Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Impact of mixed feedstock of wheat straw, willow and Miscanthus on enzymatic hydrolysis and inhibitor production after microwave hydrothermal pre-treatment in Europe

Moirangthem, Kamaljit; Greetham, Darren; Craigon, Jim; Tucker, Gregory

Impact of mixed feedstock of wheat straw, willow and Miscanthus on enzymatic hydrolysis and inhibitor production after microwave hydrothermal pre-treatment in Europe Thumbnail


Authors

Kamaljit Moirangthem

Darren Greetham

Jim Craigon

Gregory Tucker



Abstract

Lignocellulosic feedstocks for biorefinery are likely to be seasonal and the supply of feedstock to cellulosic biorefineries remains a challenge. One way to overcome this is by utilizing a mixed feedstock which facilitates the maintenance of a year-round feedstock supply. This study investigated the impact of mixing of three industrially relevant cellulosic feedstocks—wheat straw, willow and Miscanthus using two major performance indicators—sugar yield and fermentation inhibitor production. A microwave hydrothermal pre-treatment regime of 200 °C for 5 min was applied to each feedstock individually and to 1:1 (w/w) mixes and the predicted sugar yield in the mixes was compared to the observed values. All the mixes resulted in improved sugar yields with willow + Miscanthus (15.4%, p = 0.015) and wheat + willow (13.6%, p = 0.010) showing a statistically significant improvement. Saccharification kinetics, inhibitor production, impact on yeast metabolic activity and growth were compared and no adverse impacts of mixing were observed. The use of mixed feedstocks in a hot water based commercial production of biofuels is unlikely to have any adverse effects on productivity and may indeed prove beneficial.

Citation

Moirangthem, K., Greetham, D., Craigon, J., & Tucker, G. (2022). Impact of mixed feedstock of wheat straw, willow and Miscanthus on enzymatic hydrolysis and inhibitor production after microwave hydrothermal pre-treatment in Europe. Biofuels, 13(6), 727-734. https://doi.org/10.1080/17597269.2021.1894782

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 20, 2021
Online Publication Date Mar 10, 2021
Publication Date 2022
Deposit Date Mar 23, 2021
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Biofuels
Print ISSN 1759-7269
Electronic ISSN 1759-7277
Publisher Taylor and Francis
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 13
Issue 6
Pages 727-734
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/17597269.2021.1894782
Keywords Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment; Waste Management and Disposal
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5412487
Publisher URL https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17597269.2021.1894782
Additional Information This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Biofuels on 10.03.21, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/17597269.2021.1894782