Prairie Biomass Chemistry and Biomethane Potential, Iowa and Missouri, 2023–2024.

Author(s): Elmin Rahic, Jalon Tyndall, Lillia Dahlstrom, Valerie Nyderek, Noralan Warsame, Lisa Schulte Moore

Abstract:

This dataset contains compositional and biochemical measurements of prairie biomass collected to evaluate the native grassland species as feedstocks for anaerobic digestion. Biomass from 14 prairie species, including grasses and forbs, was sampled from three sites in Iowa and Missouri across two harvest periods (summer and fall). The dataset includes results from biochemical methane potential (BMP) assays, elemental analysis, extractives analysis using water and ethanol solvents, and lignin and structural carbohydrate characterization. Together, these data quantify differences in biomass chemistry and methane yield across species, plant functional groups, harvest timing, and location. The dataset supports comparative analyses of prairie biomass quality, evaluation of trade-offs between bioenergy performance and ecological diversity, and policy-relevant metrics such as adjusted cellulosic content used in renewable fuel standards.

Funder: USDA NIFA

Award Title:

Consortium for Cultivating Human And Naturally reGenerative Enterprises: Grass2Gas

Award Number: 2020-68012-31824

Keywords:

anaerobic digestion, bioenergy feedstocks, biomethane potential, lignocellulosic composition, prairie biomass, renewable natural gas

Project (Abbreviated name):

G2G_Rahic_prairie_species_analysis

Team: Grass2Gas

Geographic Location:

Samples were collected in central and eastern Iowa and northern Missouri, USA.

Families:

Asteraceae, Bovidae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Poaceae

Species:

Andropogon gerardii, Baptisia alba, Bos taurus, Bromus inermis, Echinacea pallida, Elymus canadensis, Erigeron annuus, Heliopsis helianthoides, Lespedeza capitata, Lotus corniculatus, Monarda fistulosa, Panicum virgatum, Ratibida pinnata, Silphium integri

Full Metadata:

G2G_Rahic_prairie_species_analysis Metadata v1.0.pdf (335.97 KB)

Data Mirror:

