Biomass properties

A different method of recording FTIR spectra of microbial biomass is the diffuse reflectance-absorbance technique [62]. To my knowledge, this has not yet been used to monitor biomass properties in bioprocesses but for related purposes such as screening for overproducing mutants (for more detail see the chapter by Shaw and Kell in this volume). 

In summary, it is not a simple matter to select the proper conversion process for a given biomass feedstock. Both biomass properties and process... 

Since a large portion of a feedstock s equivalent energy content can be expended for drying, there is a balance between the cost of moisture removal, the incremental improvement in efficiency on conversion, and the advantages of handling drier feedstock. The key biomass property that should obviously be examined, in addition to conversion process requirements, is the moisture content of the fresh biomass, the methods available for its partial or total removal, and the effects, if any, on the properties of the remaining biomass. The moisture content of biomass is as variable as the multitude of biomass species available as potential feedstocks. 

For biomass plants, GHG emissions vary with the biomass properties, the energy intensity of the fuel cycle, the plant technology and its efficiency. Life-cycle analyses of different biomass technologies report emissions between 10 and 100 g COj-eq/kWh (Pehnt, 2006 Weisser, 2007 Koroneos et ah, 2008). 

The second-generation biofuels (or advanced biofuels) are derived from lignocellu-losic biomass, nonfood crop feedstocks, agricultural and forest residues, and industrial wastes. They are mainly produced through the utilization of physical, thermochemical, and biochemical technologies, usually after a pretreatment stage of the biomass feedstock (Liew et al., 2014). The pretreatment step is a very important step to prepare the biomass properties (e.g., size, moisture, density, etc.) in order to facilitate the conversion processes (Agbor et al., 2011). 

Table 15.1 Biomass properties with an effect on the gasification conversion process... 

Robert Boyle, an Irish chemist noted for his pioneering experiments on the properties of gases, discovered methanol (CH3OH) in 1661. For many years methanol, known as wood alcohol, was produced by heating hardwoods such as maple, birch, and hickory to high temperatures m the absence of air. The most popular modern method of producing methanol, which IS also the least costly, is from natural gas (methane) by the direct combination of carbon monoxide gas and hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst. Methanol also can be produced more expensively from oil, coal, and biomass. 

Soil physical properties most likely to be altered by biomass burning are soil structure, soil wettability, and clay mineralogy (Table HI) (43). The destruction of organic matter results in losses of soil structure, increases in bulk density, diminished aggregate stability and decreases in macropore space (44). 

Algae can be cultivated easily and quickly when compared to plants. They produce very high quantities of carotenoids compared to other sources (3.0 to 5.0% w/w on a dry weight basis). They contain both cis and trans isomers of carotenoids for high bioavailability and bioefflcacy, and also contain oxygenated carotenoids (xantho-phylls), which have greater bioactivity and better anticancer properties. The proteins from Dunaliella biomass can be utilized for bread and other products and whole cells can be utilized for animal, poultry, and fish foods because they are safe. ... 

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