| Summary: | Some types of biomass require great inputs to guarantee high conversion rates to methane. The complex structure of lignocellulose impedes its penetration by cellulolytic enzymes, as a result of which a longer retention time is necessary to increase the availability of nutrients. To use the full biogas potential of lignocellulosic substrates, a substrate pretreatment is necessary before the proper methane fermentation. This article discusses the impact of the pretreatment of maize silage with a pulsed electric field on biogas productivity. The experiment showed a slight decrease in cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin content in the substrate following pretreatment with a pulsed electric field, which resulted in a higher carbohydrate content in the liquid substrate fraction. The highest biogas production output was obtained for the pretreated sample at the retention time of 180 s for 751.97 mL/g volatile solids (VS), which was approximately 14% higher than for the control sample. The methane production rate for the control sample was 401.83 mL CH<sub>4</sub>/g VS, and for the sample following disintegration it was 465.62 mL CH<sub>4</sub>/g VS. The study found that pretreatment of maize silage with a pulsed electric field increased the biogas potential.
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