Environmental Data Initiative

Data Table Column Names and Descriptions

Table name	Column name	Data type	Units	Column description
biogas composition raw	batch	float	number	BMP experimental batch identifier. All samples could not be processed simultaneously due to limits on available lab space.
biogas composition raw	biogas composition raw pkey	integer	dimensionless	A unique primary key for this table.
biogas composition raw	biogas volume mL	float	milliliter	Total biogas volume produced since the previous measurement in milliliters.
biogas composition raw	carbon dioxide peak uVS	float	microVoltSecond	Gas chromatography carbon dioxide peak area or signal in microvolt-seconds.
biogas composition raw	common name	string	NA	Common name of the prairie plant species as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database.
biogas composition raw	day	integer	number	Days elapsed since initiation of the BMP assay.
biogas composition raw	harvest time	string	NA	Biomass harvest timing.
biogas composition raw	location	string	NA	Site where biomass was collected.
biogas composition raw	mass gVS	float	gram	Volatile solids mass added to the digestion bottle at the start of digestion in grams volatile solids.
biogas composition raw	methane concentration	float	percent	Methane fraction of biogas measured by gas chromatography.
biogas composition raw	methane cumulative mL	float	milliliter	Cumulative methane volume produced since day 0 in milliliters.
biogas composition raw	methane daily mL	float	milliLiterPerDay	Daily methane production rate during the measurement interval in milliliters per day.
biogas composition raw	methane peak uVS	float	microVoltSecond	Gas chromatograph methane peak area or signal in microvolt-seconds.
biogas composition raw	methane volume mL	float	milliliter	Methane produced during the measurement interval in milliliters.
biogas composition raw	nitrogen concentration	float	percent	Nitrogen fraction of biogas.
biogas composition raw	replicate	float	number	Three replicates were conducted for each BMP assay.
biogas composition raw	scientific name	string	NA	Scientific (Latin) name of the prairie plant species. Field identifications were conducted to genus and species and later assigned authority.
biogas composition raw	treatment	string	NA	Samples taken at COBS came from two prairie treatments: fertilized and unfertilized. Fertilized prairie had nitrogen fertilizer applied annually.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	ash content	float	percent	Ash content measured after combustion (% dry basis).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	biomethane potential	float	milliliterPerGram	Cumulative methane yield measured during 50-day BMP assays in milliliter methane per gram volatile solid plant matter.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	carbon ashfree	float	percent	Carbon content on an ash-free basis (%).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	carbon content	float	percent	Measured carbon content of biomass on a dry matter basis.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	carbon content corrected	float	percent	Carbon content corrected to an ash-free basis.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	carbon mol	float	mole	Moles of carbon used in stoichiometric calculations.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	carbon nitrogen ratio	float	gramPerGram	Ratio of carbon to nitrogen.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	carbon ratio	float	dimensionless	Normalized molar ratio of carbon.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	carbon relative molar mass	float	mole	Relative molar contribution of carbon used in stoichiometric calculations.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	cellulose	float	percent	Structural cellulose content, calculated from glucose concentration (% dry basis).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	cellulosic content	float	percent	Adjusted cellulosic content (ACC), calculated per EPA definition (%).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	characterization	string	NA	Plant functional group classification.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	common name	string	NA	Common name of the prairie plant species as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks pkey	integer	number	A unique primary key for this table.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	extractives ethanol	float	percent	Mass fraction of ethanol-soluble extractives (% dry basis).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	extractives exhaustive	float	percent	Total extractives content from sequential water and ethanol extraction (% dry basis).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	extractives water	float	percent	Mass fraction of water-soluble extractives (% dry basis).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	harvest time	string	NA	Biomass harvest timing.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	hemicellulose	float	percent	Structural hemicellulose content, calculated from non-glucose structural sugars (% dry basis).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	hydrogen ashfree	float	percent	Hydrogen content on an ash-free basis (%).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	hydrogen content	float	percent	Measured hydrogen content of biomass on a dry matter basis.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	hydrogen content corrected	float	percent	Hydrogen content corrected to an ash-free basis.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	hydrogen mol	float	mole	Moles of hydrogen used in stoichiometric calculations.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	hydrogen ratio	float	dimensionless	Normalized molar ratio of hydrogen.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	lignin insoluble	float	percent	Acid-insoluble lignin content (% dry basis).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	lignin soluble	float	percent	Acid-soluble lignin content (% dry basis).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	lignin total	float	percent	Total lignin content (acid-soluble + acid-insoluble; % dry basis).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	location	string	NA	Site where biomass was collected.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	mass closure	float	percent	Percent mass closure for compositional analysis indicating analytical completeness (%).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	moisture content	float	percent	Gravimetrically determined moisture content of biomass (%).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	nitrogen ashfree	float	percent	Nitrogen content on an ash-free basis (%).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	nitrogen content	float	percent	Measured nitrogen content of biomass on a dry matter basis.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	nitrogen content corrected	float	percent	Nitrogen content corrected to an ash-free basis.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	nitrogen mol	float	mole	Moles of nitrogen used in stoichiometric calculations.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	nitrogen ratio	float	dimensionless	Normalized molar ratio of nitrogen.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	oxygen ashfree	float	percent	Oxygen content on an ash-free basis (%).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	oxygen content	float	percent	Measured oxygen content of biomass on a dry matter basis.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	oxygen content corrected	float	percent	Oxygen content corrected to an ash-free basis.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	oxygen mol	float	mole	Moles of oxygen used in stoichiometric calculations.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	oxygen ratio	float	dimensionless	Normalized molar ratio of oxygen.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	percent theoretical bmp achieved	float	proportion	Proportion of theoretical methane yield achieved during BMP assays (%).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	scientific name	string	NA	Scientific (Latin) name of the prairie plant species. Field identifications were conducted to genus and species and later assigned authority.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	sulfur ashfree	float	percent	Sulfur content on an ash-free basis (%).
