Effects of Particle Size on Biomass Pretreatment for Biofuel Production

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Yang ◽  
Mingman Sun ◽  
Timothy Deines ◽  
Meng Zhang ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Enzymatic Hydrolysis ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Sugar Yield ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Biomass Pretreatment ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Biomass Structure ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Biomass Particle Size

Abstract Biofuel production needs to be more efficient than its current status to increase its competitiveness. The multistep biofuel production is consisted of processes on biomass preprocessing and bioconversion stages. As a crucial parameter, biomass particle size has significant effects on both stages. It is essential to have an insightful understanding of the effects of particle size on sugar yield. Although numerous studies have been performed to meet this objective, there is no commonly accepted guideline on how to select particle size. One possible reason for this gap is the effects of particle size vary when different biomass pretreatment methods are employed. In this study, an assessment on the relationship between particle size and sugar yield was performed for four pretreatment methods. Three particle sizes (1, 4, and 8 mm) of corn stover and switchgrass biomass were used in supercritical CO2, dilute acid (H2SO4), dilute alkaline (Na2CO3), and metal oxide (MgO) pretreatments. Biomass compositional analyses were conducted before and after each pretreatment. Pretreatment solid recovery and sugar recovery rates were calculated. Enzymatic hydrolysis sugar yield and efficiency were used to evaluate the performance of hydrolysis and total sugar yield was used to interpret how much sugar a unit dry weight of biomass (before pretreatment) can yield through pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis combined. It was found that particle size was a weak indicator of enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency. There was little value in reducing particle size below 8 mm in order to overcome the resistance imposed by biomass structure on cellulose and xylan hydrolysis.

Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Pelleting in Manufacturing of Cellulosic Biofuels: An Investigation on Biomass Particle Size

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengfei Zhang ◽  
Qi Zhang ◽  
Z. J. Pei ◽  
Linda Pei
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Enzymatic Hydrolysis ◽  
Ultrasonic Vibration ◽  
Sugar Yield ◽  
Cellulosic Biomass ◽  
Particle Sizes ◽  
Cellulosic Biofuels ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Biomass Particle Size

Biofuels made from cellulosic biomass are an alternative to petroleum-based liquid transportation fuels. However, several technical barriers have hindered cost-effective manufacturing of cellulosic biofuels, such as low density of cellulosic feedstocks (causing high transportation and storage costs) and low sugar yield in enzymatic hydrolysis. Ultrasonic vibration-assisted (UV-A) pelleting can increase the density of cellulosic feedstocks and the sugar yield in enzymatic hydrolysis. A hypothesis for UV-A pelleting to increase sugar yield is that UV-A pelleting reduces the particle size of cellulosic biomass. This paper reports an experimental investigation on effects of UV-A pelleting on biomass particle size. Particle sizes before and after UV-A pelleting are measured and compared. The results show that there is no significant difference between particle sizes before and after UV-A pelleting. Therefore, the hypothesis is rejected.

Effects of Water Soaking on Biomass Particle Size in Cellulosic Biofuel Manufacturing

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hera Wu ◽  
Pengfei Zhang ◽  
Qi Zhang ◽  
Z. J. Pei
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Sugar Yield ◽  
Cellulosic Biomass ◽  
Particle Sizes ◽  
Cellulosic Biofuels ◽  
Transportation Fuels ◽  
Cellulosic Biofuel ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Invasive Method ◽  
Biomass Particle Size

Cellulosic biofuels are an alternative to petroleum-based liquid transportation fuels. However, manufacturing costs of cellulosic biofuels are high partially due to low density and sugar yield of cellulosic biomass. Previous studies show that UV-A pelleting can increase the density and sugar yield of cellulosic biomass. A hypothesis for UV-A pelleting to increase the density and sugar yield of cellulosic biomass is that UV-A pelleting can reduce biomass particle size. To test this hypothesis, biomass particle sizes before and after UV-A pelleting need to be compared. Soaking pellets in water is an efficient and non-invasive method to separate pellets into particles. However, water soaking itself might change biomass particle size. This paper reports an investigation on effects of water soaking on biomass particle size. The biomass particle sizes before and after water soaking are measured and compared. Results show that effects of water soaking on biomass particle size are dependent on the initial particle size (particle size before water soaking) and time period of water soaking.

