Influence of vapothermal and hydrothermal pre-treatment on anaerobic degradability of lignocellulosic biomass.

This study compares the biogas potential of solid common reed residues after undergoing vapothermal and hydrothermal pre-treatment, accompanied by a compositional and structural biomass characterization. In a pre-test series, a design of experiments approach was used to determine the influence of the initial biomass water content during vapothermal pre-treatment on the biogas yield. In the main test series, common reed was pre-treated hydrothermally (i.

Energy-Related Assessment of a Hemicellulose-First Concept-Debottlenecking of a Hydrothermal Wheat Straw Biorefinery.

A hemicellulose-first approach can offer advantages for biorefineries utilizing wheat straw as it combines lignocellulose fractionation and potentially higher added value from pentose-based hemicellulose. Therefore, a tailored hydrothermal concept for the production of xylooligosaccharides and xylan was investigated. The focus was on assessing the energy requirements and potential improvements based on experimental results.

Efficiency and process development for microbial biomass production using oxic bioelectrosynthesis.

Autotrophic microbial electrosynthesis (MES) processes are mainly based on organisms that rely on carbon dioxide (CO) as an electron acceptor and typically have low biomass yields. However, there are few data on the process and efficiencies of oxic MES (OMES). In this study, we used the knallgas bacterium Kyrpidia spormannii to investigate biomass formation and energy efficiency of cathode-dependent growth.

Process options for the recovery of a pentosan-enriched fraction from wheat-based bioethanol thin stillage.

Aim: Stillage, the main residue from cereal-based bioethanol production, offers a great potential for the recovery of pentosan-type carbohydrates. Therefore, potential process options for the recovery of pentosans from bioethanol thin stillage are investigated and their basic feasibility is demonstrated on a laboratory scale.

Findings: The main result of this work is the development of a three-stage process for pentosan recovery, including solid-liquid separation, pentosan solubilisation and purification.

Deep eutectic solvent pretreatment of cork dust - Effects on biomass composition, phenolic extraction and anaerobic degradability.

In this study, phenolic compounds using deep eutectic solvents (DES) were extracted from cork dust, and the biogas production potential of DES-treated cork dust samples was determined. The DES treatment was carried out using choline chloride and formic acid (1:2 M ratio) at various temperatures (90, 110 and 130 °C) and treatment times (20, 40 and 60 min) at a solid-to-solvent ratio of 1:10 g mL. The highest total phenolic content (137 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) g dry cork dust) was achieved at 110 °C/20 min.

Processing of hemicellulose in wheat straw by steaming and ultrafiltration - A novel approach.

Water-soluble xylans useable for many potential applications can be produced based on the hydrolysis of wheat straw within a fixed bed using saturated steam to provide a xylan-rich hydrolysate low in particles and lignin enabling an effective ultrafiltration and xylan separation. Under defined conditions (180 °C, 10 bar, 35 min), a degree of solubilization of 29.6 % for straw and of 63 % for hemicellulose is achieved.

Rye and Rye Bran as Components of Diets in Piglet Production-Effects on Prevalence.

The nutritional benefits of rye (and therefore rye bran) are mainly due to its high content of fermentable dietary fiber, the non-starch polysaccharides (NSP). Microorganisms in the large intestine are able to convert these into short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), including butyrate. Butyrate strengthens the epithelial barrier function in the colon by nourishing the enterocytes and inhibiting the spread of in the intestinal tract.

Anaerobic biogas formation from crops' agricultural residues - Modeling investigations.

The cultivation of field crops necessarily produces large quantities of organic residues, which could be used for the production of biogas. However, this is only successfully possible if the operators of such biogas plants have sufficient expertise in running these plants, e.g.

Options to Improve the Mechanical Properties of Protein-Based Materials.

While bio-based but chemically synthesized polymers such as polylactic acid require industrial conditions for biodegradation, protein-based materials are home compostable and show high potential for disposable products that are not collected. However, so far, such materials lack in their mechanical properties to reach the requirements for, e.g.

Solvent-free lignin recovered by thermal-enzymatic treatment using fixed-bed reactor technology - Economic assessment.

The economic viability of producing lignin by thermal-enzymatic treatment in a high-pressure fixed-bed reactor is investigated for the first time. In this direction, different advantages (e.g.

Biogas plants as key units of biorefinery concepts: Options and their assessment.

In order to minimize the environmental impacts of growing population, progressive exploitation of fossil resources and negative consequences of climate change the politically intended goal is to successively transform our primarily oil-based into a bio-based economy. Hence, one goal is to significantly reduce the utilization of fossil resources by increasing the use of renewable energy and resources (i.e.

Improved HPLC-method for estimation and correction of amino acid losses during hydrolysis of unknown samples.

Amino acid analysis, commonly done by acid hydrolysis of proteins and HPLC analysis, faces one major problem: incomplete hydrolysis of stable amino acids and degradation of unstable amino acids are causing amino acid losses. As a result, amino acid recovery of unknown samples cannot be estimated. Some methods have been reported for correction of these factors in the past.

Life cycle assessment of biohydrogen production as a transportation fuel in Germany.

The goal of this work was to study the assessment of the life cycle of hydrogen production from biomass for transportation purposes concerning greenhouse gas emissions, emissions with an acidification potential and the fossil energy demand. As feedstocks woody biomass from forestry or short rotation coppice, herbaceous biomass (i.e.

Life cycle assessment of mobility options using wood based fuels--comparison of selected environmental effects and costs.

An environmental assessment and a cost analysis were conducted for mobility options using electricity, hydrogen, ethanol, Fischer-Tropsch diesel and methane derived from wood. Therefore, the overall life cycle with regard to greenhouse gas emissions, acidifying emissions and fossil energy demand as well as costs is analysed. The investigation is carried out for mobility options in 2010 and gives an outlook to the year 2030.

Reduction of fuel side costs due to biomass co-combustion.

The feasibility and influence of co-combustion of woody biomass on the fuel side costs is discussed for three hard coal power plants located in Berlin, Germany. Fuel side costs are defined as the costs resulting from flue gas cleaning and by-products. To have reliable data, co-firing tests were conducted in two power plants (i.

Next-generation biofuels: Survey of emerging technologies and sustainability issues.

Next-generation biofuels, such as cellulosic bioethanol, biomethane from waste, synthetic biofuels obtained via gasification of biomass, biohydrogen, and others, are currently at the center of the attention of technologists and policy makers in search of the more sustainable biofuel of tomorrow. To set realistic targets for future biofuel options, it is important to assess their sustainability according to technical, economical, and environmental measures. With this aim, the review presents a comprehensive overview of the chemistry basis and of the technology related aspects of next generation biofuel production, as well as it addresses related economic issues and environmental implications.

Competition--supporting or preventing an increased use of bioenergy?

The intensified use of biomass as an energy source is an often-repeated goal of the German and European climate protection policy. Therefore, framework conditions have been created in recent years, which allow for a wider use of biomass within the energy system especially for a provision of electricity and fuels. Due to this policy, Germany, for example, has emerged as the leading producer of biogas from energy crops and fatty methyl ester (FAME) in Europe.