scholarly journals Effect of Particle Size on the Aerobic and Anaerobic Digestion Characteristics of Whole Rice Straw

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 3960
Author(s):  
Lina Luo ◽  
Youpei Qu ◽  
Weijia Gong ◽  
Liyuan Qin ◽  
Wenzhe Li ◽  
...  

The effect of reducing particle size on physical properties, the methane yield and energy flow were investigated through the biochemical methane potential (BMP) experiment of aerobic-anaerobic digestion (AAD) of rice straw (RS). The whole straw was crushed through four sieves of different aperture sizes (1, 3, 5, and 7 mm) to obtain the actual and non-uniform particle size distribution (PSD). The results indicated that the actual particle sizes were normally or logarithmic normally distributed. Reducing particle size could significantly promote the aerobic hydrolysis and acidification process, increase the content of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from 4408.78 to 6225.15 mg/L and the degradation of volatile solids (VS) from 40.56% to 50.49%. The results of path analysis suggested that particle size reduction played an important role in improving lignocellulosic degradability, which was the main factor affecting methane production with the comprehensive decision of 0.4616. The maximum methane production obtained at 1 mm sieve size was 176.47 mLCH4g−1 VS. The phyla of Firmicutes (61.5%), Proteobacteria (9.3%), Chloroflexi (8.3%), Bacteroidetes (4.1%), Cyanobacteria/Chloroplast (4.6%) were mainly responsible for VFAs production and lignocellulose degradation. However, the net negative energy balance was observed at the 1 mm sieve size due to the increased energy input. Therefore, the optimum sieve size for AAD was 3 mm.

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 2085
Author(s):  
Yang Mo Gu ◽  
Seon Young Park ◽  
Ji Yeon Park ◽  
Byoung-In Sang ◽  
Byoung Seong Jeon ◽  
...  

The impact of attrition ball-mill pretreatment on food waste particle size, soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), biochemical methane potential, and microbial community during anaerobic digestion was investigated based on milling speed and time. The uniformity of particle size improved with increasing milling speed and time. The SCOD of the pretreated samples increased to 4%, 7%, and 17% at the speeds of 150, 225, and 300 rpm, respectively, compared to the control. Milling time did not significantly change the SCOD. The cumulative methane productions of 430, 440, and 490 mL/g-VS were observed at the speeds of 150, 225, and 300 rpm, respectively, while the untreated sample exhibited the cumulative methane production of 390 mL/g-VS. Extended milling time did not improve methane production much. When the milling times of 10, 20, and 30 min were applied with the milling speed fixed at 300 rpm, the methane productions of 490, 510, and 500 mL/g-VS were observed respectively. Ball-mill pretreatment also increased the total volatile fatty acids. During the anaerobic digestion (AD) of ball-mill treated food waste, acetoclastic methanogens predominated, with a relative abundance of 48–49%. Interestingly, hydrogenotrophic methanogens were 1.6 times higher in the pretreated samples than those in the control. These results showed the potential of attrition ball milling as a food waste pretreatment for improving methane production.


Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditi David ◽  
Tanvi Govil ◽  
Abhilash Tripathi ◽  
Julie McGeary ◽  
Kylie Farrar ◽  
...  

This article aims to study the codigestion of food waste (FW) and three different lignocellulosic wastes (LW) (Corn stover (CS), Prairie cordgrass (PCG), and Unbleached paper (UBP)) for thermophilic anaerobic digestion to overcome the limitations of digesting food waste alone (volatile fatty acids accumulation and low C:N ratio). Using an enriched thermophilic methanogenic consortium, all the food and lignocellulosic waste mixtures showed positive synergistic effects of codigestion. After 30 days of incubation at 60 °C (100 rpm), the highest methane yield of 305.45 L·kg−1 volatile solids (VS) was achieved with a combination of FW-PCG-CS followed by 279.31 L·kg−1 VS with a mixture of FW-PCG. The corresponding volatile solids reduction for these two co-digestion mixtures was 68% and 58%, respectively. This study demonstrated a reduced hydraulic retention time for methane production using FW and LW.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2561
Author(s):  
Furqan Muhayodin ◽  
Albrecht Fritze ◽  
Oliver Christopher Larsen ◽  
Marcel Spahr ◽  
Vera Susanne Rotter

