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ARS Home » Plains Area » Sidney, Montana » Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory » Agricultural Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #410526
Research Project: Ecologically-Sound Pest, Water and Soil Management Practices for Northern Great Plains Cropping Systems

Location: Agricultural Systems Research

Title: Composition analysis and environmental factors influencing biomass quality: A comparative study of Montana-grown biomasses

Author
item SCHEFFEL, AIDAN - Montana State University
item JOHNSRUDE, LAUREN - Montana State University
item Allen, Brett
item WETTSTEIN, STEPHANIE - Montana State University

Submitted to: BioEnergy Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/12/2023
Publication Date: 10/25/2023
Citation: Scheffel, A.J., Johnsrude, L., Allen, B.L., Wettstein, S.G. 2023. Composition analysis and environmental factors influencing biomass quality: A comparative study of Montana-grown biomasses. BioEnergy Research. 17:956-963. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-023-10690-8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-023-10690-8

Interpretive Summary: Growing location impact on biomass composition is an important consideration for optimizing biomass utilization strategies and developing sustainable bioenergy production systems. Biomass samples from the site that had higher precipitation exhibited a significantly higher acid-insoluble lignin content compared to the biomass samples from the lower precipitation site. Grasses had significantly more glucose, xylose, and arabinose than Brassicaceae biomass, though lignin content was similar.

Technical Abstract: In order to obtain high yields of chemicals and fuels from biomass, feedstocks need to be selected that contain high amounts of glucose, xylose, or lignin, depending on the end product. The first objective of this study was to evaluate the biomass composition of 20 samples from 11 broadleaf and grass crop species grown at two distinct sites in Montana. Another objective was to investigate the influence of growing location and seed type to determine which cultivars may be best for renewable chemical production in the northern Great Plains. There was a significant effect due to the growing location as the biomass samples from the site that had higher precipitation exhibited a significantly higher acid-insoluble lignin (23.8%) content compared to the biomass samples from the lower precipitation site (20.0%). Additionally, the 357 napus had a significantly higher amount of glucose (1.8% more) and acid-soluble lignin (0.2% more) than compared to the 940 napus both grown at the Froid site that may be attributed to genetic modifications. In terms of sugar content for potential upgrading, the grasses had significantly more glucose (36.1% total), xylose (24.3%), and arabinose (2.3%) than the Brassicaceae biomasses, but the lignin content was not significantly different. Switchgrass, in particular, had the highest total sugar content of close to 70 wt%. Understanding the impact of growing location on biomass composition is an important consideration for optimizing biomass utilization strategies and developing sustainable bioenergy production systems.