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Enhanced anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic paunch waste using potassium hydroxide pre-treatment

Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: • KOH pre-treatment enhanced paunch solubilisation and biodegradability. • Methane yield increased by up to 150% with KOH pre-treated paunch. • BMP improvements were reproduced in continuous anaerobic reactors. • Process stability challenges identified with key monitoring parameters. • Dominant methanogen was shifted from Methanosaeta to Methanobacterium. Alkaline pre-treatment enhances the biological accessibility and methane recovery of lignocellulosic feedstocks during anaerobic digestion. This study investigates the impact of potassium hydroxide (KOH) pre-treatment on paunch (2.5 and 12 g per 100 g paunch TS for 24 hr at 22 °C) using biochemical methane potential tests and 5 L bench-scale CSTR bioreactors. BMP tests showed significant improvements in hydrolysis kinetics and methane yield. Continuous experiments validated these findings, with volatile solids destruction increasing from 33 % for raw paunch to 61 % for 12 % KOH pre-treated paunch. Methane yield was consistently enhanced with an increase of up to 150 % compared to raw paunch. Microbial analysis revealed a shift in dominant methanogens from Methanosaeta to Methanobacterium, in response to KOH pre-treatment. While the results highlight the potential of KOH pre-treatment to improve both degradability and methane recovery, challenges related to process stability were identified, emphasizing the need for further investigation to optimise operational conditions for full-scale applications.
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132323
Language: English
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,880
OpenAlex ID: W4408059243
FWCI: 5.142
Cites: 33
Cited by: 12
Related to: 10