The present work describes the experiences of the research group at IBAF-CNR on characterizing the biomass quality in biorefinery industrial applications. Biorefinery is defined by the International Energy Agency as "the sustainable processing of biomass into a spectrum of marketable products (food, feed, materials, chemicals) and energy (fuels, power, heat)". The analytical approach will evaluate the composition and determine best use of plant "waste" biomass in bioregenerative life support systems for space. The various components of the biomass have been determined in the Biomass laboratory that include a Ion Exchange Chromatography system (Thermo Scientific(TM) Dionex(TM) ICS-5000) which provides precise qualification and quantification of components including: non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), organic acid, and structural carbohydrates (cellulose and hemicelluloses). The plant species, the type of tissues, and the environmental growth conditions, are all factors that can profoundly affect the composition of plant biomass, such as carbon/nitrogen ratio, protein, lipids, NSC, organic acid, structural carbohydrates, lignin, and ash. Some of these components can be digested by humans, or easily degraded into inorganic components in recycling systems, while others are indigestible by humans and recalcitrant to most biological degradation systems. A precise characterization of the waste biomass produced by higher plant for life support in space, should be a pre-requisite for the planning of such biomass destination to, and disposal in, recycling loops. A key concept in biorefinery is to organize the biomass use in order to maximize its value within the system. In life support systems, food for humans is a valuable use of the biomass, while water and energy generation are also important. When analyzing the "waste" plant tissues, the plant fractions that are not traditionally used as food, contain large amounts of edible compounds. Some of them can be eaten as such (like starch, sucrose, fructose, glucose, organic acid, and protein) others can be converted to food by simple methods (like glucose monomers of the indigestible cellulose). Here we report on the methodologies used in our laboratory and on results obtained in the qualification of diverse biomass samples. In particular, the characterization of samples of plant tissues harvested in the Lunar Greenhouse, at the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ), will be reported, evaluated in terms of food value, and compared with the characterization of samples of biomass that is used in commercially operating anaerobic digesters to produce biogas. The characterization of waste biomass is becoming more and more relevant even in the earth agriculture. With the increasing food demand ant the global level and the rising importance of renewable energy production from biomass, even what was previously considered a waste to dispose in the less expensive way is acquiring an ever increasing value as a feedstock for renewable energy production, and possibly as food recovery. In this respect our work on biomass quality characterization has similar importance in space related bioregenerative life support systems and in earth food and renewable energy production systems.
Determining the most effective use for biomass components within the recycling support systems for space
Stefano Moscatello;Guglielmo Santi;Simona Proietti;Walter Stefanoni;Alberto Battistelli
2014
Abstract
The present work describes the experiences of the research group at IBAF-CNR on characterizing the biomass quality in biorefinery industrial applications. Biorefinery is defined by the International Energy Agency as "the sustainable processing of biomass into a spectrum of marketable products (food, feed, materials, chemicals) and energy (fuels, power, heat)". The analytical approach will evaluate the composition and determine best use of plant "waste" biomass in bioregenerative life support systems for space. The various components of the biomass have been determined in the Biomass laboratory that include a Ion Exchange Chromatography system (Thermo Scientific(TM) Dionex(TM) ICS-5000) which provides precise qualification and quantification of components including: non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), organic acid, and structural carbohydrates (cellulose and hemicelluloses). The plant species, the type of tissues, and the environmental growth conditions, are all factors that can profoundly affect the composition of plant biomass, such as carbon/nitrogen ratio, protein, lipids, NSC, organic acid, structural carbohydrates, lignin, and ash. Some of these components can be digested by humans, or easily degraded into inorganic components in recycling systems, while others are indigestible by humans and recalcitrant to most biological degradation systems. A precise characterization of the waste biomass produced by higher plant for life support in space, should be a pre-requisite for the planning of such biomass destination to, and disposal in, recycling loops. A key concept in biorefinery is to organize the biomass use in order to maximize its value within the system. In life support systems, food for humans is a valuable use of the biomass, while water and energy generation are also important. When analyzing the "waste" plant tissues, the plant fractions that are not traditionally used as food, contain large amounts of edible compounds. Some of them can be eaten as such (like starch, sucrose, fructose, glucose, organic acid, and protein) others can be converted to food by simple methods (like glucose monomers of the indigestible cellulose). Here we report on the methodologies used in our laboratory and on results obtained in the qualification of diverse biomass samples. In particular, the characterization of samples of plant tissues harvested in the Lunar Greenhouse, at the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ), will be reported, evaluated in terms of food value, and compared with the characterization of samples of biomass that is used in commercially operating anaerobic digesters to produce biogas. The characterization of waste biomass is becoming more and more relevant even in the earth agriculture. With the increasing food demand ant the global level and the rising importance of renewable energy production from biomass, even what was previously considered a waste to dispose in the less expensive way is acquiring an ever increasing value as a feedstock for renewable energy production, and possibly as food recovery. In this respect our work on biomass quality characterization has similar importance in space related bioregenerative life support systems and in earth food and renewable energy production systems.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
