Fuelization of Italian Ryegrass and Napier Grass through a Biological Treatment and Photocatalytic Reforming

Abstract

Fuelization of Italian ryegrass and Napier grass was examined by the combination of biological treatments and photocatalytic reforming (photo-Reform). The alkali-pretreated Italian ryegrass and Napier grass were subjected to the enzymatic saccharification using cellulase and xylanase. Xylose and glucose were produced in 56.6% and 71.1% from Italian ryegrass and in 49.5% and 67.3% from Napier grass, respectively. Xylose and glucose were converted to hydrogen by the photo-Reform using a Pt-loaded titanium oxide (Pt/TiO2) under UV irradiation. Moreover, a lowmoisture anhydrous ammonia (LMAA) pretreatment was performed for Italian ryegrass and Napier grass by keeping moist powdered biomass under NH3 gas atmosphere at room temperature for four weeks. The Italian ryegrass and Napier grass which were pretreated by LMAA method were subjected to simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) using a mixture of cellulase and xylanase as well as Saccharomyces cerevisiae in acetate buffer (pH 5.0). Ethanol and xylose were produced in 91.6% and 51.6% from LMAA-pretreated Italian ryegrass and 78.6% and 68.8% from Napier grass, respectively. After the evaporation of ethanol, xylose was converted to hydrogen by the photo-Reform. In the case of saccharification→photo-Reform, energy was recovered as hydrogen from the alkali-pretreated Italian ryegrass and Napier grass in 71.9% and 77.0% of energy recovery efficiency, respectively. In the case of SSF→photo-Reform, the energy was recovered in 82.7% and 77.2% as ethanol and hydrogen from the LMAA-pretreated Italian ryegrass and Napier grass, respectively.

Solar Hydrogen Generation from Lignocellulose

“…Dilute acid hydrolysis of pinewood (160 8 8C, 10 bar) gave ah ydrolysate suitable for high-yield PR over Pt/TiO 2 (0.813 mmol H 2 g bio À1 ). [48] Alternatively,r aw biomass can be digested at mild conditions using natural enzymes.P Ro fv arious cellulase/xylanase-treated grasses [27,49] [11a] Although the yields and rates of pre-treated biomass compare favorably to PR without pre-treatment, pre-processing adds considerable cost and time to the overall process.…”

Comprehensive review and future perspectives on the photocatalytic hydrogen production

“…Up to now, real wastewaters have been treated solely by HETPHs, offering the double benefit of wastewater remediation and simultaneous H 2 production. Pretreated lignocellulosic biomass such as rice straw, silvergrass and ryegrass have been treated using TiO 2 /Pt as photocatalyst . Wastewater from biodiesel production and other types of wastewater also have been researched.…”

Glycerol as a Superior Electron Source in Sacrificial H2 Production over TiO2 Photocatalyst

“…The resulting water-soluble materials (saccharides, amino acids) are converted to biofuels such as ethanol, methane, and hydrogen through various catalytic reactions in aqueous solution. Our biomass reforming is performed in aqueous solution through sacrificial H 2 production over Pt/TiO 2 using water-soluble materials derived from lignocelluloses [19][20][21] and chlorella [22] (Figure 2).…”