Title:
Explosive Decompression Pretreatment - Nitrogen or Flue Gas?
Author(s):
Raud, M., Rooni, V., Kikas, T.
Document(s):
Paper
Slide presentation
Abstract:
Pretreatment is the most expensive and energy-consuming step in the overall second generation bioethanol production process and therefore, it is vital to study and optimize it to gain maximum glucose and ethanol yields. The aim of this paper was to investigate chemical and physical changes in biomass during the explosive decompression pretreatment method with two different gases – N2 and synthetic flue gas, which is a mixture of N2 and CO2. Both used methods are economically and environmentally attractive since no chemicals are used rather a pressure and water are used to break the biomass structure. Both pretreatment methods were used at various temperatures, and samples from different process steps were gathered and analyzed. Results were used to assess the pretreatment efficiency, the chemical and physical changes in biomass. The results show that both pretreatment 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:
bioethanol, biomass, lignocellulose, pretreatment
Topic:
Biomass Conversion Technologies for Fuels, Chemicals and Materials
Subtopic:
Bio-alcohols from lignocellulosic biomass and pretreatment
Event:
26th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
3CO.7.1
Pages:
973 - 978
ISBN:
978-88-89407-18-9
Paper DOI:
10.5071/26thEUBCE2018-3CO.7.1
Price:
FREE
