Halophyte Plants and Their Residues as Feedstock for Biogas Production—Chances and Challenges
The importance of green technologies is steadily growing. Salt-tolerant plants have been proposed as energy crops for cultivation on saline lands. Halophytes such as <i>Salicornia europaea</i>, <i>Tripolium pannonicum</i>, <i>Crithmum maritimum</i> and <i>Ch...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-03-01
|
| Series: | Applied Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/6/2746 |
| _version_ | 1797540823056777216 |
|---|---|
| author | Ariel E. Turcios Aadila Cayenne Hinrich Uellendahl Jutta Papenbrock |
| author_facet | Ariel E. Turcios Aadila Cayenne Hinrich Uellendahl Jutta Papenbrock |
| author_sort | Ariel E. Turcios |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The importance of green technologies is steadily growing. Salt-tolerant plants have been proposed as energy crops for cultivation on saline lands. Halophytes such as <i>Salicornia europaea</i>, <i>Tripolium pannonicum</i>, <i>Crithmum maritimum</i> and <i>Chenopodium quinoa</i>, among many other species, can be cultivated in saline lands, in coastal areas or for treating saline wastewater, and the biomass might be used for biogas production as an integrated process of biorefining. However, halophytes have different salt tolerance mechanisms, including compartmentalization of salt in the vacuole, leading to an increase of sodium in the plant tissues. The sodium content of halophytes may have an adverse effect on the anaerobic digestion process, which needs adjustments to achieve stable and efficient conversion of the halophytes into biogas. This review gives an overview of the specificities of halophytes that needs to be accounted for using their biomass as feedstocks for biogas plants in order to expand renewable energy production. First, the different physiological mechanisms of halophytes to grow under saline conditions are described, which lead to the characteristic composition of the halophyte biomass, which may influence the biogas production. Next, possible mechanisms to avoid negative effects on the anaerobic digestion process are described, with an overview of full-scale applications. Taking all these aspects into account, halophyte plants have a great potential for biogas and methane production with yields similar to those produced by other energy crops and the simultaneous benefit of utilization of saline soils. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:06:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-24894599c76540b89c003c162367b4df |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:06:30Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-24894599c76540b89c003c162367b4df2023-11-21T11:05:21ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172021-03-01116274610.3390/app11062746Halophyte Plants and Their Residues as Feedstock for Biogas Production—Chances and ChallengesAriel E. Turcios0Aadila Cayenne1Hinrich Uellendahl2Jutta Papenbrock3Institute of Botany, Leibniz University Hannover, Herrenhäuserstr, 2, 30419 Hannover, GermanyFaculty of Mechanical and Process Engineering and Maritime Technologies, Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, Kanzleistr, 91-93, 24943 Flensburg, GermanyFaculty of Mechanical and Process Engineering and Maritime Technologies, Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, Kanzleistr, 91-93, 24943 Flensburg, GermanyInstitute of Botany, Leibniz University Hannover, Herrenhäuserstr, 2, 30419 Hannover, GermanyThe importance of green technologies is steadily growing. Salt-tolerant plants have been proposed as energy crops for cultivation on saline lands. Halophytes such as <i>Salicornia europaea</i>, <i>Tripolium pannonicum</i>, <i>Crithmum maritimum</i> and <i>Chenopodium quinoa</i>, among many other species, can be cultivated in saline lands, in coastal areas or for treating saline wastewater, and the biomass might be used for biogas production as an integrated process of biorefining. However, halophytes have different salt tolerance mechanisms, including compartmentalization of salt in the vacuole, leading to an increase of sodium in the plant tissues. The sodium content of halophytes may have an adverse effect on the anaerobic digestion process, which needs adjustments to achieve stable and efficient conversion of the halophytes into biogas. This review gives an overview of the specificities of halophytes that needs to be accounted for using their biomass as feedstocks for biogas plants in order to expand renewable energy production. First, the different physiological mechanisms of halophytes to grow under saline conditions are described, which lead to the characteristic composition of the halophyte biomass, which may influence the biogas production. Next, possible mechanisms to avoid negative effects on the anaerobic digestion process are described, with an overview of full-scale applications. Taking all these aspects into account, halophyte plants have a great potential for biogas and methane production with yields similar to those produced by other energy crops and the simultaneous benefit of utilization of saline soils.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/6/2746anaerobic digestionbiogas production<i>Chenopodium quinoa</i>co-digestion<i>Crithmum maritimum</i>halophyte composition |
| spellingShingle | Ariel E. Turcios Aadila Cayenne Hinrich Uellendahl Jutta Papenbrock Halophyte Plants and Their Residues as Feedstock for Biogas Production—Chances and Challenges Applied Sciences anaerobic digestion biogas production <i>Chenopodium quinoa</i> co-digestion <i>Crithmum maritimum</i> halophyte composition |
| title | Halophyte Plants and Their Residues as Feedstock for Biogas Production—Chances and Challenges |
| title_full | Halophyte Plants and Their Residues as Feedstock for Biogas Production—Chances and Challenges |
| title_fullStr | Halophyte Plants and Their Residues as Feedstock for Biogas Production—Chances and Challenges |
| title_full_unstemmed | Halophyte Plants and Their Residues as Feedstock for Biogas Production—Chances and Challenges |
| title_short | Halophyte Plants and Their Residues as Feedstock for Biogas Production—Chances and Challenges |
| title_sort | halophyte plants and their residues as feedstock for biogas production chances and challenges |
| topic | anaerobic digestion biogas production <i>Chenopodium quinoa</i> co-digestion <i>Crithmum maritimum</i> halophyte composition |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/6/2746 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT arieleturcios halophyteplantsandtheirresiduesasfeedstockforbiogasproductionchancesandchallenges AT aadilacayenne halophyteplantsandtheirresiduesasfeedstockforbiogasproductionchancesandchallenges AT hinrichuellendahl halophyteplantsandtheirresiduesasfeedstockforbiogasproductionchancesandchallenges AT juttapapenbrock halophyteplantsandtheirresiduesasfeedstockforbiogasproductionchancesandchallenges |