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A special issue of Fermentation (ISSN 2311-5637). This special issue belongs to the section "Industrial Fermentation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 42521

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Dr. Emmanuel Atta-Obeng

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Science and Technology Center, Coppin State University, Baltimore, MD, USA
Interests: natural sciences; biomass; waste
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Dear Colleagues,

Minimizing our dependence on fossil-based resources and reducing solid and liquid wastes represent the main challenges of our modern society. A bio-economy is defined as “the global industrial transition of sustainably utilizing renewable aquatic and terrestrial biomass resources in energy, intermediate, and final products for economic, environmental, social and national security benefit. The efficient utilization of lignocellulosic biomass has tremendous potential to reduce our excessive dependence on fossil fuels. The concept of an integrated biorefinery embraces a circular economy by making use of the entire waste stream, recycling secondary products, valorizing co-products aside producing bioenergy. Lignocellulosic biomass such as forestry, pulp and paper, municipal solid wastes, food, agricultural and crop residues are considered promising renewable resources. Their large availability prevents ethical conflicts such as choosing between food versus fuel related to the use of edible crops. Biomass is composed primarily composed of three biopolymers: cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. These have been exploited in many applications such as value-added chemicals, liquid fuels, and carbon-based functional materials using thermal, thermochemical, biochemical and chemical conversion strategies. Structural and compositional differences in biomass lead to recalcitrance during pretreatment or decomposition. Recent fractionation approaches aim at obtaining clean compositional fractions which serve as raw materials for a portfolio of chemical products thereby increasing the profitability of the entire biorefining industry. The aim of this special issue is to cover recent green pretreatment and fractionation approaches which emphasize waste reduction. I would like to invite authors to submit original innovative research articles and review papers on advances, gaps and perspectives including but not limited to: 1. Catalysts in Waste and biomass valorization processes. 2. Biochemical approaches in Waste and Biomass conversion. 3. Thermochemical technologies in waste and biomass conversion. 4. Life cycle analysis/forest bio-economy.

Dr. Emmanuel Atta-Obeng
Guest Editor

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Keywords

Biomass
valorization
circular economy
platform chemicals
Catalytic separation
Bio-economy
Circular economy
Life cycle
Residues
Biorefinery
Value added products
Energy
Biofuels
Biomaterials

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

17 pages, 769 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Applying Cassava Stems Biochar Produced from Agronomical Waste to Enhance the Yield and Productivity of Maize in Unfertile Soil

by Saowanee Wijitkosum and Thavivongse Sriburi

Fermentation 2021, 7(4), 277; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation7040277 - 25 Nov 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2256

Abstract

Many agronomical wastes are produced annually in significant amounts after cultivation, especially in agricultural countries. This study applied biochar produced from the pyrolysis of cassava stems to improve soil with low fertility for maize cultivation. The effect of soil biochar incorporation on maize yield and productivity was also investigated. Eight experimental plots, each with four replicates, were applied with cassava stem biochar (CSB) at different rates of 0.5 kg/m² (TB0.5), 2.5 kg/m² (TB2.5) and 3.0 kg/m² (TB3.0), fertilizer at 0.56 kg/m² (TM), fertilizer at 0.56 kg/m² mixed with CSB at 0.5 kg/m² (TMB0.5), 2.5 kg/m² (TMB2.5), 3.0 kg/m² (TMB3.0) and untreated soil (TC). Pyrolysis of cassava stems at 450–500 °C produced strongly alkaline CSB with pH 9.6 and increased nutrient contents. Specific surface area and total pore volume increased, and pores were classified as mesoporous, while average pore diameter decreased. CSB had a highly stable carbon content of 58.46%, with high aromaticity and polarity obtained from O/C and H/C ratios. Results indicated that CSB enhanced and supported maize growth by improving soil physicochemical properties to suit cultivation. Applying CSB into the soil gave higher maize yield and productivity than cultivation using fertilizer. The highest yield and nutrition contents were obtained in seed from cultivation using fertilizer mixed with biochar at 3.0 kg/m². Biochar production from cassava stems generated a useful commodity from waste material. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass and Waste Valorization)

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17 pages, 6703 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effects of Soil Application of Digestate Enriched with P, K, Mg and B on Yield and Processing Value of Sugar Beets

by Andrzej Baryga, Bożenna Połeć and Andrzej Klasa

Fermentation 2021, 7(4), 241; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation7040241 - 27 Oct 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1729

