Enhanced solid-state biomethanisation of oil palm empty fruit bunches following fungal pretreatment

摘要

The highly heterogeneous structure of oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) restrict the exploitation of its potential in biogas plants. Fungal pretreatment of EFB with Trichoderma reesei TISTR 3080 and Pleurotus ostreatus DSM 11191 to improve EFB biodegradability and methane production via solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) was investigated. The pretreatment by T. reesei and P. ostreatus were effective at an EFB moisture content of 80-85 (% w/w) and incubation for 10-15 days. The methane yield was increased by up to 44-52 % compared to raw EFB. A strong linear relationship was observed between the methane yield, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin degradation for both fungal strains. Maximum methane production from untreated EFB, T. reesei and P. ostreatus pretreated EFB was 36.2, 75.8, and 64.9 m(3) CH4 tonne(-1) EFB, respectively. The pretreatment of EFB with T. reesei is thus a promising strategy to achieve higher methane yields and a 60-75 % higher biodegradation efficiency without any additional energy input and undesired by-product inhibition.