Effect of Harvesting Age and Size Reduction in the Performance of Anaerobic Digestion of Pennisetum Grass
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Date
2020
Authors
Pizarro Loaiza, Carlos Alexander
Torres Lozada, Patricia
Illa i Alibés, Josep
Palatsi Civit, Jordi
Bonmatí Blasi, August
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Abstract
In the rural zones of Latin American and Caribbean developing countries, the poorest
households rely on traditional fuels such as firewood to meet their daily cooking needs. Many of
those countries are located near the equator, where they have a tropical climate and grass is
one of the most common biomass crops. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect
of harvesting age (30, 44, and 57 days) in the performance of anaerobic digestion of King Grass
(Pennisetum purpureum cv. King Grass) grown under tropical climate conditions. Three reduction
methods of crop size were also compared. Results showed that 44-day harvesting age presented
the greater specific methane yield (347.8 mLCH4 g
−1VS) and area-specific methane yield
(9773 m3CH4 ha−1 y
−1
). The machine chopped method (1–3 cm for stems and 1–10 cm for leaves) was
the reduction method that maximized the methane production. From those results, the calculated
area required for grass cultivation to provide the cooking energy to a typical family in the Colombian
rural zones is 154 m2
.
Citation
Journal or Serie
Processes, 2020, vol. 8, núm. 11, a1414