Abstract

The aim of this research was to find out if the supplementation of digestate, a by-product of the anaerobic digestion of sugar beet pulp, with phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and boron can improve digestate performance as a soil amendment. The materials of this study were: digestate and sugar beet roots (Beta vulgaris cv. Fighter). A field trial was carried out on sugar beet growth under soil application conditions of solid and liquid digestate fractions with or without supplementation with P, K, Mg and B. It was shown that the root yield obtained from the plots amended with digestate supplemented with P, K, Mg and B was higher compared to the yield of other treatments. Soil amendment with digestate supplemented with P, K, Mg and B affected quality parameters of sugar beet roots. An increase in the following parameters under the effects of enriched digestate application was found: sucrose content, dry residue, pomace content, inverted sugars, α-amino and amide nitrogen fractions, as well as sodium and potassium content. A reduction in the content of conductometric ash was noted but this difference was not proven. The enrichment of digestate with P, K, Mg and B resulted in the beneficial modification of beet roots’ processing parameters with the exception of the predicted content of sugar in molasses. In the case of the liquid fraction and its supplementation with P, K, Mg and B, six among eleven technological quality parameters were increased. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass and Waste Valorization)

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20 pages, 2576 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Sheep Manure and Waste from a Potato Processing Factory: Techno-Economic Analysis

by Rubén González, Daniel Blanco, José García Cascallana, Daniela Carrillo-Peña and Xiomar Gómez

Fermentation 2021, 7(4), 235; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation7040235 - 19 Oct 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3359

Abstract

Anaerobic co-digestion of sheep manure and potato waste was studied under batch and semi-continuous conditions. Biochemical methane potential tests were carried out for the different substrates before evaluating co-digestion at high-solid content. The reactors presented stable performance under mesophilic conditions, at an organic loading rate (OLR) of 3.5–4.0 kg VS/m³ and a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of approximately 20 days. Increasing the OLR of semi-continuous reactors decreased the methane yield and degradation efficiency of the digestion. Methane-specific production was in the range of 196 and 467 mL CH₄/g vs. (sheep manure system and co-digestion, respectively). Based on the experimental data obtained, a techno-economic study was performed for wet and solid-state fermentation systems, with the first configuration presenting better results. The economic feasibility of the hypothetical plant was analyzed considering the variability in electricity and compost selling prices. The economic feasibility of the plant was determined with an electricity selling price of EUR 0.25/kWh, and assuming a centralized plant serving several farmers. Still, this price was considered excessive, given the current electricity market values. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass and Waste Valorization)

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23 pages, 4094 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Green Extraction of Volatile Fatty Acids from Fermented Wastewater Using Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvents

by Ahmad S. Darwish, Samah E. E. Warrag, Tarek Lemaoui, Maha K. Alseiari, Farah Abu Hatab, Ramis Rafay, Inas Alnashef, Jorge Rodríguez and Nahla Alamoodi

Fermentation 2021, 7(4), 226; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation7040226 - 11 Oct 2021

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 3662

Abstract

Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are carboxylic acids mainly produced via the fermentation of organic waste streams. Being industrial platform chemicals, sustainable, green and economical recovery of VFAs is necessary. Herein, hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (HDES), “a new generation of water-immiscible designer solvents”, were assessed for the recovery of VFAs via liquid–liquid extraction. The eutectic mixture of menthol-lauric acid exhibited the highest stability and hydrophobicity. The binary solubility of the pairs {VFA in water} and {VFA in HDES}—and the saturation of the HDES with water were measured. Furthermore, the influences of key parameters on the extraction efficiency were investigated. On multi-stage extraction, an efficiency of 88% was achieved in 4 stages, and the HDES was successfully regenerated using vacuum evaporation. The HDES performance was also compared to other reported relevant solvents. It was concluded that menthol-lauric acid HDES is a promising candidate for the green extraction of VFAs from fermented wastewater. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass and Waste Valorization)

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15 pages, 8574 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Recovering Apple Agro-Industrial Waste for Bioethanol and Vinasse Joint Production: Screening the Potential of Chile

by Diógenes Hernández, Ricardo Rebolledo-Leiva, Harald Fernández-Puratich, Héctor Quinteros-Lama, Fernando Cataldo, Edmundo Muñoz and Claudio Tenreiro

Fermentation 2021, 7(4), 203; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation7040203 - 23 Sep 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 6514

Abstract

Bioethanol production has increased in demand as a replacement for conventional fuels. This work studies the use of apple pomace, which corresponds to 45% (w/w) of dehydrated apple production, as a reliable and inexpensive source for bioethanol production. Additionally, the vinasse obtained from the process as a byproduct is analyzed. Apple pomace has important properties for energy purposes, with high soluble sugar (6%–8%), organic compounds and low protein content. The carbohydrates were consumed in 99.3% in 144 h at a temperature of 30 °C and in a yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (YSC) concentration of 0.10 g/L. The bioethanol purity produced, 99.5% (v/v), was quantified by gas chromatography and calorific value (23.21 MJ/kg). This high purity, which fulfills the EN 15376, ASTM D 4806 Standard, allows its use as a fuel and oil additive. Moreover, it can be stated that vinasse obtained from alcohol distillation is a compound that has physicochemical values like other vinasses. Finally, Chile, as the most important exporting country of dehydrated apples in the world, has great potential to take advantage of the use of this raw material for bioethanol and vinasse production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass and Waste Valorization)

