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. 2016 Jan 22:9:16.
doi: 10.1186/s13068-016-0437-x. eCollection 2016.

Combination of ensiling and fungal delignification as effective wheat straw pretreatment

Sune T Thomsen  1 , Jorge E G Londoño  1 , Morten Ambye-Jensen  2 , Stefan Heiske  1 , Zsofia Kádár  1 , Anne S Meyer  1
Affiliations

Combination of ensiling and fungal delignification as effective wheat straw pretreatment

Sune T Thomsen et al. Biotechnol Biofuels. .

Abstract

Background: Utilization of lignocellulosic feedstocks for bioenergy production in developing countries demands competitive but low-tech conversion routes. White-rot fungi (WRF) inoculation and ensiling are two methods previously investigated for low-tech pretreatment of biomasses such as wheat straw (WS). This study was undertaken to assess whether a combination of forced ensiling with Lactobacillus buchneri and WRF treatment using a low cellulase fungus, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora, could produce a relevant pretreatment effect on WS for bioethanol and biogas production.

Results: A combination of the ensiling and WRF treatment induced efficient pretreatment of WS by reducing lignin content and increasing enzymatic sugar release, thereby enabling an ethanol yield of 66 % of the theoretical max on the WS glucan, i.e. a yield comparable to yields obtained with high-tech, large-scale pretreatment methods. The pretreatment effect was reached with only a minor total solids loss of 5 % by weight mainly caused by the fungal metabolism. The combination of the biopretreatments did not improve the methane potential of the WS, but improved the initial biogas production rate significantly.

Conclusion: The combination of the L. buchneri ensiling and C. subvermispora WRF treatment provided a significant improvement in the pretreatment effect on WS. This combined biopretreatment produced particularly promising results for ethanol production.

Keywords: Biogas; Ceriporiopsis subvermispora; Ensiling; Ethanol; Lignocellulose; Pretreatment; White rot.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Wheat straw after ensiling and fungal pretreatment: a w WS F (visually similar to EWS F and w WS F), b w EWS F
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Enzymatic convertibility of carbohydrates of WRF-pretreated material in triplicates (a, b and c) and raw material. Dark grey glucan, light grey: xylan, arabinan were below 0.5 g/100 g TS in all samples. The results are grouped according to significance (p = 0.05 %), where ‘a’ is significantly higher than ‘b’ and so forth. Error bars represents standard deviations
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of pretreated materials and controls. The results are grouped according to significance (p = 0.05 %), where ‘a’ is significantly higher than ‘b’ and so forth. Error bars represents standard deviations
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
a BMP of pretreated samples and controls. b Biogas production rate first week of production. The results are grouped according to significance (p = 0.05 %), where ‘a’ is significantly higher than ‘b’ and so forth. Error bars represents standard deviations
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