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Methane potential and biodegradability of rice

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 1142 © IWA Publishing 2012 Water Science & Technology | 65.6 | 2012

Methane potential and biodegradability of rice straw, rice

husk and rice residues from the drying process
L. M. Contreras, H. Schelle, C. R. Sebrango and I. Pereda

ABSTRACT
L. M. Contreras
Agricultural solid residues are a potential renewable energy source. Rice harvesting and production
C. R. Sebrango
in Sancti Spíritus province, Cuba, currently generates residues without an environmentally University of Sancti Spíritus ‘José Martí Pérez’,
Ave. de los Mártires 360,
sustainable disposal route. Rice residues (rice straw, rice husk and rice residues from the drying Sancti Spíritus,
Cuba
process) are potentially an important carbon source for anaerobic digestion. For this paper, rice
H. Schelle
residues were placed for 36 days retention time in anaerobic batch reactor environments at both Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering
W W Potsdam-Bornim,
mesophilic (37 C) and thermophilic (55 C) conditions. Biogas and methane yield were determined as
Max-Eyth-Allee 100,
well as biogas composition. The results showed that rice straw as well as rice residues from the 14469 Potsdam,
Germany
drying process had the highest biogas and methane yield. Temperature played an important role in
I. Pereda (corresponding author)
determining both biogas yield and kinetics. In all cases, rice straw produced the highest yields; under Instituto Superior Politécnico ‘José Antonio
Echeverría’ (CUJAE),
mesophilic conditions the biogas yield was 0.43 m3 kgVS
1, under thermophilic conditions biogas 11901, 114 Street,
yield reached 0.52 m3 kgVS
1. In the case of the rice husk, the biodegradability was very low. Marianao, Havana,
Cuba
Methane content in all batches was kept above 55% vol. All digested material had a high carbon: E-mail: ileana@quimica.cujae.edu.cu

nitrogen (C:N) ratio, even though significant biodegradation was recorded with the exception of rice
husk. A first-order model can be used to describe the rice crop residues fermentation effectively.
Key words | anaerobic digestion, biodegradability, biogas yield, kinetic, methane potential, rice crop
residues

INTRODUCTION

Agricultural residues constitute a major biomass potential
that can be used as a renewable energy source. The biogas
process, which is one of the most profitable processes to
obtain energy from biodegradable residues, is carried out
under anaerobic conditions where volatile solids are
destroyed and converted to methane and carbon dioxide. As
this gas contains a significant proportion of methane it may
be utilized for energy production. Solid and liquid effluents
constitute a high value by-product from anaerobic digestion.
Rice crop residues are an important source of agricul-
tural wastes in rice-producing countries. In the case of
rice straw (RS), although there are methods available in
order to use it (animal feedstock, fuel, etc.) significant
amounts remain unused and are burned in the open fields.
This practice provokes serious environmental damage and
security problems both due to air pollution and fire disasters
(Lei et al. ). Furthermore rice straw is also incorporated
into the soil, reducing harvesting yields and increasing
foliage diseases with a degradation of soil conditions
(Zhang & Zhang ). In the case of rice husk (RH) it is
mainly converted into energy through thermo-chemical pro-
cesses considering its high content of inorganic components.
In the case of rice residues from the drying process (RD)
there are no reported values of energy production either
through biological or thermo-chemical conversion processes.
The anaerobic process is a well established technology
and can be an alternative to convert not only the rice
straw, but also the rice residues from the drying process
and the rice husk into energy. Two of the most important
factors to be considered when applying methane fermenta-
tion to lignocellulosic material are the rate and extent
(biodegradability) of degradation. High biodegradability
means not only more methane can be generated per unit
feed mass, but also that less residue results for the sub-
sequent disposal. A fast biodegradation rate reduces the
required size for a reactor, and thus makes the process
more attractive economically. Both factors are functions of
the intrinsic properties of the lignocellulosic material itself

doi: 10.2166/wst.2012.951
 1143 L. M. Contreras et al. | Methane potential and biodegradability of rice residues Water Science & Technology | 65.6 | 2012

