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10.3390/ma18071608
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Article

The Effects of Chemically Modified Biochar on Biomethane Production from Glucose and Sugar Beet Pulp

by
Julia K. Nowak
1,
Joanna Rosik
2,*,
Kacper Szadziński
3,
Marvin T. Valentin
3,4,
Katarzyna E. Kosiorowska
3,
Andrzej Białowiec
3,
Sylwia Stegenta-Dąbrowska
3 and
Kacper Świechowski
3
1
Faculty of Biology and Animal Science, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 38c Chełmońskiego St., 50-375 Wrocław, Poland
2
Institute of Environmental Engineering, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Grunwaldzki Sq. 24, 50-363 Wrocław, Poland
3
Department of Applied Bioeconomy, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 51-630 Wrocław, Poland
4
Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Benguet State University, Km. 5, La Trinidad, Benguet 2601, Philippines
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Materials 2025, 18(7), 1608; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18071608
Submission received: 6 March 2025 / Revised: 25 March 2025 / Accepted: 28 March 2025 / Published: 2 April 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbonaceous Materials: Fabrication, Characterization and Applications)
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Highlights

  • Chemically modified biochar altered surface properties and functional group abundance.
  • Biochar addition did not enhance biomethane production from glucose or sugar beet pulp.
  • Highest methane yields (385 and 324 mL gVS⁻¹) were observed in control reactors.
  • Biochar may adsorb volatile fatty acids, reducing their availability to methanogens.
  • Further studies are needed to confirm VFA adsorption and its impact on methane production.

Abstract

The research aimed to study the effects of straw-derived biochar and two types of chemically modified biochar on biomethane production from glucose as a model substrate and sugar beet pulp as a real substrate. The biochar chemical modification with H3PO4 acid and KOH base resulted in a change in biochar surface area properties and its functional group’s abundance and a decrease in biochar mass yield production. The anaerobic digestion process was performed in batch reactors kept at 37 °C for 20 days. The substrate-to-inoculum ratio by volatile solids was 0.5, while the mass of added biochar corresponded to 16 g·L−1. The results showed that neither the addition of biochar nor the chemically modified biochar had any positive effects on biomethane production or its kinetics in the case of both substrates. The highest methane production was found in reactors without biochar added, respectively, 385 and 324 mL·gVS−1 for glucose and sugar beet pulp. It is hypothesized that the anaerobic digestion process was performed under optimal conditions, and therefore, biochar could not enhance methane production. Additionally, biochar may have adsorbed some volatile fatty acids, making them less available to anaerobic microorganisms.
Keywords: biochar; chemically activated biochar; anaerobic digestion; sugar beet pulp; glucose biochar; chemically activated biochar; anaerobic digestion; sugar beet pulp; glucose
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MDPI and ACS Style

Nowak, J.K.; Rosik, J.; Szadziński, K.; Valentin, M.T.; Kosiorowska, K.E.; Białowiec, A.; Stegenta-Dąbrowska, S.; Świechowski, K. The Effects of Chemically Modified Biochar on Biomethane Production from Glucose and Sugar Beet Pulp. Materials 2025, 18, 1608. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18071608

AMA Style

Nowak JK, Rosik J, Szadziński K, Valentin MT, Kosiorowska KE, Białowiec A, Stegenta-Dąbrowska S, Świechowski K. The Effects of Chemically Modified Biochar on Biomethane Production from Glucose and Sugar Beet Pulp. Materials. 2025; 18(7):1608. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18071608

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nowak, Julia K., Joanna Rosik, Kacper Szadziński, Marvin T. Valentin, Katarzyna E. Kosiorowska, Andrzej Białowiec, Sylwia Stegenta-Dąbrowska, and Kacper Świechowski. 2025. "The Effects of Chemically Modified Biochar on Biomethane Production from Glucose and Sugar Beet Pulp" Materials 18, no. 7: 1608. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18071608

APA Style

Nowak, J. K., Rosik, J., Szadziński, K., Valentin, M. T., Kosiorowska, K. E., Białowiec, A., Stegenta-Dąbrowska, S., & Świechowski, K. (2025). The Effects of Chemically Modified Biochar on Biomethane Production from Glucose and Sugar Beet Pulp. Materials, 18(7), 1608. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18071608

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