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	sulfur content	float	percent	Measured sulfur content of biomass on a dry matter basis.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	sulfur content corrected	float	percent	Sulfur content corrected to an ash-free basis.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	sulfur mol	float	mole	Moles of sulfur used in stoichiometric calculations.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	sulfur ratio	float	dimensionless	Normalized molar ratio of sulfur.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	theoretical bmp chnso	float	milliliterPerGram	Theoretical methane yield predicted from elemental composition in milliliters methane per gram volatile solids plant material.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	theoretical bmp lignocellulose	float	milliliterPerGram	Theoretical methane yield predicted from lignocellulosic composition in milliliters methane per gram volatile solid plant material.
dataset prairie bioenergy feedstocks	uronic acids	float	percent	Uronic acid content, primarily galacturonic and glucuronic acids (% dry basis).
extractives raw	common name	string	NA	Common name of the prairie plant species as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database.
extractives raw	dry weight	float	gram	Weight of tray plus dried extract gram.
extractives raw	extract g	float	gram	Mass of extractives recovered after solvent evaporation in grams.
extractives raw	extract type	string	NA	Solvent used for extraction (water or ethanol).
extractives raw	extractives raw pkey	integer	dimensionless	A unique primary key for this table.
extractives raw	harvest time	string	NA	Biomass harvest timing.
extractives raw	location	string	NA	Site where biomass was collected.
extractives raw	replicate	float	number	Three replicates were conducted for each BMP assay.
extractives raw	scientific name	string	NA	Scientific (Latin) name of the prairie plant species. Field identifications were conducted to genus and species and later assigned authority.
extractives raw	tray weight	float	gram	Weight of empty drying tray in grams.
lignin raw	acid insoluble lignin percent dry basis	float	percent	Acid-insoluble lignin content (% dry basis).
lignin raw	acid soluble lignin percent dry basis	float	number	Acid-soluble lignin content (% dry basis).
lignin raw	ash content percent	float	percent	Ash content of residue.
lignin raw	ash weight g	float	gram	Mass of ash remaining after combustion in grams.
lignin raw	common name	string	NA	Common name of the prairie plant species as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database.
lignin raw	crucible g	float	gram	Empty crucible weight in grams.
lignin raw	crucible plus ash g	float	gram	Mass of crucible plus ash after combustion in grams.
lignin raw	crucible plus filter g	float	gram	Mass of crucible plus filter before ashing in grams.
lignin raw	dilution	float	percent	Dilution factor applied prior to spectrophotometric measurement.
lignin raw	dry filter plus insoluble residue wt g	float	gram	Mass of filter plus dried insoluble residue in grams.
lignin raw	empty filter wt g	float	gram	Mass of empty filter prior to filtration in grams.
lignin raw	empty tray wt g	float	gram	Mass of empty drying tray in grams.
lignin raw	harvest time	string	NA	Biomass harvest timing.
lignin raw	insoluble residue g	float	gram	Mass of acid-insoluble residue after hydrolysis in grams.
lignin raw	lignin raw pkey	integer	dimensionless	A unique primary key for this table.
lignin raw	location	string	NA	Site where biomass was collected.
lignin raw	replicate	float	number	Two replicates were conducted for each lignin assay.
lignin raw	sample mass	float	gram	Mass of biomass sample used for lignin analysis in grams.
lignin raw	scientific name	string	NA	Scientific (Latin) name of the prairie plant species. Field identifications were conducted to genus and species and later assigned authority.
lignin raw	solids mass g	float	percent	Dry solids mass following hydrolysis in grams.
lignin raw	solubles absorbance OD320	float	dimensionless	UV absorbance at 320 nm for acid-soluble lignin determination.
lignin raw	total solids percent	float	gram	Total solids content of the sample.
lignin raw	tray plus filter g	float	gram	Combined mass of drying tray and filter in grams.
moisture ash raw	ash content percent dry basis	float	percent	Ash content of residue.
moisture ash raw	common name	string	NA	Common name of the prairie plant species as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database.
moisture ash raw	crucible mass g	float	gram	Empty crucible weight in grams.
moisture ash raw	crucible plus sample g	float	gram	Mass of crucible plus wet sample before drying in grams.
moisture ash raw	dry cruc plus ash g	float	gram	Mass of crucible plus ash after combustion in grams.
moisture ash raw	dry cruc plus sample g	float	gram	Mass of crucible plus dried sample in grams.
moisture ash raw	harvest time	string	NA	Biomass harvest timing.
moisture ash raw	location	string	NA	Site where biomass was collected.
moisture ash raw	method	string	NA	Processing step in order of as-received, after water extraction, and after ethanol extraction and drying.
moisture ash raw	moisture ash raw pkey	integer	number	A unique primary key for this table.
moisture ash raw	replicate	float	number	Two replicates were conducted for each lignin assay.
moisture ash raw	sample run	float	number	Identifier for sample run.
moisture ash raw	scientific name	string	NA	Scientific (Latin) name of the prairie plant species. Field identifications were conducted to genus and species and later assigned authority.
moisture ash raw	total solids percent	float	percent	Total solids content of the sample.
sugars raw	common name	string	NA	Common name of the prairie plant species as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database.
sugars raw	glucose conc mg ml	float	milligramPerMilliliter	Glucose concentration measured by HPLC in milligrams per milliliter.
sugars raw	glucose percent	float	percent	Proportion of glucose relative to total structural sugars (%).
sugars raw	glucuronic plus galacturonic acids percent	float	percent	Proportion of glucuronic acid (%).
sugars raw	harvest time	string	NA	Biomass harvest timing.
sugars raw	location	string	NA	Site where biomass was collected.
sugars raw	replicate	float	number	Two replicates were conducted for each sugar assay.
sugars raw	rhamnose plus arabinose mg per ml	float	milligramPerMilliliter	Combined concentration of rhamnose and arabinose in milligrams per milliliter.
sugars raw	rhamnose plus arabinose percent	float	percent	Proportion of rhamnose (%).
sugars raw	sample mass	float	gram	Mass of biomass used for hydrolysis and sugar analysis in grams.
sugars raw	scientific name	string	NA	Scientific (Latin) name of the prairie plant species. Field identifications were conducted to genus and species and later assigned authority.
sugars raw	sugars raw pkey	integer	number	A unique primary key for this table.
sugars raw	total solids percent	float	percent	Total solids content of the biomass (%).
sugars raw	total uronic acids	float	milligramPerMilliliter	Combined concentration of uronic acids in milligrams per milliliter.
sugars raw	xylose galactose mannose conc mg ml	float	milligramPerMilliliter	Combined concentration of xylose, galactose, and mannose in milligrams per milliliter.
sugars raw	xylose galactose mannose percent	float	percent	Proportion of xylose, galactose, and mannose (%).
sugars standards raw	post autoclave concentration	float	milligramPerMilliliter	Sugar concentration after autoclave hydrolysis in milligrams per milliliter.
sugars standards raw	pre autoclave concentration	float	milligramPerMilliliter	Sugar concentration before autoclave hydrolysis in milligrams per milliliter.
sugars standards raw	sugar	string	NA	Name of sugar standard used for calibration.
sugars standards raw	sugar recovery standard correction	float	proportion	Recovery correction factor applied to measured sugar concentrations.
sugars standards raw	sugars standards raw pkey	float	dimensionless	A unique primary key for this table.