Ensiling for anaerobic digestion: A review of key considerations to maximise methane yields

Villa, Raffaella; Rodriguez, Lelia Ortega; Fenech, Cecilia; Anika, Ogemdi Chinwendu

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2020.110401

Cited by 42 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…In a more detailed analysis, the pH values lay within the common range of 3.7–5 reported by Villa et al (2020). Among all the products of silage fermentation, LA represented the largest proportion, indicating typical LA silage fermentation (Buxton & O’Kiely, 2003).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…In addition to the TS content, the WSC content is important during ensiling, as WSCs are the central compounds transformed into organic acids by LA bacteria (McDonald et al, 1991). Many authors specified an optimum WSC range of approximately 60–80 g kg −1 TS to obtain high‐quality silages (Villa et al, 2020; Woolford, 1984). The results obtained were within this range in most cases, but some S. bicolor × S. sudanense hybrids were below the limit, and some S. bicolor hybrids were above the limit (Table 3).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is generally accepted that high‐quality silage is characterized by low pH, high LA content, and insignificant amounts of BA (Kung et al, 2018; Teixeira Franco et al, 2016; Villa et al, 2020). As expected, according to the favorable ensilability of the sorghum samples, silages of all the variants analyzed in this study fulfilled these requirements and exhibited adequate silage fermentation quality.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The absence or minor amounts of BA existing in the samples indicate that clostridial metabolism did not dominate silage fermentation. The presence of BA typically results in energy losses and low‐quality silages for animal feeding (McDonald et al, 1991; Pahlow et al, 2003), but Villa et al (2020) argued that biogas‐purpose silages can contain larger amounts of BA, which can lead to greater SMY production. Nonetheless, even with some BA, the FML of the samples were insignificant for the majority of the cases studied (Table 4).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Commonly, crops for biogas production are harvested seasonally as whole plants. Subsequently, wet biomass is conserved by ensiling to maintain feedstock quality for year‐round availability to biogas plants (Herrmann et al, 2011; Teixeira Franco et al, 2016; Villa et al, 2020). During the fermentation process, the microflora—principally lactic acid (LA) bacteria—convert plant sugars (water‐soluble carbohydrates, WSCs) into organic acids (such as LA and acetic acid [AA]), reducing the pH.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of sorghum biomass quality on ensilability and methane yield

et al. 2021

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Sorghum is currently being introduced in the temperate regions of Europe. It is characterized by good digestibility and high biomass yields, which make it a useful crop for anaerobic digestion. In this study, six commercial sorghum varieties comprising four different cultivars of Sorghum bicolor L. Moench and two interspecific sorghum hybrids (Sorghum sudanense L. × S. bicolor L. Moench) were harvested on two different dates during the years 2016 and 2017 at two diverse soil‐climate sites in Germany. The fresh harvested material and silages were analyzed to examine the ensilability of the different varieties with contrasting maturity characteristics. Subsequently, methane production experiments were performed to determine the specific methane yield (SMY) of the samples. The sorghum fresh matter (FM) varied among the sorghum types, including the parameters total solids (TS; 22.69%–46.93%FM), water‐soluble carbohydrates (2.68%–11.38%TS), and nitrates (0%–0.35%TS). The excellent ensiling ability of all the sorghum types analyzed was confirmed by evaluating the fermentation profile (pH range of 3.7–4.6; dominant presence of lactic acid [LA]; acetic acid [AA] in the range of 0.70%–2.38%TS; insignificant amount of butyric acid). The SMY ranged between 231.25 and 321.31 Ln kg−1 VS and tended to decrease with the increasing harvest time and maturity. LA and AA were positively correlated with the SMY, while the neutral detergent fiber content was negatively correlated with it. The SMY—a key parameter reflecting the crop biomass quality for biogas production—was slightly higher for S. bicolor than for the sorghum hybrids. However, the results of this study confirmed that if the final purpose is biomethanation, the ensilability of different sorghum types imposes no restriction. Furthermore, different sorghum types offer a wide harvest window, which can be useful for cropping schemes, ensiling, and methane production.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of sorghum biomass quality on ensilability and methane yield

et al. 2021

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Biomethane Production and Advancement

et al. 2021

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Evaluation of triticale anaerobic digestion in a double cropping system: Relation between biomass yield, chemical composition, and biomethane production

Garuti

Soldano

Mazzola

et al. 2022

Biofuels Bioprod Bioref

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For sustainable biomethane production, energy crops should not compete for land against feed and food. In response to this requirement, a set of practices for an innovative way to produce food and biomethane was developed in Italy with the Biogasdoneright™ model, which introduces the double‐cropping system along with digestate fertilization and minimum tillage. Triticale is a promising feedstock as energy crop in such systems. Ninteen varieties of triticale harvested at milk and dough development stages were evaluated. Principal component analysis showed that cellulose content positively affects methane production whereas starch content has only a very weak relation with specific methane yield and methane formation rate. Despite these relations, triticale chemical composition did not influence the profitability of bioenergy production as much as the total biomass solids yields, the total solids concentration at harvest, and the timing of growth. Triticale can be considered a suitable energy crop for biomethane targeting at least 4600 Nm3 CH4 per hectare. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Ensiling for anaerobic digestion: A review of key considerations to maximise methane yields

Cited by 42 publications

References 42 publications

Effects of sorghum biomass quality on ensilability and methane yield

Effects of sorghum biomass quality on ensilability and methane yield

Biomethane Production and Advancement

Evaluation of triticale anaerobic digestion in a double cropping system: Relation between biomass yield, chemical composition, and biomethane production

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