and the microorganisms involved (Tong et al. ). It is
therefore important to know the substrate characteristics
when deciding the appropriate reactor configuration
(whether one- or two-stage operation) for different agro-
industrial residues (Kang & Weiland ).
Biochemical methane potential (BMP) assay is used to
establish the anaerobic process performance, for determi-
nation of biogas and/or methane potential and also for
determining the rate of biodegradation in general (Owen
et al. ; Angelidaki et al. ). Process kinetics play a
fundamental role in the development and operation of
anaerobic treatment systems. Based on the biochemistry
and microbiology of the anaerobic process, kinetics provide
a rational basis for process analysis, control and design. In
addition to the quantitative description of the rates of
waste utilization, process kinetics also deal with operational
and environmental factors affecting theses rates. A sound
knowledge of the kinetics allows for the optimization of per-
formance, a more stable operation and better process
control (Pavlostathis & Giraldo-Gómez ).
In Cuba, rice production and harvesting is one of the
main agricultural activities since rice is a basic food for
the Cuban population. During harvesting some residues
are generated without a proper final disposal. These
wastes i.e., rice straw, rice husk and rice residues from the
drying process have no environmentally-sustainable dispo-
sal route at present and could be used as a carbon source
were applied to characterize the residues. Characterization
is summarized in Table 1. Chemical characterization
included pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total solids (TS),
volatile solids (VS), carbon (C), nitrogen (N), elemental sul-
phur (S), crude fibre (XF), and lignin (L). Method and
references are mentioned in Table 1.
Rice residues were previously pre-treated (air-dried,
hammer-milled to about 1–10 mm) and then sieved to par-
ticle sizes from 3–5 mm to facilitate biodegradability
during the anaerobic process.
Lab-scale experiments
The biochemical methane potential (BMP) test was used to
evaluate biogas/methane production rates. Batch exper-
iments were carried out in lab-scale 2 L reactors
according to the guideline VDI 4630 () under discon-
tinuous operation. Batches were conducted at 37 and
W
55 C in triplicates. Total digestion time was 36 days. Meso-
philic and thermophilic fresh inoculums were used,
previously degassed in order to deplete the residual biode-
gradable organic material present in it. Principal inoculum
characterization is shown in Table 2.
Table 1 | Chemical parameters, methods, reference and residues characterization
Value

in biogas production through anaerobic digestion. Parameter Method and reference RH RS RD

In order to consider anaerobic digestion of rice residues a
pH LUFA Bd. III 8.1 6.6 6.46 7.39
(RS, RD and RH), which are difficult to degrade, as a poss- a
EC (mS/cm) DIN, DIN EN 27888 0.84 0.45 1.98
ible alternative to obtain energy it becomes relevant to find
proper ways to operate the digestion processes. This makes TS (%) LUFA Bd. III 3.1a 89.2 87.8 89.3

it necessary to determine the maximum biogas and methane VS (%TS) LUFA Bd. III 8.1a 77.8 79.6 77.5
yield, and the ultimate biodegradability from these residues C (%TS) Standard methods 37.7 37.9 36.9
when operating at both mesophilic and thermophilic con- N (%TS) Standard methods 0.38 0.88 1.12
ditions. The kinetic performance is also studied in the S (%TS) Standard methods 0.097 0.13 0.16
present paper. XF (%TS) LUFA Bd. III 6.1.2a 47.9 35.1 34.3
L (%TS) LUFA Bd. III 6.5.3a 18.9 8.6 10.4
C:N 99 43 33
MATERIALS AND METHODS a
Referred to in VDI 4630.

