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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Bioenergy Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #312459
Research Project: Technologies for Improving Process Efficiencies in Biomass Refineries

Location: Bioenergy Research

Title: Effect of pelletizing herbaceous grasses on chemical composition and conversion properties

Author
item Dien, Bruce
item Mitchell, Robert - Rob
item Boateng, Akwasi
item Bowman, Michael
item Cotta, Michael
item Serapiglia, Michelle
item SINGH, VIJAY - University Of Illinois

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/27/2015
Publication Date: 4/27/2015
Citation: Dien, B.S., Mitchell, R.B., Boateng, A.A., Bowman, M.J., Cotta, M.A., Serapiglia, M., Singh, V. 2015. Effect of pelletizing herbaceous grasses on chemical composition and conversion properties [abstract]. Meeting Abstract. poster session 1.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Warm season perennial grasses are promising candidates as bioenergy crops because of their high productivities and carbohydrate contents. However storage and transport are challenging because of their low bulk density and poor flow properties. Pelletizing is a standard method for increasing bulk density of biomass. Field grown switchgrass, big bluestem, and a low diversity mixture were either milled or pelletized. Samples were analyzed for chemical composition using the dietary fiber method. Pelletized samples appeared to have lower overall structural carbohydrates and increased ethanol/water extractable materials. Samples were pretreated with low moisture ammonium hydroxide and evaluated for enzymatic sugar extraction. Pelletizing led to increased glucose yields for the big bluestem and low diversity mixture but not for the switchgrass. When pretreated with liquid hot-water, pelletizing was associated with increased glucose yields only for the low diversity mixture.