Lignocellulosic Energy Grasses for Combustion, Production, and Provision
- Publikations-Art
- Buchbeitrag
- Autoren
- Iqbal, Y., Lewandowski, I.
- Erscheinungsjahr
- 2017
- Veröffentlicht in
- Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology
- Herausgeber
- R.A. Meyers (ed.)
- Verlag
- Springer , New York
- ISBN / ISSN / eISSN
- 978-1-4939-2493-6
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-1-4939-2493-6_319-5
- Seite (von - bis)
- 1-11
- Schlagworte
- Düngung, Energiepflanzen, Ernte, Pflanzenschutz, physiology, Trockensubstanz, yield
Energy grasses are characterized by high lignocellulosic material which is comprised of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Cellulose is the most abundant organic substance in nature and is the main structural component of cell wall. It is primarily composed of D-glucose units, which are linked via hydrogen whereas hemicellulose contains mainly C5 sugar xylose. The lignin is a complex organic component of cell wall which provides structural materials and comprised of three-dimensional biopolymers built from phenylpropane derivatives. The proportion of cellulose is highest (28–49%) followed by hemicellulose (25–34%) and lignin (9–28%) [1]. The efficiency of bioconversion process depends on biomass quality and the technology being employed. Currently, the main conversion route in EU for the biomass from energy grasses is direct combustion. The high lignin and low ash content compared to straw make them a suitable option for solid fuels. In addition, combustion process
is well known and mature technology is available to produce biopower efficiently. However, considering the high proportion of holocellulose, energy grasses have the potential to be used for biofuels production (ethanol, biogas). For biofuels production, the low lignin and high cellulose and hemicellulose content is desired.