Substrate characterization
Table 2 | Inoculum characterization

Rice straw (RS), rice husk (RH) and rice residues from the Parameter Mesophilic inoculum Thermophilic inoculum

drying process (RD) are from the Cuban rice variety J-104. pH 7.6 8.3
Rice residues were harvested mid-summer 2008 at the
Total solids (%FM) 3.6 3.1
Cuban Rice Company ‘Sur del Jíbaro’, Sancti Spíritus,
Volatile solids (%TS) 62.3 57.3
Cuba. Standard methods from the Leibniz Institute for Agri-
Volatile solids (%FM) 2.2 1.8
cultural Engineering Potsdam-Bornim (ATB), Germany,
 1144 L. M. Contreras et al. | Methane potential and biodegradability of rice residues
The substrate mass was calculated according to
Equation (1) (Linke & Schelle ).
mi  ci
pi ¼
ms  cs
where pi is the inoculum/substrate ratio; mi and ms are the
inoculum and substrate mass (kg) respectively and ci, cs
the volatile solids in inoculum and substrate (g kg
1). The
inoculum/substrate ratio used in the current study was
equal to 2. The inoculum/substrate ratio on VS basis is a
feasible tool for handling the process in order to obtain an
unconstrained biogas production. It is recommendable to
have an inoculum/substrate ratio above 2 to prevent a
long lag phase or even reactor failure (Linke & Schelle
; VDI 4630 ; Angelidaki et al. ).
Biogas production volume was measured by liquid displa-
cement (saturated solution NaCl 26%). Volume was
normalized according to VDI 4630 () and is reported as
the mean for each set of triplicates. Biogas composition
(CH4 and CO2) was analysed by a gas analyser SEWERIN
SR2-DO.
Biodegradability
The ultimate biodegradability was determined by a graphical
statistical analysis. This method consists of a linear
regression of the remaining total volatile solids portion of
the initial total volatile solids mass (TVSe/TVS0) at time t,
as the duration of the time (or hydraulic retention time,
HRT) of the test tends to infinity.
The total volatile solids remaining at infinity is assumed
to be the refractory fraction of substrate (R0), defined as the
non-biodegradable portion of initial substrate TVS0 mass.
Then an extrapolation of the linear plot of TVSe/TVS0
versus 1/HRT to the y-axis showed the refractory fraction
as the value of the y-intercept. The remaining portion of
TVSe/TVS0 at any time was calculated by the biogas pro-
duced during each interval. The ultimate biodegradability
(UB) of a substrate was estimated as UB ¼ 1
R0 (Kang &
Weiland ).
Kinetic models
Kinetics were analysed according to the following exponen-
tial models:
First-order kinetic model
y(t) ¼ ymax (1
e
kt )
Water Science & Technology | 65.6 | 2012
Chapman Model
y(t) ¼ ymax (1
e
bt )c (3)
(1)
where y(t) is cumulative yield (m3 kgVS
1), ymax is the
potential maximum yield (m3 kgVS
1), k is the kinetic
constant (d
1), t time (d), b and c are equation coefficients.
Experimental data were fitted by a non-linear regression
analysis (SPSS 15.0 Software for Windows).
Methane productivity (rs(t)) was calculated using a modi-
fied Hill model according to Equation (4).
b  cb  tb
1
rs(t) ¼ y0(t) ¼ ymax (4)
(cb þ tb )2
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The data presented in Table 1 show that rice residues have a
high percentage of both total and volatile solids. Fibre con-
tent is also high because of the lignocellulosic compounds
present in such residues. RS and RH had a high carbon to
nitrogen ratio (43 and 99 respectively), RD showed a
lower C:N ratio (33), but still not in the reported optimized
range for effective anaerobic digestion (20:1–30:1) (Weiland
).
The results presented are in good accordance with
similar values reported in literature. Kalra & Panwar
() treated residues from an Indian rice variety and
reported C:N values for RS and RH of 31.34 and 80.56
respectively (on TS% basis without lignin content). He
et al. () reported a C:N ratio of 51.8 (with rice straw
from a Chinese rice variety) while this ratio diminished to
41.3 when rice straw was previously pre-treated
with NaOH (6%) and the anaerobic trials were performed
with addition of nitrogen source to reach an optimal C:N
ratio 25:1.
All tested samples showed monophasic curves of biogas
production for both mesophilic and thermophilic conditions
(Figure 1). Biogas production had almost stopped after 36
days of incubation.
Given the composition of the fermentation substrate, it
is possible to derive the theoretical biogas yield. This
relation follows a modified stoichiometric model proposed
by Boyle and used by Lübken et al. (). Taking into con-
sideration carbon, hydrogen and oxygen content it is
possible to determine the specific methane yield according
(2) to the stoichiometric model. Fermentation parameters
 1145 L. M. Contreras et al. | Methane potential and biodegradability of rice residues Water Science & Technology | 65.6 | 2012

