Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Evaluating anaerobic and aerobic digestion strategies for degradation of pretreated pine needle litter

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study evaluated the effect of different pretreatments on unlocking the lignocellulosic composition of pine needle litter biomass followed by performance under aerobic/anaerobic digestion. The pretreatment strategies employed were milling, steam explosion, and chemical treatment with acid–base–acid. The results revealed that the most effective method of pretreatment of pine needle litter was the physico-chemical treatment (milling + steam treatment + acid–base–acid hydrolysis), which resulted in 65.92% increase in holocellulose content with a corresponding 21.34% decrease in total lignin content as compared to untreated control. The effect of pretreatments on anaerobic digestion using digested sludge as inoculums was evaluated through biochemical methane generation. During the liquid-phase anaerobic digestion process of different pretreated pine needle litter, the mechanically milled pine litter yielded a methane level of 5.53 ± 0.11 mmol CH4/g VSin in 40 days, which was 40.7% higher than during anaerobic digestion of untreated pine needle litter. The physico-chemical pretreatment resulted in 21.4% higher methane levels as compared to untreated pine litter. Additionally, the aerobic digestion of pretreated pine needle litter with white rot fungal strain, Cotylidia pannosa for 60 days at 30 °C, resulted in 95.5% decrease in holocellulose content and 52.3% decrease in total lignin content. Findings in the present study suggest that in spite of significant reduction in lignin content during the pretreatment, the addition of pine litter as a substrate inhibits anaerobic digestion process.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • An CH, Huang GH, Yao Y, Sun W, An K (2012) Performance of in-vessel composting of food waste in the presence of coal ash and uric acid. J Hazard Mater 203–204:38–45

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D1104-56 (1978) Method of test for holocellulose in wood. http://www.astm.org/Standards/D1104.htm. Accessed 28 June 2014

  • Azman S, Khadem AF, Van Lier JB, Zeeman G, Plugge CM (2015) Presence and role of anaerobic hydrolytic microbes in conversion of lignocellulosic biomass for biogas production. Crit Rev Environ Sci Technol 45:2523–2564

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brown D, Shi J, Li Y (2012) Comparison of solid-state to liquid anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic feedstocks for biogas production. Bioresour Technol 124:379–386

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng YF, Edwards JE, Allison GG, Zhu WY, Theodorou MK (2009) Diversity and activity of enriched ruminal cultures of anaerobic fungi and methanogens grown together on lignocellulose in consecutive batch culture. Bioresour Technol 100:4821–4828

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng CL, Lo YC, Lee KS, Lee DJ, Lin CY, Chang JS (2011) Biohydrogen production from lignocellulosic feedstock. Bioresour Technol 102:8514–8523

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cu TT, Nguyen TX, Triolo JM, Pedersen L, Le VD, Le PD, Sommer SG (2015) Biogas production from Vietnamese animal manure, plant residues and organic waste: influence of biomass composition on methane yield. Asian-Australas J Anim Sci 28:280

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Demirbas A (2007) Products from lignocellulosic materials via degradation processes. Energy Sources Part A Recovery Util Environ Eff 30(1):27–37

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dollhofer V, Podmirseg SM, Callaghan TM, Griffith GW, Fliegerová K (2015) Anaerobic fungi and their potential for biogas production. In: Guebitz GM, Bauer A, Bochmann G, Gronauer A, Weiss S (eds) Biogas science and technology. Springer International Publishing, Heidelberg, pp 41–61

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Elliston A, Wilson DR, Wellner N, Collins SR, Roberts IN, Waldron KW (2015) Effect of steam explosion on waste copier paper alone and in a mixed lignocellulosic substrate on saccharification and fermentation. Bioresour Technol 187:136–143

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta R, Mehta G, Khasa YP, Kuhad RC (2011) Fungal delignification of lignocellulosic biomass improves the saccharification of cellulosics. Biodegradation 22:797–804

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hubbe MA, Nazhad M, Sánchez C (2010) Composting as a way to convert cellulosic biomass and organic waste into high-value soil amendments: a review. BioResources 5:2808–2854

    Google Scholar 

  • Isidorov VA, Smolewska M, Purzyńska-Pugacewicz A, Tyszkiewicz Z (2010) Chemical composition of volatile and extractive compounds of pine and spruce leaf litter in the initial stages of decomposition. Biogeosciences 7:2785–2794

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jain VK, Srinivas SN (2012) Empowering rural India the RE way: inspiring success stories. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, Navi Mumbai. ISBN 978-81-920040-0-6

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson DB, Moore WE, Zank LC (1961) The spectrophotometric determination of lignin in small wood samples. Tappi 44(11):793–798

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jonsson LJ, Martín C (2016) Pretreatment of lignocellulose: formation of inhibitory by-products and strategies for minimizing their effects. Bioresour Technol 199:103–112