Rice straw is an agricultural residue produced in abundant quantities. Open burning and plowing back the straw to the fields are common practices for its disposal. In-situ incorporation and burning cause emissions of greenhouse gas and particulate matter. Additionally, the energy potential of rice straw is lost. Anaerobic digestion is a technology that can be potentially used to utilize the surplus rice straw, provide renewable energy, circulate nutrients available in the digestate, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from rice paddies. An innovative temperature phased anaerobic digestion technology was developed and carried out in a continuous circulating mode of mesophilic and hyperthermophilic conditions in a loop digester (F1). The performance of the newly developed digester was compared with the reference digester (F2) working at mesophilic conditions. Co-digestion of rice straw was carried out with cow manure to optimize the carbon to nitrogen ratio and to provide the essential trace elements required by microorganisms in the biochemistry of methane formation. F1 produced a higher specific methane yield (189 ± 37 L/kg volatile solids) from rice straw compared to F2 (148 ± 36 L/kg volatile solids). Anaerobic digestion efficiency was about 90 ± 20% in F1 and 70 ± 20% in F2. Mass fractions of Fe, Ni, Co, Mo, Cu, and Zn were analyzed over time. The mass fractions of Co, Mo, Cu, and Zn were stable in both digesters. While mass fractions of Fe and Ni were reduced at the end of the digestion period. However, no direct relationship between specific methane yield and reduced mass fraction of Fe and Ni was found. Co-digestion of rice straw with cow manure seems to be a good approach to provide trace elements except for Se.


2000 ◽  
Vol 42 (10-11) ◽  
pp. 247-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Paing ◽  
B. Picot ◽  
J. P. Sambuco ◽  
A. Rambaud

Sludge accumulation and the characteristics of anaerobic digestion in sludge had been investigated in a primary anaerobic lagoon. Methanogenic potential of sludge was evaluated by an anaerobic digestion test which measured the methane production rate. Sludge was sampled at several points in the lagoon to determine spatial variations and with a monthly frequency from the start-up of the lagoon to observe the development of anaerobic degradation. Maximum amounts of sludge accumulated near the inlet. The mean methane production of sludge was 2.9 ml gVS–1 d–1. Sludge near the outlet presented a greater methanogenic activity and a lesser concentration of volatile fatty acids than near the inlet. The different stages of anaerobic degradation were spatially separated, acidogenesis near the inlet and methanogenesis near the outlet. This staged distribution seemed to increase efficiency of anaerobic fermentation compared with septic tanks. Methane release at the surface of the lagoon was estimated to be very heterogeneous with a mean of 25 l m–2 d–1. The development of performance and sludge characteristics showed the rapid beginning of methanogenesis, three months after the start-up of the anaerobic lagoon. Considering the volume of accumulated sludge, it could however be expected that methanogenic activity would further increase.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaona Wang ◽  
Kang Du ◽  
Rongfang Yuan ◽  
Huilun Chen ◽  
Fei Wang ◽  
...  

The effects of four types of sulfonamide antibiotics (SAs), including sulfaquinoxaline, sulfamethoxazole, sulfamethoxydiazine and sulfathiazole, on the digestion performance during anaerobic digestion process were studied using a lab-scale anaerobic sequencing batch reactor, and the changes of the community structure in the presence of SAs were investigated with the help of high throughput sequencing. The results indicated that when SAs were added, the hydrolytic acidification process was inhibited, and the accumulation of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) was induced, resulting in the suppression of methane production. However, the inhibition mechanism of different SAs was quite different. The inhibitory effect of high concentration of SAs on the hydrolysis of solid particulate matter into dissolved organic matter followed the order of sulfaquinoxaline > sulfamethoxydiazine > sulfathiazole > sulfamethoxazole. SAs have obvious inhibitory effects on acidification and methanation of dissolved organic matter, especially sulfathiazole. The richness and the community composition of the microorganism including bacteria and archaea in the digestion system were affected by SAs. Under the effect of SAs, the relative abundance of many microorganisms is negatively correlated with methane production, among which Methanobrevibacter, a kind of Archaea, had the greatest influence on methane production.


