Effect of Solids Removal From Dairy Manure Feedstock on Biogas Production in Anaerobic Digesters

Author(s):  
Peter E. Zemke ◽  
Byard D. Wood ◽  
Christopher R. Rohleder

Many modern anaerobic digesters in developed countries consist of a digestion process in which solids are reduced to biogas, followed by mechanical separation that removes the majority of the remaining solids from the effluent. Experience has shown that such systems are often plagued with plugging due to excessive solids in the digester influent. Moreover, the mechanical separation equipment is prematurely degraded due to the elevated temperatures and corrosive compounds in the digester effluent. Reversing the order of separation and digestion offers a proven method of eliminating these problems, but at the expense of lower biogas production. The work presented in this paper quantifies this difference in biogas production by comparing the biogas yields of dairy wastewater feedstocks with and without prior mechanical solids separation through a 0.75-mm screen. Laboratory-scale batch digesters were operated up to 40 days at 35–40 °C and monitored for mass of volatile solids consumed and biogas production. Although the initially separated influent contained only half as much volatile solids, the ultimate biogas yield was only 25% less than that obtained with non-separated influent, demonstrating some tradeoff between higher energy production and system reliability.

2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 487-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Shang ◽  
B.R. Johnson ◽  
R. Sieger

A steady-state implementation of the IWA Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) has been applied to the anaerobic digesters in two wastewater treatment plants. The two plants have a wastewater treatment capacity of 76,000 and 820,000 m3/day, respectively, with approximately 12 and 205 dry metric tons sludge fed to digesters per day. The main purpose of this study is to compare the ADM1 model results with full-scale anaerobic digestion performance. For both plants, the prediction of the steady-state ADM1 implementation using the suggested physico-chemical and biochemical parameter values was able to reflect the results from the actual digester operations to a reasonable degree of accuracy on all parameters. The predicted total solids (TS) and volatile solids (VS) concentration in the digested biosolids, as well as the digester volatile solids destruction (VSD), biogas production and biogas yield are within 10% of the actual digester data. This study demonstrated that the ADM1 is a powerful tool for predicting the steady-state behaviour of anaerobic digesters treating sewage sludges. In addition, it showed that the use of a whole wastewater treatment plant simulator for fractionating the digester influent into the ADM1 input parameters was successful.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin Dębowski ◽  
Marcin Zieliński ◽  
Marta Kisielewska ◽  
Joanna Kazimierowicz

The aim of this study was the performance evaluation of anaerobic digestion of dairy wastewater in a multi-section horizontal flow reactor (HFAR) equipped with microwave and ultrasonic generators to stimulate biochemical processes. The effects of increasing organic loading rate (OLR) ranging from 1.0 g chemical oxygen demand (COD)/L·d to 4.0 g COD/L·d on treatment performance, biogas production, and percentage of methane yield were determined. The highest organic compounds removals (about 85% as COD and total organic carbon—TOC) were obtained at OLR of 1.0–2.0 g COD/L·d. The highest biogas yield of 0.33 ± 0.03 L/g COD removed and methane content in biogas of 68.1 ± 5.8% were recorded at OLR of 1.0 g COD/L·d, while at OLR of 2.0 g COD/L·d it was 0.31 ± 0.02 L/COD removed and 66.3 ± 5.7%, respectively. Increasing of the OLR led to a reduction in biogas productivity as well as a decrease in methane content in biogas. The best technological effects were recorded in series with an operating mode of ultrasonic generators of 2 min work/28 min break. More intensive sonication reduced the efficiency of anaerobic digestion of dairy wastewater as well as biogas production. A low nutrient removal efficiency was observed in all tested series of the experiment, which ranged from 2.04 ± 0.38 to 4.59 ± 0.68% for phosphorus and from 9.67 ± 3.36 to 20.36 ± 0.32% for nitrogen. The effects obtained in the study (referring to the efficiency of wastewater treatment, biogas production, as well as to the results of economic analysis) proved that the HFAR can be competitive to existing industrial technologies for food wastewater treatment.


2018 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Panyaping ◽  
R. Khiewwijit ◽  
P. Wongpankamol

Abstract Biogas yield obtained from anaerobic digestion of swine wastewater (SWW) needs to be increased to produce electrical energy. To enhance biogas and prevent pollution, use of mixed culture microalgae grown in wastewater (MWW) with SWW has attracted a lot of interest. This research was focused on the possibility of utilizing MWW. Six experiments using raw SWW and MWW, and their co-digestion were conducted on a laboratory scale in one-litre reactors with the ratio of inoculum and substrate of 70:30 under without and with alkaline pretreatment (using 3% NaOH for pH adjustment every 15 min at pH 11 for 3 h). The results showed that co-digestion had the major effect on increasing biogas and methane yields (0.735 and 0.326 m3/kg of volatile solids (VS) removed), and the highest chemical oxygen demand and VS removal (60.29% and 63.17%). For pretreatment, the effect of ammonia inhibition at a high pH of 11 had more influence on biodegradation than the effect of destruction of MWW's cell walls, resulting in a low biogas production of pretreated MWW and pretreated co-digestion. These findings affirm the potential of co-digestion, and the possibility of using both single and co-substrate MWW. Pretreatment could be improved at a lower alkaline pH condition. A pilot scale of co-digestion should be performed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-35
Author(s):  
Soeprijanto Soeprijanto ◽  
I Dewa Ayu Agung Warmadewanthi ◽  
Melania Suweni Muntini ◽  
Arino Anzip

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) causes ecological and economic problems because it grows very fast and quickly consumes nutrients and oxygen in water bodies, affecting both the flora and fauna; besides, it can form blockages in the waterways, hindering fishing and boat use. However, this plant contains bioactive compounds that can be used to produce biofuels. This study investigated the effect of various substrates as feedstock for biogas production. A 125-l plug-flow anaerobic digester was utilized and the hydraulic retention time was 14 days; cow dung was inoculated into water hyacinth at a 2:1 mass ratio over 7 days. The maximum biogas yield, achieved using a mixture of natural water hyacinth and water (NWH-W), was 0.398 l/g volatile solids (VS). The cow dung/water (CD-W), hydrothermally pretreated water hyacinth/digestate, and hydrothermally pretreated water hyacinth/water (TWH-W) mixtures reached biogas yields of 0.239, 0.2198, and 0.115 l/g VS, respectively. The NWH-W composition was 70.57% CH4, 12.26% CO2, 1.32% H2S, and 0.65% NH3. The modified Gompertz kinetic model provided data satisfactorily compatible with the experimental one to determine the biogas production from various substrates. TWH-W and NWH-W achieved, respectively, the shortest and (6.561 days) and the longest (7.281 days) lag phase, the lowest (0.133 (l/g VS)/day) and the highest (0.446 (l/g VS)/day) biogas production rate, and the maximum and (15.719 l/g VS) and minimum (4.454 l/g VS) biogas yield potential.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spyridon Achinas ◽  
Gerrit Euverink

The goal of this research was to appraise the effect of combined inoculation on the performance of anaerobic digesters treating hardly degradable material, and particularly the pressed fine sieved fraction (PFSF) derived from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Batch tests were conducted in mesophilic conditions in order to examine the optimal mixing ratio of inoculums. Mixing ratios of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100 of three different inoculums were applied in the batch tests. The findings indicated that the inoculation of digested activated sludge with digested organic fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the ratio 25:75 resulted in a higher PFSF degradation and a higher biogas yield. The results from the kinetic analysis fit well with the results from the batch experiment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (13) ◽  
pp. 2703
Author(s):  
Hui Wang ◽  
Horacio A. Aguirre-Villegas ◽  
Rebecca A. Larson ◽  
Asli Alkan-Ozkaynak

Manure characteristics change through processing, including anaerobic digestion (AD). These changes can alter handling of manure during downstream operations. This study analyzed the density, total solids (TS) content, and volatile solids (VS) content of pre-digested and anaerobically digested dairy manure from seven dairy farms in Wisconsin. The density of pre-digested manure increased from 990 to 1065 kg m−3 as the TS level increased from 1.5% to 13.0%. Density and TS for pre-digested manure from facilities using separated solids as bedding were related with a linear model for TS ranging from 1.5% to 13.0% and with a polynomial model for TS ranging from 1.5% to 50%. The model shows that density decreases with an increasing TS content when TS is greater than 8.0%. Manure from dairy facilities that used sand bedding had a VS/TS ratio of 0.87. This ratio was higher than the ratio when manure solids were used as bedding (0.81) and when food waste was incorporated into the digester (0.77). This study also provides a simple methodology to estimate biogas yield by using the density of pre- and post-digested manure.


