Use of a Pulsed Electric Field to Improve the Biogas Potential of Maize Silage

• Main Authors: Dawid Szwarc, Karolina Szwarc
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-12-01
• Series: Energies
• Subjects: PEF; biogas; lignocellulose; anaerobic digestion; pulsed electric field; methane fermentation
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/1/119

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 CH₄/g VS, and for the sample following disintegration it was 465.62 mL CH₄/g VS. The study found that pretreatment of maize silage with a pulsed electric field increased the biogas potential.