2011 ◽  
Vol 64 (8) ◽  
pp. 1723-1729 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. B. Nielsen ◽  
S. Heiske

In the present study we tested four macroalgae species – harvested in Denmark – for their suitability of bioconversion to methane. In batch experiments (53 °C) methane yields varied from 132 ml g volatile solids−1 (VS) for Gracillaria vermiculophylla, 152 ml g VS−1 for Ulva lactuca, 166 ml g VS−1 for Chaetomorpha linum and 340 ml g VS−1 for Saccharina latissima following 34 days of incubation. With an organic content of 21.1% (1.5–2.8 times higher than the other algae) S. latissima seems very suitable for anaerobic digestion. However, the methane yields of U. lactuca, G. vermiculophylla and C. linum could be increased with 68%, 11% and 17%, respectively, by pretreatment with maceration. U. lactuca is often observed during ‘green tides’ in Europe and has a high cultivation potential at Nordic conditions. Therefore, U. lactuca was selected for further investigation and co-digested with cattle manure in a lab-scale continuously stirred tank reactor. A 48% increase in methane production rate of the reactor was observed when the concentration of U. lactuca in the feedstock was 40% (VS basis). Increasing the concentration to 50% had no further effect on the methane production, which limits the application of this algae at Danish centralized biogas plant.


2004 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 109-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.V. Savant ◽  
D.R. Ranade

To operate anaerobic digesters successfully under acidic conditions, hydrogen utilizing methanogens which can grow efficiently at low pH and tolerate high volatile fatty acids (VFA) are desirable. An acid tolerant hydrogenotrophic methanogen viz. Methanobrevibacter acididurans isolated from slurry of an anaerobic digester running on alcohol distillery wastewater has been described earlier by this lab. This organism could grow optimally at pH 6.0. In the experiments reported herein, M. acididurans showed better methanogenesis under acidic conditions with high VFA, particularly acetate, than Methanobacterium bryantii, a common hydrogenotrophic inhabitant of anaerobic digesters. Addition of M. acididurans culture to digesting slurry of acidogenic as well as methanogenic digesters running on distillery wastewater showed increase in methane production and decrease in accumulation of volatile fatty acids. The results proved the feasibility of application of M. acididurans in anaerobic digesters.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 2213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abiodun O. Jegede ◽  
Grietje Zeeman ◽  
Harry Bruning

Chinese dome digesters are usually operated at long hydraulic retention times (HRT) and low influent total solids (TS) concentration because of limited mixing. In this study, a newly optimised Chinese dome digester with a self-agitating mechanism was investigated at a pilot scale (digester volume = 500 L) and compared with a conventional Chinese dome digester (as blank) at 15% influent TS concentration at two retention times (30 and 40 days). The reactors were operated at ambient temperature: 27–33 °C. The average specific methane production, volatile fatty acids and percentage of volatile solids (VS) reduction are 0.16 ± 0.13 and 0.25 ± 0.05L CH4/g VS; 1 ± 0.5 and 0.7 ± 0.3 g/L; and 51 ± 14 and 57 ± 10% at 40 days HRT (day 52–136) for the blank and optimised digester, respectively. At 30 days HRT (day 137–309) the results are 0.19 ± 0.12 and 0.23 ± 0.04 L CH4/g VS; 1.2 ± 0.6 and 0.7 ± 0.3 g/L; and 51 ± 9 and 58 ± 11.6%. Overall, the optimised digester produced 40% more methane than the blank, despite the high loading rates applied. The optimised digester showed superior digestion treatment efficiency and was more stable in terms of VFA concentration than the blank digester, can be therefore operated at high influent TS (15%) concentration.


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