2008 ◽  
Vol 58 (7) ◽  
pp. 1475-1481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles J. Banks ◽  
Michael Chesshire ◽  
Anne Stringfellow

Source segregated food waste was collected from domestic properties and its composition determined together with the average weight produced per household, which was 2.91 kg per week. The waste was fed over a trial period lasting 58 weeks to an identical pair of 1.5 m3 anaerobic digesters, one at a mesophilic (36.5°C) and the other at a thermophilic temperature (56°C). The digesters were monitored daily for gas production, solids destruction and regularly for digestate characteristics including alkalinity, pH, volatile fatty acid (VFA) and ammonia concentrations. Both digesters showed high VFA and ammonia concentrations but in the mesophilic digester the pH remained stable at around 7.4, buffered by a high alkalinity of 13,000 mg l−1; whereas in the thermophilic digester VFA levels reached 45,000 mg l−1 causing a drop in pH and digester instability. In the mesophilic digester volatile solids (VS) destruction and specific gas yield were favourable, with 67% of the organic solids being converted to biogas at a methane content of 58% giving a biogas yield of 0.63 m3 kg−1 VSadded. Digestion under thermophilic conditions showed potentially better VS destruction at 70% VS and a biogas yield of 0.67 m3 kg−1 VSadded, but the shifts in alkalinity and the high VFA concentrations required a reduced loading to be applied. The maximum beneficial loading that could be achieved in the mesophilic digester was 4.0 kg VS m−3 d−1.


2012 ◽  
Vol 253-255 ◽  
pp. 897-902
Author(s):  
Li Jun Shi ◽  
Miao Huang ◽  
Wei Yu Zhang ◽  
Hui Fen Liu

In this paper anaerobic digestion of dairy manure and straw was conducted to produce biogas. Under the conditions of C/N=25-30 and T=36°C, five kinds of dry matter concentration of 20%, 15%, 10%, 5% and 2.5% were tested to investigate the effect of dry matter concentration on anaerobic digestion. The result showed that first 30 days was the biogas production peak phase and VFA concentrations in the leachate were also high during the same period. When dry matter concentration increased, biogas production appeared larger fluctuation, and alkalinity and NH4+-N concentration in the leachate also increased with higher organic loading rate. Among five kinds of dry matter concentration, 10% was more suitable for anaerobic digestion to produce biogas with total biogas production amount of 4710 mL after 30 days and volumetric biogas yield of 0.313 m3•m-3•d-1. These results could provide instructive meaning to the engineering application of dry anaerobic digestion.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Iqbal ◽  
T. Aftab ◽  
J. Iqbal ◽  
S. Aslam ◽  
R. Ahmed

Molasses is a significant by-product of sugar industry and can be used as substrate in anaerobic digestion process for biogas production. Molasses was diluted ten time; inoculated by methane producing bacteria, mixed thoroughly in 2 liter batch bioreactor, kept at 370C for 15 days under anaerobic conditions for biogas yield. pH in the process was monitored three times a day. Total solids, volatile solids and COD were measured at alternate days. The gas production was measured by water displacement method. Ten times diluted molasses under anaerobic conditions, in the presence of methane producing bacteria was converted to 6.55 dm3/kg of biogas or 3.93 dm3/kg CH4 and 0.144 kWh electricity.  Keywords: Agro industrial waste; Molasses; Methanogen; Anaerobic digestion; Biogas production. © 2014 JSR Publications. ISSN: 2070-0237 (Print); 2070-0245 (Online). All rights reserved. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jsr.v6i2.17320 J. Sci. Res. 6 (2), 347-357 (2014)


2013 ◽  
Vol 856 ◽  
pp. 327-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Apiwaj Janejadkarn ◽  
Orathai Chavalparit

The objective of this research was to evaluate the quantity of biogas production from napier grass (Pak Chong 1) (Pennisetum purpureum × Pennisetum americanum) in three identical continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTRs) at room temperature. The volatile solids feed was varied at 1.5, 2 and 3%, respectively. The organic loading rate was altered at 0.43, 0.57 and 0.86 kg VS/m3.d in CSTR 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Three laboratory scale CSTRs with working volume of 5 l were carried out. The results showed that the optimum volatile solids fraction was 2% VS with maximum biogas production of 0.529 m3/kg VS added. The methane production was achieved at 0.242 m3/kg VS added. Under this condition, the soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) of the hydrolysate was increased by 74% and the SCOD and VS removal efficiency were obtained 52.52% and 55.98%, respectively. The highest total volatile fatty acid was obtained on day 12, which was 5.51 g/l and the highest concentration of HAc was 4.33 g/l. The results indicated that volatile solids fraction was 2% VS achieves a maximum biogas yield and can be successfully converted using anaerobic digestion and was investigated into economical and scalable.


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