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Joshi P, Sharma N, Manab Sarma P (2016) Assessment of biomass potential and current status of bio-fuels and bioenergy production in India. Curr Biochem Eng 3:4–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kayembe K, Basosila L, Mpiana PT, Sikulisimwa PC, Mbuyu K (2013) Inhibitory effects of phenolic monomers on methanogenesis in anaerobic digestion. Br Microbiol Res J 3:32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim HJ, Lee S, Kim J, Mitchell RJ, Lee JH (2013) Environmentally friendly pretreatment of plant biomass by planetary and attrition milling. Bioresour Technol 144:50–56

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhad RC, Chandna P, Singh A (2011) Composting of lignocellulosic waste material for soil amendment. In: Singh A, Parmar N, Kuhad RC (eds) Bioaugmentation, biostimulation and biocontrol. Springer, Berlin, pp 107–128

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Lacourt W (2011) Enrichment of methanogenic microcosms on recalcitrant lignocellulosic biomass (Doctoral dissertation)

  • Lawther JM, Sun R, Banks WB (1996) Effect of steam treatment on the chemical composition of wheat straw. Holzforsch-Int J Biol Chem Phys Technol Wood 50:365–371

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lin Z, Huang H, Zhang H, Zhang L, Yan L, Chen J (2010) Ball milling pretreatment of corn stover for enhancing the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 162:1872–1880

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu HW, Walter HK, Vogt GM, Vogt HS, Holbein BE (2002) Steam pressure disruption of municipal solid waste enhances anaerobic digestion kinetics and biogas yield. Biotechnol Bioeng 77:121–130

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mahajan R, Nikitina A, Litti Y, Nozhevnikova A, Goel G (2016) Autochthonous microbial community associated with pine needle forest litterfall influences its degradation under natural environmental conditions. Environ Monit Assess 188:417

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Matsakas L, Rova U, Christakopoulos P (2015) Sequential parametric optimization of methane production from different sources of forest raw material. Front Microbiol 6:1163

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nikitina AA, Kevbrina MV, Kallistova AY, Nekrasova VK, Litti YV, Nozhevnikova AN (2015) Intensification of microbial decomposition of organic fraction of municipal waste: laboratory and field experiments. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 51:393–401

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Paredes-Sánchez JP, García-Elcoro VE, Rosillo-Calle F, Xiberta-Bernat J (2016) Assessment of forest bioenergy potential in a coal-producing area in Asturias (Spain) and recommendations for setting up a Biomass Logistic Centre (BLC). Appl Energy 171:133–141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma D, Goel G, Sud A, Chauhan RS (2015) A novel laccase from newly isolated Cotylidia pannosa and its application in decolorization of synthetic dyes. Biocat Agric Biotechnol 4:661–666

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silva GG, Couturier M, Berrin JG, Buléon A, Rouau X (2012) Effects of grinding processes on enzymatic degradation of wheat straw. Bioresour Technol 103:192–200

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Staley BF, Francis L, Barlaz MA (2012) Comparison of bacteria and Archaea communities in municipal solid waste, individual refuse components, and leachate. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 79:465–473

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Steffen F, Requejo A, Ewald C, Janzon R, Saake B (2016) Anaerobic digestion of fines from recovered paper processing—influence of fiber source, lignin sand ash content on biogas potential. Bioresour Technol 200:506–513

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tappi T (2002) 222 om-02: acid-insoluble lignin in wood and pulp 2002–2003 TAPPI test methods

  • TAPPI Standard Methods (2009) Fibrous materials and pulp testing. Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Industry, Atlanta

  • Tsavkelova EA, Egorova MA, Petrova EV, Netrusov AI (2012) Thermophilic anaerobic microbial communities that transform cellulose into methane (biogas). Mosc Univ Biol Sci Bull 67:75–81

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhi Z, Wang H (2014) White-rot fungal pretreatment of wheat straw with Phanerochaete chrysosporium for biohydrogen production: simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 37:1447–1458

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The research was funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, for Indo-Russian collaborative project “Elucidating the linkage between key limiting processes and microorganisms during anaerobic degradation of lignocellulosic waste” INT/RUS/RFBR/P-175. The authors wish to thank the collaborating institutes for providing research facilities to execute this research.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Rishi Mahajan and Anna Nikitina made equal contribution.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Jaypee University of Information Technology, Waknaghat, Solan, 173234, India

    R. Mahajan & G. Goel

  2. Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 33, Bld. 2, Leninsky Ave, Moscow, 119071, Russia

    A. Nikitina, Y. Litti, A. Kallistova & A. Nozhevnikova

Authors
  1. R. Mahajan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. Nikitina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Y. Litti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A. Kallistova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. A. Nozhevnikova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. G. Goel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. Goel.

Additional information

Editorial responsibility: M. Abbaspour.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mahajan, R., Nikitina, A., Litti, Y. et al. Evaluating anaerobic and aerobic digestion strategies for degradation of pretreated pine needle litter. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 16, 191–200 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-017-1601-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-017-1601-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation