LAUSR

In order to enhance the biogas production and provide nitrogen sources for the growth of microorganisms, experiments on urea ammonia pretreatment of corn stovers were implemented at (35±1)°C to investigate the effects of urea ammonia pretreatment on the batch anaerobic fermentation efficiency of corn stovers. This study assessed the effects of urea ammonia contents (2%, 4%, and 6%) and moisture contents (30%, 50%, 70% and 90%) on the physical structures of lignocelluloses and the efficiency of biogas production from anaerobic fermentation of corn stovers. The results indicated that the methane production reached 230.31 mL/g VS (volatile solids) at pretreatment with 4% urea ammonia and 70% moisture contents for the batch anaerobic fermentation, which was 26.6% higher than that of the untreated group. The degradation rates of cellulose and hemicellulose were 66.34% and 75.47% after the anaerobic fermentation, respectively, which were about 22.6% and 20.9% higher than that of the untreated group, respectively. Thus, it was concluded that urea ammonia pretreatment can improve the efficiency of biogas production from anaerobic fermentation of corn stovers. Keywords: corn stovers, urea ammonia pretreatment, batch anaerobic fermentation, methane production, degradation DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20191204.4835 Citation: Li Q, Yang F L, Zheng G X, Guan Z J. Effects of urea ammonia pretreatment on the batch anaerobic fermentation efficiency of corn stovers. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2019; 12(4): 169–173.