Biogas production in low-cost household digesters at the Peruvian Andes

Low-cost tubular digesters originally developed in tropical regions have been adapted to the extreme weather conditions of the Andean Plateau (3000-4000 m.a.s.l.). The aim of this study was to characterise biogas production in household digesters located at high altitude, operating under psychrophilic conditions. To this end, two pilot digesters were monitored and field campaigns were carried out in two representative digesters of rural communities. Digesters’ useful volume ranged between 2.4 and 7.5 m³, and hydraulic residence time (HRT) between 60 and 90 days. The temperature inside the digester’s greenhouse ranged between 20 and 25 °C. Treating cow manure, a specific biogas production around 0.35 m³ kg_VS⁻¹ was obtained, with some 65% CH₄ in biogas. In order to fulfil daily requirements for cooking and lighting, biogas production should be enhanced without increasing implementation costs as not to impede the expansion of this technology at household scale. In this sense, HRT below 60 days and OLR above 1 kg_VS m⁻³ day⁻¹ should be investigated to decrease digesters’ volume (i.e. costs) and increase biogas production rate. The adaptation of conventional gas burners to biogas characteristics can also contribute in improving the efficiency of the system.     

Methane yield of oat husks

The biogas yield of solid manure from dairy cattle depends on its quality and the proportion of excreta and organic litter material contained within. The biogas yield of both faeces and straw is available in literature. Straw is a common litter material of mixed farms. However, straw is scarcely available on dairy farms. Oat husks are appropriate to replace or supplement straw for use as litter material. In this study, the actual methane yield and the total methane potential of oat husks were determined. Based on an optimized test with ground oat husks, the total methane potential resulted from regression and extrapolation of the experimental data. The total methane potential was determined with 242 L_N CH₄ kg⁻¹ VS added. Additionally, the actual methane yield over retention time at a digestion temperature of 37 °C was determined, using untreated oat husks. For 42 days of retention, the methane yield was 202 L_N CH₄ kg⁻¹ VS added at 52% CH₄ content. Results indicate that the methane yield of oat husks reaches the same level as that of straw. The total methane potential is not higher, but digestion of oat husks may proceed faster. Verification of the laboratory results on-farm revealed that the contribution of oat husks to overall methane production of a prototype biogas plant for solid manure might reach up to 80%.     

Effect of salt and sodium concentration on the anaerobic methanisation of the halophyte Tripolium pannonicum

The halophyte species Sea Aster (Tripolium pannonicum) was grown with different concentrations of artificial seawater. In a second experiment, T. pannonicum was cultivated with a nutrient solution containing different concentrations of NaCl. This halophyte biomass was used to determine the biogas production potential. According to the findings, it is possible to produce high yields of methane using biomass from halophytes cultivated in the presence of salt. Biogas and methane yield are influenced by the salt content of the plant tissue, however, high concentrations of salt in the anaerobic reactors itself inhibit the biogas and methane production. The highest methane yield is obtained using plant substrates grown at 22.5 g L⁻¹ sea-salt with a value of 313 cm³ g⁻¹ of VS. When treating T. pannonicum with different concentrations of NaCl, biogas and methane yields are highest when using plant substrates grown at 30 g L⁻¹ to produce values of 554 cm³ g⁻¹ of VS and 447 cm³ g⁻¹ of VS, respectively. Other research was carried out to study the effect of sodium on the biogas and methane yields using substrate from T. pannonicum cultured under non-saline conditions and adding different amounts of NaCl to the anaerobic reactors. Adding NaCl to the reactors decreases the biogas and methane production but using a salt-adapted inoculum increases the biogas yield in comparison to the non-adapted inoculum.     

Kinetic study of mesophilic anaerobic digestion of pulp & paper sludge

Anaerobic digestion of pulp and paper sludge (PPS) and monosodium glutamate waste liquor (MGWL) was studied in completely stirred tank reactors (CSTR) at 37 ± 2 °C. This work focused on the effect of increased organic loading rate (OLR) on the methane production in long-term experiments. For OLR in the range of (1.5-5.0) kg m⁻³ d⁻¹ based on VS fed, VFA and SCOD concentrations decreased for the first 10 days and then kept stable at about 2.3 kg m⁻³ and 4.0 kg m⁻³ respectively until to the critical OLR of 5.0 kg m⁻³ d⁻¹; and the methane generation rate enhanced to 0.838 m³ m⁻³ d⁻¹ during this period until to the reactor failure. Additionally, reaction rate constant k and sludge retention time (SRT) are described on the basis of a mass balance in a CSTR followed a first order kinetic equation. In the present study, values for y_m and k were obtained as 0.733 m³ kg⁻¹ of removed VS and 0.07 d⁻¹, respectively. The simple model can apply for dimensioning a CSTR digesting of organic wastes from pulp and paper industries, food processing industries, sewage treatment plants or biogas crops.     