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16 pages, 2037 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improvement of Biomethane Production from Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW) through Alkaline Hydrogen Peroxide (AHP) Pretreatment

by Alessio Siciliano, Carlo Limonti and Giulia Maria Curcio

Fermentation 2021, 7(3), 197; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation7030197 - 17 Sep 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2062

Abstract

The organic fraction resulting from the separate collection of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) is an abundant residue exploitable for biofuel production. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is one of the most attractive technologies for the treatment of organic wastes thanks to the generation of biogas with a high methane content. However, because of its complex composition, the direct digestion of OFMSW can be less effective. To overcome these difficulties, many pretreatments are under development. In this work, the efficacy of alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) oxidation was assessed for the first time as a pretreatment of OFMSW to enhance its anaerobic biodegradability. In this regard, many AHP batch tests were executed at pH 9 and by changing the peroxide dosages up to 1 g_H2O2/g_COD, under room temperature and pressure conditions. Afterwards, biomethane potential tests (BMP) were conducted to evaluate the performance of anaerobic digestion both on raw and pretreated OFMSW. The pretreatment tests demonstrated that AHP induces only a weak reduction in the organic load, reaching a maximum COD removal of about 28%. On the other hand, notable productions of volatile fatty acids (VFA) were found. In fact, by applying a peroxide dose of just 0.025 g_H2O2/g_COD, there was a doubling in VFA concentration, which increased by five times with the highest H₂O₂ amount. These results indicate that AHP mainly causes the conversion of complex organic substrates into easily degradable compounds. This conversion made it possible to achieve much better performance during the BMP tests conducted with the pretreated waste compared to that carried out on fresh OFMSW. Indeed, a low methane production of just 37.06 mL_CH4/g_TS was detected on raw OFMSW. The cumulated CH₄ production in the pretreated samples increased in response to the increase in H₂O₂ dosage applied during AHP. Maximum specific productions of about 463.7 mL_CH4/g_TS and 0.31 L_CH4/g_CODremoved were calculated on mixtures subjected to AHP. On these samples, the satisfactory evolution of AD was confirmed by the process parameters calculated by modeling the cumulated CH₄ curves through a new proposed formulation of the Gompertz equation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass and Waste Valorization)

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17 pages, 16584 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Two-Stage Anaerobic Codigestion of Crude Glycerol and Micro-Algal Biomass for Biohydrogen and Methane Production by Anaerobic Sludge Consortium

by Sureewan Sittijunda, Napapat Sitthikitpanya, Pensri Plangklang and Alissara Reungsang

Fermentation 2021, 7(3), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation7030175 - 31 Aug 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2387

Abstract

Optimization of factors affecting biohydrogen production from the codigestion of crude glycerol and microalgal biomass by anaerobic sludge consortium was conducted. The experiments were designed by a response surface methodology with central composite design. The factors affecting the production of hydrogen were the concentrations of crude glycerol, microalgal biomass, and inoculum. The maximum hydrogen production (655.1 mL-H₂/L) was achieved with 13.83 g/L crude glycerol, 23.1 g-VS/L microalgal biomass, and 10.3% (v/v) inoculum. The hydrogenic effluents obtained under low, high, and optimal conditions were further used as substrates for methane production. Methane production rates and methane yield of 868.7 mL-CH₄/L and 2.95 mL-CH₄/L-h were attained with the effluent produced under optimum conditions. The use of crude glycerol and microalgal biomass as cosubstrates had an antagonistic effect on biohydrogen production and a synergistic effect on methane fermentation. The two-stage process provided a more attractive solution, with a total energy of 1.27 kJ/g-VS_added, than the one-stage process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass and Waste Valorization)

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10 pages, 1477 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bioethanol Production via Herbaceous and Agricultural Biomass Gasification Integrated with Syngas Fermentation

by Sahar Safarian, Runar Unnthorsson and Christiaan Richter

Fermentation 2021, 7(3), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation7030139 - 31 Jul 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3678

