RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article T1 Energy integration of thermal pretreatment in anaerobic digestion of wheat straw A1 García Álvaro, Alfonso A1 Ruiz Palomar, César A1 Díaz Villalobos, Israel A1 Hermosilla Redondo, María Daphne A1 Muñoz Torre, Raúl A1 Godos Crespo, Ignacio de K1 Anaerobic digestion K1 Cereal straw K1 Biogas K1 Energy integration K1 Thermal pretreatment K1 Steam explosion K1 Waste to energy K1 3303 Ingeniería y Tecnología Químicas K1 3308 Ingeniería y Tecnología del Medio Ambiente K1 33 Ciencias Tecnológicas K1 3322.02 Generación de Energía AB Cereal straw stands out as one of the most abundant and globally distributed agricultural residues. Traditional applications cope with a limited amount of production, leaving the remainder in the field for natural decomposition. Managing cereal straw through controlled biological transformation under anaerobic conditions holds the potential to generate added value in the form of bioenergy. However, the lignocellulosic composition of these substrates poses challenges for organic degradation, often requiring energy-intensive pretreatments. A detailed study with a comprehensive calculation of the overall energy balance of the integrated process is proposed, aiming to provide real added value and replicability. Three scenarios for wheat straw transformation were investigated, incorporating two preliminary pre-treatment stages—mechanical milling and physicochemical steam explosion. Three conditions of pretreatment were essayed, varying the time exposure of the steam explosion. The subsequent energy integration analysis revealed that the process was optimized by up to 15% in the final energy balance when the steam explosion was set to 10 min. The macromolecular composition determination revealed that the thermal pretreatment reduced the lag phase of the hydrolysis step through hemicellulose breakdown. PB MDPI SN 1996-1073 YR 2024 FD 2024 LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/67468 UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/67468 LA eng NO Energies, 2024, Vol. 17, Nº. 9, 2030 NO Producción Científica DS UVaDOC RD 18-nov-2024