Recently, the innovation team for the clean conversion and high-value utilization of agricultural waste from the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture of CAAS revealed that different straw pyrochars could enhance anaerobic digestion (AD) performance and microbial characteristics, achieving the efficient and high-value utilization of straw pyrochars. The related research findings were published in "Bioresource Technology".

Pyrochar can effectively enhance AD performance, but its suboptimal quality limits the enhancement effect on AD. The research team used cornstalk, cotton straw and rice straw as raw materials to prepare pyrochars. They analyzed the effects of CO₂-activated and non-activated pyrochar on AD performance and microbial community characteristics. The research confirmed that when activated cotton straw pyrochar was used to enhance AD, the daily biogas production rate for the reactor reached 2.2 liters (per unit volume), with a high methane content of 73%. There were obvious differences in the composition of the rare bacteria  Verrucomicrobium  between groups. This research can provide an important theoretical basis for the application of pyrochar in biogas engineering.

This research received support from national projects such as the National Modern Agricultural Industry Technology System.

Linkage：https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S0960-8524(23)01160-4