Analysis of Wheat Straw Biodiversity for Use as a Feedstock for Biofuel Production

Abstract

Wheat straw is a potential source of feedstock for biofuel production that does not compete with food. We have screened 48 wheat lines from a collection representing a broad range of the biodiversity of wild and domestic wheat. Wheat straw was fractionated into water-soluble and nonsoluble fractions. In the water-soluble fraction (WSF), we found a broad variation in the concentration of free soluble sugars (FSS) and a narrow variation in starch. The FSS fraction could reach levels of reducing sugars as high as 130 g sugar/kg of straw. The analysis of the FSS by ion chromatography indicated that fructose and glucose were the major sugar monomers in this fraction. The composition of the nonsoluble cell wall fraction was determined by both pyrolysis and direct chemical analysis. These analyses showed a limited variation in the lignin or the cellulose fraction. There was a significant degree of variation among wheat lines in the enzymatic saccharification of the straw, following acid pretreatment. Interestingly, the straw from wild wheat had the highest degree of saccharification compared to domestic lines. These findings are of interest for the biofuel industry because they mean that wheat lines can be developed in which a significant amount of free soluble sugars can be easily extracted from straw without the need for costly pretreatment and enzymatic deconstruction. Moreover, the high FSS trait might be combined with the high enzymatic saccharification trait suggesting that wheat lines can be developed with a straw composition better adapted for biofuel production.

Spectroscopic Discrimination of Sorghum Silica Phytoliths

“…Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the phytolith samples were performed with a Bargal Q500 instrument (Bargal Analytical Instruments Ltd, Israel) following Tishler et al (2015). Approximately 5 mg of phytoliths were placed in a platinum crucible, equilibrated at 25°C and the weight variation recorded in the range of 30°C to 900°C under nitrogen flow of 60 ml per min, using the high-resolution sensitivity mode and a ramp of 30°C per min.…”

Parameters Affecting RDF-Based Pellet Quality

“…The morphology of the MSW-based material is different from that of biomass. Biomass is composed of natural polymers: cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, and lignin acts as a natural binder during the densification of biomass [29][30][31][32][33]. However, such binders do not occur in RDF, so its potential for densification must be checked.…”

Production of Cellulosic Ethanol from Enzymatically Hydrolysed Wheat Straws

“…In 2019/2020 the estimated global wheat production is 762.2-764.1 million tons in comparison with the production of 2018/2019 which was 732.1 million tons (Figure 1) [6,7]. Therefore, if we take into account a coefficient of 1.3 [8,9], in 2019/2020 an amount of 990.86-993.33 million tons of wheat residues were produced. 8 8.9-10.5 1.4 [53] 3.…”