Figure 1 | Cumulative biogas production ___ experimental ‐ ‐ ‐ fitted model.

determined experimentally can be verified. Table 3 summarizes the total amount of biogas and
methane produced during the bioconversion test for each
 
b c 3d residual at both temperatures as well as the related biogas
Ca H b O c N d þ a

þ H2 O exp
4 2 4 conversion efficiencies (YBiogas =YBiogas
theo
).
   
a b c 3d a b c 3d As expected, temperature plays an important role
!
þ þ CO2 þ þ

CH4 þ dNH3
2 8 4 8 2 8 4 4 in the anaerobic process and the possibility to approach
the theoretical biogas and/or methane yields. Under
thermophilic conditions higher values were obtained
The specific methane yield YCH4 in litres methane per in contrast to mesophilic conditions. The higher
gram of volatile solids (VS) can be calculated according to: biogas/methane production was obtained from RS fol-
lowed by RD for both temperatures (Table 3). 0.44 and
(4a þ b
2c
3d)22, 4 0.32 m3 kgVS
1 were the corresponding values under
Ytheo CH4 ¼ (5)
(12a þ b þ 16c þ 14d)8
mesophilic conditions for RS and RD respectively
(biogas yield). Likewise 0.52 and 0.36 m3 kgVS
1 were
In the case of rice straw (hydrogen content data was only the corresponding values of biogas yield for RS and RD
available for RS), the chemical structure on TS% basis is as under thermophilic conditions. The lowest values were
follows: C0.028H0.047O0.029N0.0005, thus the YtheoCH4 ¼ obtained from RH (0.044 m3 kgVS
1). RS showed more
0.330 m3 kgVS
1. In accordance with experimental potential to be treated by anaerobic digestion in order to
results (data not shown), RS reached 68 and 85% obtain energy. Conversely, RH showed a very poor
of the theoretical methane yield under mesophilic and biogas production (almost zero). The anaerobic degra-
thermophilic operation respectively. In this way a dation of rice residues from the drying process (RD) did
direct comparison can be made for both RS and RH. not vary noticeably from mesophilic to thermophilic
Consequently RD and RH achieved respectively 51 and 6% operation.
of theoretical maxima at mesophilic conditions and 59 and Average methane content was wide-ranging and did not
13% at thermophilic conditions. These results are in good follow a clear trend. Under mesophilic conditions average
accordance with expected behaviour. Theoretical biogas values of methane content were 45, 56 and 60% for RH,
yield was assumed to be 0.7 m3 kgVS
1 for RD, RS and RH. RS and RD respectively. In addition, the average methane

Table 3 | Biogas, methane yield (m3 kgVS
1) and conversion efficiency for rice residues

Mesophilic yield Thermophilic yield

exp exp
Rice residue Biogas Methane Y Biogas =Y theo
Biogas Biogas Methane Y Biogas =Y theo
Biogas

RS 0.436 0.226 0.62 0.518 0.281 0.74

RD 0.320 0.168 0.46 0.364 0.196 0.52
RH 0.044 0.019 0.06 0.075 0.044 0.11
 1146 L. M. Contreras et al. | Methane potential and biodegradability of rice residues Water Science & Technology | 65.6 | 2012

