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Evaluation of physicochemical pretreatment of tomato plant for aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation

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Abstract

This study evaluates different hydrothermal pretreatment conditions for the tomato plant. Since these plants produce abundant waste due to their lignocellulosic content, biodegradation through anaerobic digestion is difficult. Hydrothermal pretreatment of the tomato plant was carried out at different times (0, 10, 15, 20, 30, and 60 min), with pressure and temperature conditions maintained at 394 K and 202,650 total Pa. In addition, acid and base were added to determine if they favored the hydrolysis of the lignocellulosic material. After determining the most appropriate pretreatment time for the different options (with or without chemical reagent), aerobic biodegradability was evaluated, as well as the structural changes caused by the pretreatment. From this stage of pretreatment evaluation, it was concluded that the conditions of greatest interest were 15 min (t15) hydrothermal pretreatment without the addition of chemical reagents (TPWH (t15)). The anaerobic digestion process was subsequently evaluated by comparing TPWH (t15) with the untreated tomato plant, obtaining a mean value of 0.125 ± 0.006 and 0.097 ± 0.010 m3STP CH4/kg TVS (total volatile solids) (STP standard temperature and pressure conditions, 273 K and 101,325 Pa), respectively, once the methane production is stabilized.

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Abbreviations

RM:

Raw material

TPW:

Tomato plant waste

TPWH:

Tomato plant waste hydrothermal

TPWAH:

Tomato plant waste acid-hydrothermal

TPWAlkH:

Tomato plant waste alkali-hydrothermal

SOUR:

Specific oxygen uptake rate

OD20 :

Oxygen demand

Alk:

Alkalinity

TS:

Total solids

FS:

Fixed solids

TVS:

Total volatile solids

VA:

Volatile acidity

STN:

Soluble total nitrogen

STOC:

Soluble total organic carbon

TOCD:

Total chemical oxygen demand

N-TKN:

Total kjeldahl nitrogen

TP:

Total phosphorus

YCH4/S :

Methane yield

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Acknowledgments

The authors are very grateful to the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project CTQ2014-60050-R), Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (Grant FPU2013). We also wish to express our gratitude to Inmaculada Bellido and María Luisa López, as well as Eduardo Espinosa and Juan Domínguez-Robles for their contribution to this research. We also thank the SCAI-UCO for the research support they provided.

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Campus Universitario de Rabanales, University of Cordoba, Edificio Marie Curie (C-3), Ctra. N IV, km 396, 14071, Cordoba, Spain

    Aida Gil, Jose A. Siles, M. Carmen Gutiérrez & M. Ángeles Martín

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  1. Aida Gil
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  2. Jose A. Siles
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  3. M. Carmen Gutiérrez
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  4. M. Ángeles Martín
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Correspondence to M. Ángeles Martín.

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Gil, A., Siles, J.A., Gutiérrez, M.C. et al. Evaluation of physicochemical pretreatment of tomato plant for aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 9, 489–497 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-019-00380-x

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