Potassium Hydroxyde Pre-Treatment Enhances Methane Yield from Giant Reed ( Arundo donax L.)

Ciro Vasmara, Stefano Cianchetta, Rosa Marchetti, Enrico Ceotto and Stefania Galletti
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Ciro Vasmara: CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture, Via Beccastecca 345, 41018 San Cesario Sul Panaro, Italy
Stefano Cianchetta: CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, Via di Corticella 133, 40128 Bologna, Italy
Rosa Marchetti: CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture, Via Beccastecca 345, 41018 San Cesario Sul Panaro, Italy
Enrico Ceotto: CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, Via di Corticella 133, 40128 Bologna, Italy
Stefania Galletti: CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, Via di Corticella 133, 40128 Bologna, Italy

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-12

Abstract: The biogas production through the anaerobic digestion (AD) of giant reed ( Arundo donax L.) biomass has received increasing attention. However, due to the presence of lignin, a low CH 4 yield can be obtained. Aiming to improve the CH 4 yield from giant reed biomass, the effectiveness of a thermo-chemical pre-treatment based on KOH was evaluated in this paper. The usefulness of a washing step before the AD was also assessed. The pre-treatment led to a specific CH 4 yield up to 232 mL CH 4 g −1 VS which was 21% higher than that from untreated biomass; the maximum daily rate of production was improved by 42%, AD duration was reduced by 10%, and CH 4 concentration in the biogas was increased by 23%. On the contrary, the washing step did not improve the AD process. Besides, washing away the liquid fraction led to biomass losses, reducing the overall CH 4 production. The use of a KOH-based pre-treatment appears as a good option for enhancing the AD of giant reed, also presenting potential environmental and agronomical benefits, like the avoidance of salty wastewater production and the likely improvement of the digestate quality, due to its enriched K content.

Keywords: alkaline pre-treatment; anaerobic digestion; Arundo donax L.; biogas; giant reed; lignocellulosic biomass; methane (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: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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