Evaluation Of The Methanogenic Potential Of Two Lignocellulosic Crops

Biogas production can be considered an important technology for the sustainable use of agricultural biomass as a renewable energy source even more when the substrates for anaerobic digestion are crop residues, livestock residues or energy crops that don’t compete with food crops for land use. The aims of this study were to evaluate the production of biogas and biomethane from two lignocellulosic crops suitable for the Mediterranean environment (Arundo donax L. and Saccharum spontaneum subsp. aegyptiacum (Willd.) Hack) and the efficiency of a thermal pretreatment to increase the biomethane production. The purpose of the pretreatment is to break the recalcitrant lignin layer, so that the cellulose and hemicellulose present in the biomass are hydrolyzed by microorganisms and converted into simple sugars to achieve greater energy yield.