Georgina Capell

Bio: Georgina Capell is an academic researcher from Autonomous University of Barcelona. The author has contributed to research in topics: Methanothrix & Anaerobic digestion. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 4 citations.

Overview on agricultural potentials of biogas slurry (BGS): applications, challenges, and solutions

Abstract: The residual slurry obtained from the anaerobic digestion (AD) of biogas feed substrates such as livestock dung is known as BGS. BGS is a rich source of nutrients and bioactive compounds having an important role in establishing diverse microbial communities, accelerating nutrient use efficiency, and promoting overall soil and plant health management. However, challenges such as lower C/N transformation rates, ammonia volatilization, high pH, and bulkiness limit their extensive applications. Here we review the strategies of BGS valorization through microbial and organomineral amendments. Such cohesive approaches can serve dual purposes viz. green organic inputs for sustainable agriculture practices and value addition of biomass waste. The literature survey has been conducted to identify the knowledge gaps and critically analyze the latest technological interventions to upgrade the BGS for potential applications in agriculture fields. The major points are as follows: (1) Bio/nanotechnology-inspired approaches could serve as a constructive platform for integrating BGS with other organic materials to exploit microbial diversity dynamics through multi-substrate interactions. (2) Advancements in next-generation sequencing (NGS) pave an ideal pathway to study the complex microflora and translate the potential information into bioprospecting of BGS to ameliorate existing bio-fertilizer formulations. (3) Nanoparticles (NPs) have the potential to establish a link between syntrophic bacteria and methanogens through direct interspecies electron transfer and thereby contribute towards improved efficiency of AD. (4) Developments in techniques of nutrient recovery from the BGS facilities' negative GHGs emissions and energy-efficient models for nitrogen removal. (5) Possibilities of formulating low-cost substrates for mass-multiplication of beneficial microbes, bioprospecting of such microbes to produce bioactive compounds of anti-phytopathogenic activities, and developing BGS-inspired biofertilizer formulations integrating NPs, microbial inoculants, and deoiled seed cakes have been examined.

Efficient utilization and management of seaweed biomass for biogas production

Abstract: The global trend of seaweed production and their biomass utilization for biofuels generation is increased due to the high carbohydrate and protein content. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a promising technology to convert organic compounds of seaweed biomass into biogas. However, a comprehensive review enclosing the biomethane potential, process parameters, microbial shifts, and effective approaches to enhance the digestibility and biogas production from seaweeds has not been reported. Thus, this article aims to explore, classify, and comprehensively present the potential of seaweeds for biogas production. The global trend of biofuels including biogas production from seaweed biomass is elucidated. The effect of seasonal variations on the biochemical composition of seaweeds is highlighted. The microbial community involved in AD of seaweeds is discussed. This article also covers the pretreatments, co-digestion, supplementation of additives, and sequential utilization of seaweeds to enhance biogas production. The seasonal variations significantly affected the composition of seaweeds and subsequently altered the content of inhibitory compounds. The application of different strategies (such as pretreatment) mitigated the effect of inhibitors and boosted biogas production. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were reported to be the major bacteria and Methanobacteriales were the dominant archaea during the digestion of seaweeds. Extensive research on microbial dynamics and the application of co-digestion is still needed to achieve complete utilization of biomass coupled with biogas enhancement.