content at thermophilic conditions was 51, 67 and 62% for A complete comparison of the results obtained in the
RH, RS and RD in that order. Additionally to reach more current study is not possible as thermophilic operation for
than 80% of the total biogas yield under mesophilic con- rice residues is not reported so far. It seems that chemical
ditions 19 days for RS, 21 days for RH and 13 days for RD pretreatment enhances biogas production. Similar results
were needed. When operating at thermophilic regimen RH are obtained in the present study with mechanically
needed the same period of time to overcome more than pretreated rice straw and increasing operation temperature
80% of the total biogas yield. (thermophilic data). In all cases, rice husk was shown to
Similar biogas and methane yield has been reported be an unsuitable residue to be treated with anaerobic diges-
mainly for rice straw (RS). Kalra & Panwar () studied tion. Values of biogas/methane yield from rice residues from
rice straw, rice husk and mixtures of both residues in the drying process (RD) are not reported by other authors.
equal proportions during anaerobic digestion resulting in a A graphical illustration of the ultimate biodegradability
cumulative biogas production of 0.220, 0.048 and (UB) of rice crop residues under mesophilic and thermophi-
0.131 LgMF
1, respectively. These biogas yields were lic operation is presented in Figure 2. Table 4 summarizes
obtained at a very wide interval of temperature (13.8– UB values for mesophilic and thermophilic conditions, ηB
W
32.6 C). Other mixtures such as rice straw:manure were (biodegradability efficiency) as well as related lignin content
also tested obtaining 0.203 LgMF
1 of methane yield at for rice residues.
W
25–36 C. Within this study it was proved that rice straw A biodegradability analysis was performed and ultimate
can provid a proper feedstock for biogas production. biodegradability (UB) values were in accordance with the
Zhang & Zhang () studied the digestion of rice anaerobic process evolution. UB is an important factor to
straw with supplemental nitrogen using a high-rate anaero- take into account because it establishes the bioconversion
W
bic system under mesophilic conditions (35 C). The biogas boundaries for the proper performance in the evaluation
yield could be improved with an increment of 17.5% by a of an anaerobic process. As can be observed from Figure 2,
proper combination of grinding (10 mm length), heating the refractory coefficient (R0) (the total volatile solids
W
(110 C) and ammonia treatment (2%). This combination remaining at infinity) was determined. The lowest values
resulted in the highest biogas yield, 0.47 LgSV
1, in contrast
with untreated whole rice straw (0.38 m3 kgVS
1). The
methane content was ∼50% for all test conditions. It was
proved that biogas yield can be increased by pre-processing
the rice straw using one or more different methods, such as
mechanical grinding or chopping, heating and ammonia
treatment. Physical pre-treatment (size reduction) had
more benefit when combined with thermal pre-treatment.
He et al. () studied rice straw digestibility and biogas
W
production in batch reactors at 35 C. The influence of
chemical pre-treatment with NaOH (6%) was also evalu-
ated. The highest biogas yield of 0.52 m3 kgVS
1 occurred
when rice straw was pre-treated with NaOH, meanwhile
rice straw without pre-treatment had biogas yields equal to Figure 2 | Graphical illustration of the ultimate biodegradability of rice crop residues ___
0.36 m3 kgVS
1. Zhao et al. () studied the influence of mesophilic operation ‐ ‐ ‐ thermophilic operation.

the chemical pre-treatment by acids (propionic and acetic

W
acid mixture) at 35 C during 30 days. In this case methane
Table 4 | Ultimate biodegradability (UB), ηB and related lignin content for rice crop
productivity did not vary with respect to the untreated rice residues
straw (0.28–0.25 LCH4gVS
1d
1).
Mesophilic Thermophilic
Lei et al. () utilized a phosphate source in an anaero-
Rice Lignin content
bic reactor treating the rice straw with previously adapted Residues UB ηB UB ηB VS% basis
sludge. Digestion time was 120 days at room temperature.
RS 0.752 0.828 0.835 0.886 10.8
Two peaks of biogas production were observed in all reac-
RD 0.511 0.895 0.578 0.900 13.4
tors with a biogas yield of 0.33–0.35 m3 kgVS
1 and
RH 0.079 0.796 0.129 0.831 24.3
methane yield of 0.27–0.29 m3 kgVS
1.
 1147 L. M. Contreras et al. | Methane potential and biodegradability of rice residues Water Science & Technology | 65.6 | 2012

