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Updated: Oct 26, 2025

Evaluation of Integrated Anaerobic Digestion and Hydrothermal Carbonization for Bioenergy Production
Published on: June 15, 2014
The metabolic process of methane production by combined fermentation of coal and corn straw
Hongyu Guo1, Minglu Zhang2, Zhenhong Chen3
1School of Energy Science and Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454000, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Coalbed Methane and Shale Gas for Central Plains Economic Region, Jiaozuo 454000, China.
Abstract:
The anaerobic degradation of coal combined with straw biomass can promote the methane production. The biogas production potential and metabolic pathway were explored via the co-digestion simulation experiment of coal and corn straw. The results showed that 2 g of corn straw combined respectively with 4 g of bituminous coal A, 6 g of bituminous coal B and 4 g of bituminous coal C resulted in highest methane yields. The structure of lignocellulose in corn straw was partially degraded into guaiacyl and syringyl units. Meanwhile, the content of biodegradable tyrosine like protein and soluble microbial by-products in liquid phase significantly decreased. Significantly, the structure of archaea altered from aceticlastic to hydrogenotrophic methanogens when the fermentation substrate changed from high to low rank coal. The proportion of hydrogenotrophic methanogens was significantly higher than that of aceticlastic and methylotrophic methanogens, and the hydrogenotrophic pathway was dominant than the aceticlastic pathway.
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