Enhanced biohydrogen production from cornstalk wastes with acidification pretreatment by mixed anaerobic cultures

Biohydrogen production from the cornstalk wastes with acidification pretreatment was reported in this paper. Batch tests were carried out to analyze influences of several environmental factors on biohydrogen production from cornstalk wastes. Two predominant bacterial morphologies, namely spore-forming rod shape bacteria and micrococcus were screened, purified, and identified after enriched from a hydrogen-producing fermentor with cow dung composts. The maximum cumulative H₂ yield of 149.69 ml H₂ g⁻¹ TVS was obtained at initial pH 7.0 and substrate concentration 15 g l⁻¹, the value is about 46-fold as compared with that of raw cornstalk wastes. The maximum hydrogen production rate was 7.6 ml H2 h⁻¹. The hydrogen concentration in biogas was 45–56% (v/v) and there was no significant methane observed in the biogas throughout this study. In addition, biodegradation characteristics of the substrate by microorganisms were also discussed. During the conversion of cornstalk wastes into hydrogen, the acetate, propionate, butyrate, and the ethanol were main by-products in the metabolism of hydrogen fermentation. The test results showed that the acidification pretreatment of the substrate plays a crucial role in conversion of the cornstalk wastes into biohydrogen gas by the cow dung composts generating hydrogen.     

Anaerobic co-digestion of primary sludge and the fruit and vegetable fraction of the municipal solid wastes: Conditions for mixing and evaluation of the organic loading rate

This paper presents the results obtained for the digestion of primary sludge (PS) and co-digestion of this sludge with the fruit and vegetable fraction of municipal solid wastes (FVFMSW) under mesophilic conditions. This mixture was prepared with a PS content of 22%. The anaerobic digestion process was evaluated under static conditions and with different mixing conditions, with good results being found for the digesters with limited mixing, this representing an energy saving. The results for co-digestion of mixtures of PS+FVFMSW are better than those obtained from digestion of PS on its own. Biogas production for co-digestion is much greater thanks to the larger volatile-solid (VS) content of this feedstock. Nevertheless, biogas yield and specific gas production for the two digestion processes are similar, with values in the range 0.6–0.8 l g⁻¹ VS destroyed for the first parameter and in the range 0.4–0.6 l g⁻¹ VS fed for the second. The co-digestion process was also evaluated at different organic loading rates (OLR) under low mixing conditions, with stable performance being obtained even when the systems were overloaded.     

Semi-continuous co-digestion of solid slaughterhouse waste, manure, and fruit and vegetable waste

The potential of semi-continuous mesophilic anaerobic digestion (AD) for the treatment of solid slaughterhouse waste, fruit-vegetable wastes, and manure in a co-digestion process has been experimentally evaluated. A study was made at laboratory scale using four 2 L reactors working semi-continuously at 35 °C. The effect of the organic loading rate (OLR) was initially examined (using equal proportion of the three components on a volatile solids, VS, basis). Anaerobic co-digestion with OLRs in the range 0.3–1.3 kg VS m⁻³ d⁻¹ resulted in methane yields of 0.3 m³ kg⁻¹ VS added, with a methane content in the biogas of 54–56%. However, at a further increased loading, the biogas production decreased and there was a reduction in the methane yield indicating organic overload or insufficient buffering capacity in the digester.In the second part of the investigation, co-digestion was studied in a mixture experiment using 10 different feed compositions. The digestion of mixed substrates was in all cases better than that of the pure substrates, with the exception of the mixture of equal amounts of (VS/VS) solid cattle–swine slaughterhouse waste (SCSSW) with fruit and vegetable waste (FVW). For all other mixtures, the steady-state biogas production for the mixture was in the range 1.1–1.6 L d⁻¹, with a methane content of 50–57% after 60 days of operation. The methane yields were in the range 0.27–0.35 m³ kg⁻¹ VS added and VS reductions of more than 50% and up to 67% were obtained.     

