The Efficiency of Nitrogen and Flue Gas as Operating Gases in Explosive Decompression Pretreatment

Merlin Raud, Vahur Rooni and Timo Kikas
Additional contact information
Merlin Raud: Institute of Technology, Estonian University of Life Sciences, 56 Kreutzwaldi Str., 51014 Tartu, Estonia
Vahur Rooni: Institute of Technology, Estonian University of Life Sciences, 56 Kreutzwaldi Str., 51014 Tartu, Estonia
Timo Kikas: Institute of Technology, Estonian University of Life Sciences, 56 Kreutzwaldi Str., 51014 Tartu, Estonia

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-12

Abstract: As the pretreatment process is the most expensive and energy-consuming step in the overall second generation bioethanol production process, it is vital that it is studied and optimized in order to be able to develop the most efficient production process. The aim of this paper was to investigate chemical and physical changes in biomass during the process of applying the explosive decompression pretreatment method using two different gases—N 2 and synthetic flue gas. The explosive decompression method is economically and environmentally attractive since no chemicals are used—rather it is pressure that is applied—and water is used to break down the biomass structure. Both pre-treatment methods were used at different temperatures. To be able to compare the effects of the pretreatment, samples from different process steps were gathered together and analysed. The results were used to assess the efficiency of the pretreatment, the chemical and physical changes in the biomass and, finally, the mass balances were compiled for the process during the different process steps of bioethanol production. The results showed that both pre-treatment methods are effective in hemicellulose dissolution, while the cellulose content decreases to a smaller degree. The high glucose and ethanol yields were gained with both explosive pretreatment methods at 175 °C (15.2–16.0 g glucose and 5.6–9.0 g ethanol per 100 g of dry biomass, respectively).

Keywords: lignocellulose; pretreatment; bioethanol; second generation biofuel; mass balance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/11/8/2074/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/11/8/2074/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:11:y:2018:i:8:p:2074-:d:162752

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().