 and the removal rate of VS was 58.5%, which were respectively 39.8% and 33.9% higher than that of untreated CS. Additionally, the reaction mechanism of this combined pretreatment was revealed by the internal structure and chemical bond changes of straw. The ultrastructure and crystal structure of the combined pretreatment showed greater destruction, and the chemical bonds were obviously damaged. This is due to the dissolution of the frozen crystalline structures inside the CS before and after FT. As the dissolution proceeds, the alkaline pretreatment reagent acts synergically on CS, resulting in the increase of methane production. The results indicated that the combination of FT and KOH alkaline pretreatment is a promising method that can greatly improve the biodegradability and methane production of CS.

Keywords: Corn straw; Anaerobic digestion; Freezing-thawing; KOH pretreatment; Methane (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:268:y:2023:i:c:s0360544223000270

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2023.126633

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