Effect of particle size on biogas yield from sisal fibre waste

The degradation and biogas production potential of sisal fibre waste could be significantly increased by pre-treatment for reduction of particle size. Batch-wise anaerobic digestion of sisal fibre waste was carried out in 1-l digesters with fibre sizes ranging from 2 to 100 mm, at an ambient temperature of 33 °C. Sediment from a stabilisation pond at a sisal production plant was used as starter seed. Total fibre degradation increased from 31% to 70% for the 2 mm fibres, compared to untreated sisal fibres. Furthermore, the results confirmed that methane yield was inversely proportional to particle size. Methane yield increased by 23% when the fibres were cut to 2 mm size and was 0.22 m³ CH₄/kg volatile solids, compared to 0.18 m³ CH₄/kg volatile solids for untreated fibres. By anaerobic digestion and biogas production, the 148,000 tonne of waste sisal fibres generated annually in Tanzania could yield 22 million m³ of methane, and an additional 5 million m³ of methane if pre-treatment by size reduction to 2 mm was applied.     

Biogas production from brown grease using a pilot-scale high-rate anaerobic digester

Food wastes are typically disposed of in landfills for convenience and economic reasons. However, landfilling food wastes increases the organic content of leachate and the risk of soil contamination. A sound alternative for managing food wastes is anaerobic digestion, which reduces organic pollution and produces biogas for energy recovery. In this study, anaerobic digestion of a common food waste, brown grease, was investigated using a pilot-scale, high-rate, completely-mixed digester (5.8 m³). The digestibility, biogas production and the impact of blending of liquid waste streams from a nearby pulp and paper mill were assessed. The 343-day evaluation was divided into 5 intensive evaluation stages. The organic removal efficiency was found to be 58 ± 9% in terms of COD and 55 ± 8% in terms of VS at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 11.6 ± 3.8 days. The removal was comparable to those found in organic solid digesters (45–60%), but at a much shorter HRT. Methane yield was estimated to be 0.40–0.77 m³-CH_4@STP kg-VS_removed⁻¹, higher than the typical range of other food wastes (0.11–0.42 m³-CH_4@STP kg-VS_removed⁻¹), with a mean methane content of 75% and <200 ppm of hydrogen sulfide in the biogas. The blending of selected liquid wastes from a paper mill at 10 vol% of brown grease slurry did not cause significant reduction in digester performance. Using a pseudo-first-order rate law, the observed degradation constant was estimated to be 0.10–0.19 d⁻¹ compared to 0.03–0.40 d⁻¹ for other organic solids. These results demonstrate that brown grease is a readily digestible substrate that has excellent potential for energy recovery through anaerobic digestion.     

Low temperature anaerobic digestion of mixtures of llama,cow and sheep manure for improved methane production

Biogas production in anaerobic digestion in farm-scale units is typically performed under mesophilic conditions when used for producing domestic fuel and stabilizing animal waste for the use of digested manure as a fertilizer. Previous studies on the digestion of llama and cow manure have shown the feasibility of producing biogas under altiplano conditions (low pressure and low temperature) and of llama manure as a promising feedstock. The present study concerns the utilization of various mixtures of feedstocks from the Bolivian altiplano under low temperature conditions (18–25 °C). Laboratory scale experiments were performed on the digestion of mixtures of llama, sheep and cow manure in a semi-continuous process using ten 2-L stainless steel digesters to determine the effects of organic loading rate (OLR) and the feed composition. The semi-continuous operation of mixture of llama–cow–sheep manure proved to be a reliable system, which could be operated with good stability. The results suggest that in a system digesting a mixture of llama-cow-sheep manure at low temperature (18–25 °C) the maximum OLR value is between 4 and 6 kg VS m³ d^?1. The methane yields obtained in the mixture experiments were in the range 0.07–0.14 m³ kg^?1 VS added, with a methane concentration in the gas of between 47 and 55%.     

