Insight into the effect of chemical structure for microbial lignite methanation
Lin Yang,
Yongfeng Zhang,
Zhifei Hao,
Junying Zhang
Affiliations
Lin Yang
College of Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Hohhot, 010051, China; Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Efficient Cyclic Utilization of Coal-Based Solid Waste, Hohhot, 010051, China; Key Laboratory of Resource Circulation at Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hohhot, 010051, China
Yongfeng Zhang
College of Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Hohhot, 010051, China; Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Efficient Cyclic Utilization of Coal-Based Solid Waste, Hohhot, 010051, China; Key Laboratory of Resource Circulation at Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hohhot, 010051, China; Corresponding author. College of Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Hohhot, 010051, China.
Zhifei Hao
College of Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Hohhot, 010051, China; Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Efficient Cyclic Utilization of Coal-Based Solid Waste, Hohhot, 010051, China; Key Laboratory of Resource Circulation at Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hohhot, 010051, China
Junying Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Coal Combustion, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China; Corresponding author.
The chemical structure of lignite plays a fundamental role in microbial degradation, which can be altered to increase gas production. In this study, the structural changes in lignite were analyzed by conducting pretreatment and biomethane gas production experiments using crushing and ball milling processes, respectively. The results revealed that different particle size ranges of lignite considerably influence gas production. The maximum methane yield under both treatments corresponded to a particle size range of 400–500 mesh. The gas production after ball milling was higher than that after crushing, irrespective of particle size. Compared with lignite subjected to crushing, that subjected to ball milling exhibited more oxygen-containing functional groups, less coalification, more disordered structures, and small aromatic ring structures, demonstrating more unstable properties, which are typically favorable to microbial flora for the utilization and degradation of lignite. Additionally, a symbiotic microbial community comprising multiple species was established during the microbial degradation of lignite into biogas. This study provides new insights and a strong scientific foundation for further research on microbial lignite methanation.