of R0 correspond to RS (0.248, 0.165 for both temperatures).
Lequerica et al. () reported values of R0 ¼ 0.365 under
mesophilic conditions. To compare both studies will prob-
ably lead to false conclusions, principally due to variations
in rice residues composition.
In the current study, the highest value of UB corre-
sponds to RS followed by RD with an important drop of
UB values for RH (less than 10%VS of rice husk can be
degraded under anaerobic conditions) (Table 4). Moreover
lignin content of RH is the highest value observed in the resi-
dues studied. Although values of lignin and C:N ratios for
RS and RD are similar, ultimate biodegradability values
demonstrate that the carbon source bioavailability varies
extremely from one residue to another.
Biodegradability efficiency (ηB) was established to
evaluate the anaerobic process taking into account
the real biodegradable portion of each residue. ηB was esti-
mated as:
exp 1 lating specific rates of methane production.
ηB ¼ YBiogas =YBiogas
theo
 (6)
(1
R0 )
According to ηB values it is possible to remark that
the anaerobic process had efficiencies over 80% for all
analysed residues within the biodegradability limits.
Temperature variations have no effect in RD bioconversion
(ηB values were approximately 0.9 for both mesophilic and
thermophilic conditions). Both RS and RD are adequate
rice residues for energy conversion through anaerobic
processes.
Several models and reactor configurations have been
developed in recent years which make it possible to predict
real process response to specific operation conditions. For
example, a simple model has been developed to describe
the relationship between the hydraulic retention time
and the methane yield in the digestion of animal waste
(Chen & Hashimoto ). This model is based on the
maximum specific growth rate of microorganisms and
are not adequate for modelling a particulate substrate
(Vavilin et al. ).
First-order kinetics of the substrate degradation is the
simplest model type and has been successfully used for a
description of the hydrolysis. The first-order hydrolysis func-
tion is an empirical expression that reflects the cumulative
effects of many processes. Large particles with a low sur-
face-to-volume ratio are hydrolyzed more slowly than
small particles. The model (Equation (2)) proposed by
Roediger (Edeline ) and used by Fiestas et al. ();
Borja et al. (); Sánchez et al. (); Jiménez et al.
() and Milán et al. () to determine k0 is one of the
analysed models within the current study. Since methane
is the main metabolite produced in this system, it can be
used as a parameter to evaluate the kinetics of the discon-
tinuous process due to its direct relationship with substrate
consumption and its relative ease of measurement. In
addition the Chapman model (Equation (3)) is analysed
and a modified Hill model (Equation (4)) was used for calcu-
Table 5 summarizes the values of biogas yield (ymax) and
the kinetic constant (k) applying the models to the anaero-
bic process of rice residues.
As can be observed, the first-order model and the Chap-
man model have similar results for RS and RD in ymax
estimation. According to the first-order model, the highest
biogas yield was 0.503 m3 kgVS
1 for RS and the highest
average biogas rate was 0.246 d
1 for RD under thermophi-
lic conditions.
Values are comparable with previous studies for rice
straw. Lei et al. () analysed the biodegradation of rice
straw particles at room temperature and with phosphate
supplementation. Maximum biogas yields achieved were
0.33–0.35 m3 kgVS
1 with methane yield of 0.27–0.29 m3
kgVS
1, very similar to the ones obtained in the current
study. The average methane content was really high
Table 5 | Summary of ymax and k for first-order and Chapman models

