title: Effects of hydrothermal pre-treatments on Giant reed (Arundo donax) methane yield.
abstract: Twelve hydrothermal pre-treatment combinations of temperature (150 and 180 °C), time (10 and 20 min) and acid catalyst (no catalyst; H2SO4 at 2% w/w immediately before steam cooking or in 24-h pre-soaking) were tested to assess their effects on methane yield of Giant reed biomass vs. untreated control. A batch anaerobic digestion was conducted with 4 g VS l(-1) at 53 °C for 39 days. Untreated biomass exhibited a potential CH4 yield of 273 ml g(-1) VS; the four pre-treatments without acid catalyst achieved a 10%, 7%, 23% and 4% yield gain in the respective temperature/time combinations 150 °C/10 min, 150 °C/20 min, 180 °C/10 min and 180 °C/20 min. Conversely, the eight pre-treatments with H2SO4 catalyst incurred a methanogenic inhibition in association with high SO4(2-) concentration in the hydrolysate, known to enhance sulphate reducing bacteria. Furfurals were also detected in the hydrolysate of five strong pre-treatments with H2SO4 catalyst.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences (DipSA), University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: giuseppe.digirolamo5@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Girolamo
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences (DipSA), University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grigatti
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences (DipSA), University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barbanti
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Building 113, Dk-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Irini
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Angelidaki
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D018533:Biomass; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism*; D006109:Poaceae / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008697:Methane
keywords: 5-hydroxymethyl furfural; AD; AIL; ANOVA; Anaerobic digestion; B(0, th); BD; Biodegradability; Biomass pre-treatments; COD; FID; GC; GHG; HMF; HPLC; Potential methane yield; RID; SRB; STP; Steam cooking; TKN; TOC; TS; VFA; VS; acid insoluble lignin; anaerobic digestion; analysis of variance; biodegradability; chemical oxygen demand; flame ionisation detector; gas chromatographer; greenhouse gas; high performance liquid chromatography; refractive index detector; standard temperature and pressure; sulphate reducing bacteria; theoretical methane potential; total kjeldahl nitrogen; total organic carbon; total solids; volatile fatty acid(s); volatile solids