TY - JOUR

T1 - Ensiling as biological pretreatment of grass (Festulolium Hykor)

T2 - The effect of composition, dry matter, and inocula on cellulose convertibility

AU - Ambye-Jensen, Morten

AU - Johansen, Katja S.

AU - Didion, Thomas

AU - Kádár, Zsofiá

AU - Schmidt, Jens E.

AU - Meyer, Anne S.

PY - 2013/11

Y1 - 2013/11

N2 - Grass biomass is a prospective type of lignocellulosic biomass for bioenergy and fuel production, but the low dry matter in grass at harvest calls for new pretreatment strategies for cellulosic conversion. In this study, ensiling was tested as a biological pretreatment method of the high yielding grass variety Festulolium Hykor. The biomass was harvested in four cuts over a growing season. Three important factors of ensiling: biomass composition, dry matter (DM) at ensiling, and inoculation of lactic acid bacteria, were assessed in relation to subsequent enzymatic cellulose hydrolysis. The organic acid profile after ensiling was dependant on the composition of the grass and the DM, rather than on the inocula. High levels of organic acids, notably lactic acid, produced during ensiling improved enzymatic cellulose convertibility in the grass biomass. Ensiling of less mature grass gave higher convertibility. Low DM at ensiling (<25%) resulted in the highest cellulose convertibilities, which ranged from 32 to 70% of the available cellulose in the four cuts after ensiling. The study confirms that ensiling can enhance cellulose convertibility of green biomass, and provides new insight to ensiling as a biological pretreatment method for green biomass conversion.

AB - Grass biomass is a prospective type of lignocellulosic biomass for bioenergy and fuel production, but the low dry matter in grass at harvest calls for new pretreatment strategies for cellulosic conversion. In this study, ensiling was tested as a biological pretreatment method of the high yielding grass variety Festulolium Hykor. The biomass was harvested in four cuts over a growing season. Three important factors of ensiling: biomass composition, dry matter (DM) at ensiling, and inoculation of lactic acid bacteria, were assessed in relation to subsequent enzymatic cellulose hydrolysis. The organic acid profile after ensiling was dependant on the composition of the grass and the DM, rather than on the inocula. High levels of organic acids, notably lactic acid, produced during ensiling improved enzymatic cellulose convertibility in the grass biomass. Ensiling of less mature grass gave higher convertibility. Low DM at ensiling (<25%) resulted in the highest cellulose convertibilities, which ranged from 32 to 70% of the available cellulose in the four cuts after ensiling. The study confirms that ensiling can enhance cellulose convertibility of green biomass, and provides new insight to ensiling as a biological pretreatment method for green biomass conversion.

KW - Biomass characterisation

KW - Cellulose convertibility

KW - Ensiling

KW - Enzymatic hydrolysis

KW - Grass

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84888847264&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.biombioe.2013.08.015

DO - 10.1016/j.biombioe.2013.08.015

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:84888847264

VL - 58

SP - 303

EP - 312

JO - Biomass & Bioenergy

JF - Biomass & Bioenergy

SN - 0961-9534

ER -