The Effect of Biomass Densification on Structural Sugar Release and Yield in Biofuel Feedstock and Feedstock Blends
In this work examine the behavior of feedstock blends and the effect of specific feedstock densification strategy (pelleting) and on the release and yield of structural carbohydrates in a laboratory-scale dilute acid pretreatment (PT) and enzymatic hydrolysis (EH) assay. We report overall carbohydrate release and yield from the two-stage PT-EH assay for five single feedstocks (2 corn stovers, miscanthus, switchgrass, and hybrid poplar) and three feedstock blends (corn stover-switchgrass, corn stover-switchgrass-miscanthus, and corn stover-switchgrass-hybrid poplar). We first examined the experimental results over time to establish the robustness of the PT-EH assay, which limits the precision of the experimental results. The use of two different control samples in the assay enabled us to identify (and correct for) a small bias in the EH portion of the combined assay for some runs. We then examined the effect of variable pretreatment reaction conditions (residence time, acid loading, and reactor temperature) on the conversion of a single feedstock (single-pass corn stover, CS-SP) in order to establish the range of pretreatment reaction conditions likely to provide optimal conversion data. Finally, we applied the assay to the sixteen materials (8 feedstocks in 2 formats, loose and pelleted) over a more limited range of pretreatment experimental conditions. The four herbaceous feedstocks behaved similarly, while the hybrid poplar feedstock required higher pretreatment temperatures for optimal results. As expected, the yield data for three blended feedstocks were the average of the yield data for the individual feedstocks. The pelleting process appears to provide a slightly positive effect on overall total sugar yield.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Sustainable Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308; AC07-05ID14517
- OSTI ID:
- 1339170
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1356882; OSTI ID: 1367540
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/JA-5100-67906; INL/JOU-16-39719; PII: 9813
- Journal Information:
- BioEnergy Research, Journal Name: BioEnergy Research Vol. 10 Journal Issue: 2; ISSN 1939-1234
- Publisher:
- Springer Science + Business MediaCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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