title: Review of feedstock pretreatment strategies for improved anaerobic digestion: From lab-scale research to full-scale application.
abstract: When properly designed, pretreatments may enhance the methane potential and/or anaerobic digestion rate, improving digester performance. This paper aims at providing some guidelines on the most appropriate pretreatments for the main feedstocks of biogas plants. Waste activated sludge was firstly investigated and implemented at full-scale, its thermal pretreatment with steam explosion being most recommended as it increases the methane potential and digestion rate, ensures sludge sanitation and the heat needed is produced on-site. Regarding fatty residues, saponification is preferred for enhancing their solubilisation and bioavailability. In the case of animal by-products, this pretreatment can be optimised to ensure sterilisation, solubilisation and to reduce inhibition linked to long chain fatty acids. With regards to lignocellulosic biomass, the first goal should be delignification, followed by hemicellulose and cellulose hydrolysis, alkali or biological (fungi) pretreatments being most promising. As far as microalgae are concerned, thermal pretreatment seems the most promising technique so far.
authors.affiliation: INRA, UR0050, Laboratoire de Biotechnologie de l'Environnement, Avenue des Etangs, 11 100 Narbonne, France. Electronic address: helene.carrere@supagro.inra.fr.
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Carrere
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences, Stadiou, Platani, GR 26504 Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Antonopoulou
authors.affiliation: INRA, UR0050, Laboratoire de Biotechnologie de l'Environnement, Avenue des Etangs, 11 100 Narbonne, France.
authors.forename: Rim
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Affes
authors.affiliation: GEMMA - Environmental Engineering and Microbiology Research Group, Department of Hydraulic, Maritime and Environmental Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya·BarcelonaTech, c/Jordi Girona 1-3, Building D1, E-08034 Barcelona, Spain; Environmental and Chemical Technology Group, Department of Chemistry, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, 35400-000 Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fabiana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Passos
authors.affiliation: INRA, UR0050, Laboratoire de Biotechnologie de l'Environnement, Avenue des Etangs, 11 100 Narbonne, France.
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Battimelli
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences, Stadiou, Platani, GR 26504 Patras, Greece; School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, GR 15780 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Gerasimos
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lyberatos
authors.affiliation: GEMMA - Environmental Engineering and Microbiology Research Group, Department of Hydraulic, Maritime and Environmental Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya·BarcelonaTech, c/Jordi Girona 1-3, Building D1, E-08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Ivet
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ferrer
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D000818:Animals; D056804:Biofuels; D018533:Biomass; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D005735:Garbage; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008031:Lignin / Q000737:chemistry; D008372:Manure; D008697:Methane / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D058086:Microalgae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D013227:Steam; D018505:Waste Management / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D008372:Manure; D012722:Sewage; D013227:Steam; C036909:lignocellulose; D008031:Lignin; D008697:Methane
keywords: Algae; Anaerobic biodegradability; Animal by-products; Lignocellulosic biomass; Sewage sludge