Open Access
ARTICLE
Effects of Biowaste-Derived Hydrochar on Anaerobic Digestion: Insights into Hydrochar Characteristics
Hongqiong Zhang1,2,#, Xu Wang3,#, Zhaojing Qian4, Buchun Si1,4,*, Kai Jin5, Tengfei Wang5
1
Key Laboratory of Agricultural Renewable Resource Utilization Technology, College of Engineering, Northeast Agriculture
University, Harbin, 150030, China
2
College of Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China
3
College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China
4
Laboratory of Environment-Enhancing Energy (E2E), Key Laboratory of Agricultural Engineering in Structure and Environment,
Ministry of Agriculture, College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
5
Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiao Tong University, Chengdu, 611756, China
* Corresponding Author: Buchun Si. Email:
# Those authors contribute equally
# Those authors contribute equally
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Biochar Based Materials for a Green Future)
Journal of Renewable Materials 2023, 11(10), 3647-3657. https://doi.org/10.32604/jrm.2023.028438
Received 17 December 2022; Accepted 13 February 2023; Issue published 10 August 2023
Abstract
Hydrochar prepared with four typical biowastes, pine wood, food waste, digested sewage sludge, and Chlorella
were applied for the promotion of anaerobic digestion. The gas production and substrate composition were analyzed associated with the hydrochar characteristics. The results suggested that Chlorella hydrochar (C-C) showed
the highest cumulative yield of methane (approximately 345 mL) with high total organic carbon (TOC) removal
efficiency and low volatile fatty acids (VAFs) concentration. Especially, food waste hydrochar (F-C) showed a poor
effect on anaerobic digestion and aroused 1.4–1.6 g/L accumulation of VAFs, in which the toxic components may
account for the low efficiency. The C-C and sludge hydrochar (S-C) may develop direct interspecific electron
transport (DIET) to facilitate the generation of methane by both surface groups and conductivity of the body
structure, unlike pinewood hydrochar (P-C), which mainly depended on the aromatic matrix structure of hydrochar body. This work suggested that C-C can be the best candidate for the facilitation of anaerobic digestion, and
N-containing biowaste like algae and lignocellulose like pine wood may establish different DIET pathways based
on the physicochemical characteristics of hydrochar.
Keywords
Cite This Article
Zhang, H., Wang, X., Qian, Z., Si, B., Jin, K. et al. (2023). Effects of Biowaste-Derived Hydrochar on Anaerobic Digestion: Insights into Hydrochar Characteristics.
Journal of Renewable Materials, 11(10), 3647–3657. https://doi.org/10.32604/jrm.2023.028438