Abstract

In this paper, a simulation model based on the non-stoichiometric equilibrium method via ASPEN Plus was established to analyze the gasification performance of 20 herbaceous and agricultural biomasses (H&ABs) linked with syngas fermentation and product purification units for ethanol production. The established simulation model does not consider the gasification system as a black box; it focuses the important processes in gasification such as drying, pyrolysis, gasification, and connection with bioethanol production plants. The results for the 20 H&AB options suggest that the specific mass flow rate of bioethanol from 1 kg of biomass input to the unit is in the range of 99–250 g/kg, and between them, the system fed by hazelnut shell biomass remarkably outranked other alternatives by 241 g/kg production due to the high beneficial results gained from the performance analysis. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was performed by changing operating conditions such as gasification temperature and air-to-fuel ratio. The modeling results are given and discussed. The established model could be a useful approach to evaluate the impacts of a huge numbers of biomasses and operating parameters on bioethanol output. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass and Waste Valorization)

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14 pages, 1703 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gasification of Woody Biomasses and Forestry Residues: Simulation, Performance Analysis, and Environmental Impact

by Sahar Safarian, Seyed Mohammad Ebrahimi Saryazdi, Runar Unnthorsson and Christiaan Richter

Fermentation 2021, 7(2), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation7020061 - 11 Apr 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5118

Abstract

Wood and forestry residues are usually processed as wastes, but they can be recovered to produce electrical and thermal energy through processes of thermochemical conversion of gasification. This study proposes an equilibrium simulation model developed by ASPEN Plus to investigate the performance of 28 woody biomass and forestry residues’ (WB&FR) gasification in a downdraft gasifier linked with a power generation unit. The case study assesses power generation in Iceland from one ton of each feedstock. The results for the WB&FR alternatives show that the net power generated from one ton of input feedstock to the system is in intervals of 0 to 400 kW/ton, that more that 50% of the systems are located in the range of 100 to 200 kW/ton, and that, among them, the gasification system derived by tamarack bark significantly outranks all other systems by producing 363 kW/ton. Moreover, the environmental impact of these systems is assessed based on the impact categories of global warming (GWP), acidification (AP), and eutrophication (EP) potentials and normalizes the environmental impact. The results show that electricity generation from WB&FR gasification is environmentally friendly for 75% of the studied systems (confirmed by a normalized environmental impact [NEI] less than 10) and that the systems fed by tamarack bark and birch bark, with an NEI lower than 5, significantly outrank all other systems owing to the favorable results obtained in the environmental sector. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass and Waste Valorization)

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Review

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11 pages, 4791 KiB

Open AccessReview

Xylitol Production by Candida Species from Hydrolysates of Agricultural Residues and Grasses

by Thomas P. West

Fermentation 2021, 7(4), 243; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation7040243 - 28 Oct 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2771

Abstract

Xylitol is an industrially important chemical due to its commercial applications. The use of xylitol as a sweetener as well as its utilization in biomedical applications has made it a high value specialty chemical. Although several species of yeast synthesize xylitol, this review focusses on the species of the genus Candida. The importance of the enzyme xylitol reductase present in Candida species as it relates to their ability to synthesize xylitol was examined. Another focus of this work was to review prior studies examining the ability of the Candida species to synthesize xylitol effectively from hydrolysates of agricultural residues and grasses. An advantage of utilizing such a hydrolysate as a substrate for yeast xylitol production would be decreasing the overall cost of synthesizing xylitol. The intent of this review was to learn if such hydrolysates could substitute for xylose as a substrate for the yeast when producing xylitol. In addition, a comparison of xylitol production by Candida species should indicate which hydrolysate of agricultural residues and grasses would be the best substrate for xylitol production. From studies analyzing previous hydrolysates of agricultural residues and grasses, it was concluded that a hydrolysate of sugarcane bagasse supported the highest level of xylitol by Candida species, although corncob hydrolysates also supported significant yeast xylitol production. It was also concluded that fewer studies examined yeast xylitol production on hydrolysates of grasses and that further research on grasses may provide hydrolysates with a higher xylose content, which could support greater yeast xylitol production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass and Waste Valorization)

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23 pages, 1993 KiB

Open AccessReview

Volatile Fatty Acid Production from Organic Waste with the Emphasis on Membrane-Based Recovery

by Prawat Sukphun, Sureewan Sittijunda and Alissara Reungsang

Fermentation 2021, 7(3), 159; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation7030159 - 19 Aug 2021

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 6973

Abstract

In recent years, interest in the biorefinery concept has emerged in the utilization of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) produced by acidogenic fermentation as precursors for various biotechnological processes. This has attracted substantial attention to VFA production from low-cost substrates such as organic waste and membrane based VFA recovery techniques to achieve cost-effective and environmentally friendly processes. However, there are few reviews which emphasize the acidogenic fermentation of organic waste into VFAs, and VFA recovery. Therefore, this article comprehensively summarizes VFA production, the factors affecting VFA production, and VFA recovery strategies using membrane-based techniques. Additionally, the outlook for future research on VFA production is discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass and Waste Valorization)

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