Dilute Acid Pretreatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Woody Biomass for Biofuel Manufacturing: Effects of Particle Size on Sugar Conversion

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Zhang ◽  
Xiaoxu Song ◽  
Pengfei Zhang ◽  
Z. J. Pei
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Particle Size ◽  
Enzymatic Hydrolysis ◽  
Sugar Yield ◽  
Total Sugar ◽  
Cellulosic Biomass ◽  
Dilute Acid Pretreatment ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Biomass Particle Size ◽  
Sugar Conversion

Biofuels derived from cellulosic biomass offer a promising alternative to petroleum-based liquid transportation fuels. Cellulosic biomass can be converted into biofuels through biochemical pathway. This pathway consists of two major conversions: sugar conversion and ethanol conversion. Sugar yield in sugar conversion is critical to the cost effectiveness of biofuel manufacturing, because it is approximately proportional to the ethanol biofuel yield. Cellulosic biomass sugar conversion consists of pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. Biomass particle size is an important factor affecting sugar yield. The literature contains many studies investigating the relationship between particle size and sugar yield. Many studies focused only on the sugar yield in enzymatic hydrolysis, and failed to take into account the biomass weight loss during pretreatment. This weight loss results in a loss of the amount of potential sugar (cellulose), which continues going into enzymatic hydrolysis. Without considering this loss, cellulosic biomass with a higher enzymatic hydrolysis sugar yield may end up with a lower total sugar yield through sugar conversion. The present study aims to address this issue by investigating the effects of biomass particle size using total sugar yield, a parameter considering both the biomass weight loss in pretreatment and the sugar yield in enzymatic hydrolysis.

An Experimental Investigation on Cellulosic Biofuel Manufacturing: Effects of Biomass Particle Size on Sugar Yield

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengfei Zhang ◽  
Qi Zhang ◽  
Z. J. Pei ◽  
Linda Pei
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Particle Size ◽  
Enzymatic Hydrolysis ◽  
Crystallinity Index ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Sugar Yield ◽  
Cellulosic Biomass ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Cellulosic Biofuel ◽  
Biomass Particle Size

Biofuels made from cellulosic biomass are an alternative to petroleum-based liquid transportation fuels. A key barrier to cost-effective manufacturing of cellulosic biofuel is low sugar yield in enzymatic hydrolysis. Particle size and crystallinity index of cellulosic biomass are two important parameters in enzymatic hydrolysis. The current literature contains many experimental investigations about effects of biomass particle size on sugar yield. However, particle size, often reduced by ball milling, is correlated with crystallinity index. Changes in particle size usually cause changes in crystallinity index. Therefore, particle size and crystallinity index may have confounding effects on sugar yield. Relations between particle size and sugar yield are not clear. This paper reports an experimental investigation on sugar yields from switchgrass particles produced by three methods: cutting milling, hammer milling, and manual cutting. The particles have different sizes but the same crystallinity index. Results show that there are no significant differences among sugar yields from these particles of different sizes. Particle size within the tested range has no significant effects on sugar yield.

Supercritical CO2 Pretreatment of Cellulosic Biomass for Biofuel Production: Effects of Biomass Particle Size

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Yang ◽  
Timothy Deines ◽  
Meng Zhang ◽  
Ke Zhang ◽  
Donghai Wang
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Corn Stover ◽  
Supercritical Co2 ◽  
Sugar Yield ◽  
Size Reduction ◽  
Cellulosic Biomass ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Particle Size Reduction ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Biomass Particle Size

Biofuel derived from cellulosic biomass is a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based fuel. Pretreatment is an essential step in biofuel production because it accounts for more than 20% of the inputs. Furthermore, particle size reduction as a preprocessing step prior to pretreatment exerts a substantial impact on all following processes. Many studies have investigated the effects of biomass particle size on sugar yield after conventional pretreatments of biomass such as alkaline and dilute acid pretreatments. The similar trends have shown that smaller biomass particle size results in higher sugar yield. Supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2) pretreatment has been applied at 1450 psi, 120 °C for 30 mins in this study as a pretreatment method for biofuel production from cellulosic biomass. As a recyclable green-chemistry method, SC-CO2 pretreatment offers many advantages such as no toxic chemicals added and low-cost input. The objective of this study is to understand the effects of particle size on sugar yield after SC-CO2 pretreatment. Three particle size: 1 mm, 2 mm, and 4 mm were used for size reduction of corn stover. Ethanol and water were used as co-solvents to enhance SC-CO2 pretreatment. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed and it is found that, after SC-CO2 pretreatment, the sugar yields differ significantly between 1 mm and 2 mm, 1 mm and 4 mm. In contrast, there is no significant difference between 2 mm and 4 mm after SC-CO2 pretreatment. 1 mm particle produced the highest sugar yield of 0.115 g glucose per 1 g of dry biomass which is 16.62% and 10.39% higher than the 4 mm and 2 mm corn stover biomass produced.

scholarly journals A Comprehensive Investigation on the Effects of Biomass Particle Size in Cellulosic Biofuel Production

