Anaerobic digestion of woody biomass

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:6200536

Chynoweth, D P; Jerger, D E

Woody biomass without pretreatment is generally considered to be refractive to anaerobic decomposition. This refractory property is attributed to its low moisture content, crystalline nature of the cellulose, and complex association of the component carbohydrates with lignin. This study investigated the methane fermentation (anaerobic digestion) of various wood species using conventional anaerobic digestion and batch anaerobic biogasification potential assays. Most experiments were conducted at 35/sup 0/C with a particle size in the range of 1 to 2 mm, and with a full complement of inorganic nutrient supplements. Conventional CSTR semicontinuous feed anaerobic digestion resulted in low methane yields and low conversion (less than 5% organic reduction). Significantly higher conversion (as high as 54%) and higher methane yields (as high as 5.4 SCF/lb VS added) were observed for several hardwood species in ABP assays employing low loading and long residence times (60 days). One softwood (loblolly pine) and eucalyptus were refractory under these conditions. Pretreatments, including particle size reduction and NaOH, increased rates but not total conversion. These results demonstrate that woody biomass can be decomposed by the methane fermentation and support the potential for development of this process for commercial wood conversion applications. 24 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs.

• Research Organization: Institute of Gas Technology, Chicago, IL (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6200536
• Report Number(s): CONF-8408183-1; ON: TI86900906
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
090122* -- Hydrocarbon Fuels-- Preparation from Wastes or Biomass-- (1976-1989)
140504 -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Biomass Production & Conversion-- (-1989)
ALKANES
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
BIOCONVERSION
BIOREACTORS
DATA
DIGESTION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HYDROCARBONS
INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT
METHANE
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WOOD
YIELDS