includes low hydraulic retention times. These assumptions

Mesophilic Thermophilic
cannot be applied similarly to the digestion of energy
crops (Mähnert & Linke ). Substrate ymax (m3 kgVS
1) K (d
1) R2 ymax (m3 kgVS
1) K (d
1) R2
The Monod equation is sometimes used for suspended RS 0.463a 0.078 0.99 0.503 0.168 0.99
solids degradation. Chen & Hashimoto () developed 0.453b – 0.99 0.504 – 0.99
their own equation for an anaerobic fermentation of dairy RH 0.043a 0.101 0.99 0.073 0.111 0.99
wastes and sewage sludge derived from the Contois model. 0.054b – 0.99 0.074 – 0.99
It should be mentioned that the Contois model and its modi- RD 0.306a 0.179 0.97 0.345 0.246 0.98
fications are popular to describe solids hydrolysis in 0.318b – 0.98 0.349 – 0.98
anaerobic treatment. However the Contois and the Monod a
First-order model.
b
model were developed for dissolved substrates and thus Chapman model.
 1148 L. M. Contreras et al. | Methane potential and biodegradability of rice residues
(75.9–78.2%) if compared to the one obtained in the pre-
sent study for RS (56–62%). The values of biogas and
methane production rate constants in the referred investi-
gation ranged from 0.027–0.031 d
1 and from 0.028–
0.033 d
1, and are lower than the ones obtained in the cur-
rent study under controlled temperature for mesophilic
condition (0.078 d
1).
Jash & Ghosh () also used a first-order model at
W
mesophilic regime (37 C), the specific rate constants for
rice straw and the corresponding correlation coefficients
were reported. It was shown that the rate constant (k)
reached 0.101 d
1 with a particle size of 0.76 mm, agitation
and urea addition. The biogas yield value was 0.280 m3
kgVS
1.
Temperature plays an important role in kinetics
(Pavlostathis & Giraldo-Gómez ). Obtained kinetic
values demonstrate that it is possible to reduce the hydraulic
retention time (HRT). The specific methane rate at both meso-
philic and thermophilic conditions was calculated (Equation
(4)). Figure 3 illustrates the effect of temperature on the
specific methane rate ranging from 0.023–0.029 m3 kgVS-

1d
1
for RD and 0.014–0.033 m3 kgVS
1d
1 for RS.
As can be observed in Figure 3, RS and RD substrates
can be anaerobically treated by 20 days of HRT approxi-
mately, with little reduction in biogas production when
applying thermophilic conditions. When deciding to adopt
this waste disposal solution an economic assessment is
essential.
Taking into account the obtained results it can be con-
cluded that RS, RD and RH had an expected behaviour
with regards to chemical composition and operational par-
ameters during the anaerobic process. It is well known that
biogas production is strongly affected by availability and
biodegradability of the main components present in bio-
mass, as well as the association between lignin and
Figure 3 | Specific methane rate of rice crop residues under both mesophilic and thermophilic conditions.
Water Science & Technology | 65.6 | 2012
carbohydrates (Kalra & Panwar ). Biodegradability is
also affected by lignocellulosic biomass and is limited by
factors such as cellulose characteristics inside the biomass,
available surface area and lignin content (Tong et al. ;
Hendriks & Zeemann ). Bioavailability of the carbon
source in lignocellulosic materials is still a parameter
requiring careful investigation. This study found first-
order models satisfactorily describe the biodegradation of
rice crop residues.
CONCLUSIONS
Rice straw and rice residues from the drying process are a
potential carbon source to obtain biogas by anaerobic
digestion. Rice residues do not have an optimized C:N
ratio even when the anaerobic digestion occurs properly,
with the exception of RH. The results showed that RS as
well as RD had the highest values of biogas and methane
yield. Increased temperature improved both biogas/
methane yields and kinetics. In all cases rice straw
obtained the best results. Methane content in all batches
was kept above 55% vol. Biodegradability analyses demon-
strated that rice husk is not a proper substrate for anaerobic
digestion. In contrast, RS and RD showed ∼0.8 and 0.5 UB
values. The anaerobic process had efficiencies over 80% for
all analysed residues within the biodegradability limits.
Temperature variations have no effect in RD bioconver-
sion. The poor relationship between lignin content
and biogas rate indicates that factors other than lignin
content could play a role. According to a first-order
model, the highest biogas yield was 0.503 m3 kgVS
1 (RS)
and the highest average biogas rate was 0.246 d
1 (RD)
under thermophilic conditions. First-order models describe
the kinetics of rice crop residues’ biodegradation properly.
 1149 L. M. Contreras et al. | Methane potential and biodegradability of rice residues Water Science & Technology | 65.6 | 2012

Linke, B. & Schelle, H.  Solid State Anaerobic Digestion of

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First received 6 June 2011; accepted in revised form 4 November 2011

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