2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Yang ◽  
Meng Zhang ◽  
Donghai Wang
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Enzymatic Hydrolysis ◽  
Wheat Straw ◽  
Corn Stover ◽  
Sugar Yield ◽  
Size Reduction ◽  
Particle Sizes ◽  
Big Bluestem ◽  
Biomass Particle Size

Biofuels derived from cellulosic biomass offer one of the best near- to midterm alternatives to petroleum-based liquid transportation fuels. Biofuel conversion is mainly done through a biochemical pathway in which size reduction, pelleting, pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation are main processes. Many studies reveal that biomass particle size dictates the energy consumption in the size reduction. Biomass particle size also influences sugar yield in enzymatic hydrolysis, and biofuel yield in fermentation is approximately proportional to the former enzymatic hydrolysis sugar yield. Most reported studies focus on the effects of biomass particle size on a specific process; as a result, in the current literature, there is no commonly accepted guidance to select the overall optimum particle size in order to minimize the energy consumption and maximize sugar yield. This study presents a comprehensive experimental investigation converting three types of biomass (big bluestem, wheat straw, and corn stover) into fermentable sugars and studies the effects of biomass particle size throughout the multistep bioconversion. Three particle sizes (4 mm, 2 mm, and 1 mm) were produced by knife milling and were pelletized with an ultrasonic pelleting system. Dilute acid method was applied to pretreat biomass before enzymatic hydrolysis. Results suggested 2 mm is the optimum particle size to minimize energy consumption in size reduction and pelleting and to maximize sugar yield among the three particle sizes for big bluestem and wheat straw biomass. Nevertheless, there is no significant difference in sugar yield for corn stover for the three particle sizes.

Minor Biomass Particle Size for an Efficient Cellulose Accessibility and Enzymatic Hydrolysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (25) ◽  
pp. 7627-7631
Author(s):  
Érika S. Fernandes ◽  
Danilo Bueno ◽  
Fernando C. Pagnocca ◽  
Michel Brienzo
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Enzymatic Hydrolysis ◽  
Cellulose Accessibility ◽  
Biomass Particle Size

scholarly journals Particulate Size of Microalgal Biomass Affects Hydrolysate Properties and Bioethanol Concentration

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Razif Harun ◽  
Michael K. Danquah ◽  
Selvakumar Thiruvenkadam
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Enzymatic Hydrolysis ◽  
Size Range ◽  
Enzyme Hydrolysis ◽  
Particle Size Range ◽  
Microalgal Biomass ◽  
Process Systems ◽  
Particulate Size ◽  
Biomass Particle Size ◽  
Bioethanol Yield

Effective optimization of microalgae-to-bioethanol process systems hinges on an in-depth characterization of key process parameters relevant to the overall bioprocess engineering. One of the such important variables is the biomass particle size distribution and the effects on saccharification levels and bioethanol titres. This study examined the effects of three different microalgal biomass particle size ranges, 35 μm ≤x≤ 90 μm, 125 μm ≤x≤ 180 μm, and 295 μm ≤x≤ 425 μm, on the degree of enzymatic hydrolysis and bioethanol production. Two scenarios were investigated: single enzyme hydrolysis (cellulase) and double enzyme hydrolysis (cellulase and cellobiase). The glucose yield from biomass in the smallest particle size range (35 μm ≤x≤ 90 μm) was the highest, 134.73 mg glucose/g algae, while the yield from biomass in the larger particle size range (295 μm ≤x≤ 425 μm) was 75.45 mg glucose/g algae. A similar trend was observed for bioethanol yield, with the highest yield of 0.47 g EtOH/g glucose obtained from biomass in the smallest particle size range. The results have shown that the microalgal biomass particle size has a significant effect on enzymatic hydrolysis and bioethanol yield.

Effects of Treatments on Cellulosic Biomass Structure in Ethanol Manufacturing: A Literature Review

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi Zhang ◽  
Pengfei Zhang ◽  
Z. J. Pei ◽  
Linda Pei
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Enzymatic Hydrolysis ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Crystallinity Index ◽  
Degree Of Polymerization ◽  
Cellulosic Biomass ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Structure Parameters ◽  
Transportation Fuels ◽  
Biomass Structure

Ethanol made from cellulosic biomass is an alternative to petroleum-based liquid transportation fuels. Enzymatic hydrolysis uses enzymes to convert cellulosic biomass into sugars that are fermented into ethanol. In order to increase sugar yield, various treatments (such as biomass size reduction and pretreatment) are applied to cellulosic biomass before enzymatic hydrolysis. These treatments will alter structure parameters of cellulosic biomass, such as crystallinity index, degree of polymerization, particle size, pore volume, and specific surface area. There are currently no review papers on these structure parameters of cellulosic biomass in ethanol manufacturing. This paper reviews experimental investigations in the literature about effects of various treatments on the structure parameters of cellulosic biomass.

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