Question

Consider the following statements related to biomass conversion techniques.

Statement (I): Thermo-chemical processes have higher efficiencies than bio-chemical processes.

Statement (II): In comparison to bio-chemical conversion techniques, thermo-chemical conversion techniques have superior ability to decompose lignin.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below.

• A. Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are correct.
• B. Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are incorrect.
• C. Statement (I) is correct but Statement (II) is incorrect.
• D. Statement (I) is incorrect but Statement (II) is correct.

Hint:

Think about how each conversion route handles lignin and how much of the biomass energy each route actually recovers.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Biomass energy conversion is split into two families: bio-chemical (digestion, fermentation, driven by microbes) and thermo-chemical (combustion, gasification, pyrolysis, driven by heat).

Efficiency check: microbial routes are slow and only a fraction of the feed's energy ends up as biogas or ethanol, while heat-driven routes convert most of the feedstock's chemical energy into usable fuel or power quickly. So thermo-chemical processes do run at higher overall efficiency, confirming Statement (I).

Lignin check: lignin is a tough, cross-linked aromatic polymer. Microbes and their enzymes cannot break it down effectively, so bio-chemical digesters leave lignin largely untouched in the sludge. Heat does not care about enzyme specificity, it simply cracks the chemical bonds, so thermo-chemical methods decompose lignin far better than bio-chemical ones. This confirms Statement (II).

Both statements hold up, so the correct choice is the one that accepts both as true.

\[\boxed{\text{Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are correct}}\]