Winter rye as a bioenergy feedstock: impact of crop maturity on composition, biological solubilization and potential revenue

Biotechnology for Biofuels
Xiongjun ShaoLee R Lynd

Abstract

Winter annual crops such as winter rye (Secale cereale L) can produce biomass feedstock on seasonally fallow land that continues to provide high-value food and feed from summer annuals such as corn and soybeans. As energy double crops, winter grasses are likely to be harvested while still immature and thus structurally different from the fully senesced plant material typically used for biofuels. This study investigates the dynamic trends in biomass yield, composition, and biological solubilization over the course of a spring harvest season. The water soluble fraction decreased with increasing maturity while total carbohydrate content stayed roughly constant at about 65%. The protein mass fraction decreased with increasing maturity, but was counterbalanced by increasing harvest yield resulting in similar total protein across harvest dates. Winter rye was ground and autoclaved then fermented at 15 g/L total solids by either (1) Clostridium thermocellum or (2) simultaneous saccharification and cofermentation (SSCF) using commercial cellulases (CTec2 and HTec2) and a xylose-fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain. Solubilization of total carbohydrate dropped significantly as winter rye matured for both C. thermocellum (from appr...Continue Reading

References

Jun 1, 1997·Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology·K L Kadam, M M Newman
Oct 9, 1999·Biotechnology Progress·L R LyndT U Gerngross
Jul 1, 2004·Journal of Environmental Quality·J S StrockM P Russelle
Oct 19, 2004·Annual Review of Microbiology·Edward A BayerRaphael Lamed
Jun 28, 2005·Bioresource Technology·Ye Sun, Jay J Cheng
Feb 10, 2007·Science·Michael E HimmelThomas D Foust
Feb 9, 2008·Nature Biotechnology·Lee R LyndCharles E Wyman
Sep 10, 2008·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·A Joe ShawLee R Lynd
Apr 9, 2010·Annual Review of Biochemistry·Carlos M G A Fontes, Harry J Gilbert
Mar 24, 2011·The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B·Gregg T BeckhamMichael F Crowley

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Biofuels (ASM)

Biofuels are produced through contemporary processes from biomass rather than geological processes involved in fossil fuel formation. Examples include biodiesel, green diesel, biogas, etc. Discover the latest research on biofuels in this feed.