Impact of genotype, harvest time and chemical composition on the methane yield of winter rye for biogas production

Rye (Secale cereale L.) is an ideal crop for the agricultural biogas production in regions with less fertile and sandy soils. Maximum methane yield per hectare is the main aim of the farmer. Objectives were to establish differences by the Hohenheim Biogas Test among (1) 25 genotypes (experiment 1) and (2) three harvest dates (early heading, early and late milk ripening) and three plant fractions (ears, leaves and stems, stubbles) for four genotypes including an analysis of their nutrient composition (experiment 2). Significant (P < 0.05) genotypic variation was found for dry matter yield, specific gas yield and methane yield among the 25 genotypes, but no differences for methane content and specific methane yield. Broad ranges were achieved for dry matter yield (0% water content) and methane yield amounting to 2.9 t ha⁻¹ and 840 m³ ha^-1 respectively, combined with moderate to high heritabilities (0.71-0.98). Both traits were highly correlated (r = 0.95, P < 0.01). Compared to population and forage rye, hybrid rye achieved significantly higher methane yields. The latest harvest date at late milk ripening resulted in the highest dry matter yield on a whole plant level with an average of 16.0 t ha⁻¹. Accordingly, methane yield was reaching a mean of 4424 m³ ha^-1 and a maximum of 4812 m³ ha^-1. No correlations between content of crude nutrients or cell-wall fractions and specific gas or methane yield were evident neither for the plant fractions nor for the whole plant. In conclusion, harvesting at late milk ripening was clearly superior in dry matter and methane yields although specific methane yield was higher at early heading. A selection for maximum dry matter yield in rye breeding should indirectly improve also methane yield.     

Biomass and energy yield of industrial hemp grown for biogas and solid fuel

This study examined the energy yield of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivated for energy purposes under cold climate conditions in Northern Europe. Split-plot field trials were carried out over three consecutive years to investigate different nitrogen fertilisation regimes. Dry matter yield per hectare, moisture content, hydrogen content and heating value were determined at roughly monthly intervals from July until the following spring every season. The energy yield was calculated and adjusted for a fair comparison with those of other energy crops commonly grown in the study region.Two harvest periods for optimal energy yield have been determined; harvest in September to October, when the hemp is used for biogas production, yielded 14.4 Mg ha⁻¹ and 296 GJ ha⁻¹; harvest in February to April, when the hemp is used as a solid fuel, yielded 9.9 Mg ha⁻¹ and 246 GJ ha⁻¹. For biogas production, the adjusted biomass energy yield of hemp was similar to that of maize and sugar beet and 24 and 14% greater than that of lucerne and clover-grass ley, respectively. As a solid fuel, the adjusted biomass energy yield of hemp was 120% higher than that of wheat straw and similar to that of reed canary grass. Annual variations in dry matter yield depending on weather conditions and sowing dates exceeded variations due to nitrogen fertilisation.Hemp is suitable as an energy crop in cold climate regions of Northern Europe, as it has similar or often higher energy yields than other common energy crops grown in these regions.     

Methane and hydrogen sulfide production during co-digestion of forage radish and dairy manure

Forage radish, a winter cover crop, was investigated as a co-substrate to increase biogas production from dairy manure-based anaerobic digestion. Batch digesters (300 cm³) were operated under mesophilic conditions during two experiments (BMP1; BMP2). In BMP1, the effect of co-digesting radish and manure on CH₄ and H₂S production was determined by increasing the mass fraction of fresh above-ground radish in the manure-based co-digestion mixture from 0 to 100%. Results showed that forage radish had 1.5-fold higher CH₄ potential than dairy manure on a volatile solids basis. While no synergistic effect on CH₄ production resulted from co-digestion, increasing the radish fraction in the co-digestion mixture significantly increased CH₄ production. Initial H₂S production increased as the radish fraction increased, but the sulfur-containing compounds were rapidly utilized, resulting in all treatments having similar H₂S concentrations (0.10–0.14%) and higher CH₄ content (48–70%) in the biogas over time. The 100% radish digester had the highest specific CH₄ yield (372 ± 12 L kg⁻¹ VS). The co-digestion mixture containing 40% radish had a lower specific CH₄ yield (345 ± 2 L kg⁻¹ VS) but also showed significantly less H₂S production at start-up and high quality biogas (58% CH₄). Results from BMP2 showed that the radish harvest date (October versus December) did not significantly influence radish C:N mass ratios or CH₄ production during co-digestion with dairy manure. These results suggest that dairy farmers could utilize forage radish, a readily available substrate that does not compete with food supply, to increase CH₄ production of manure digesters in the fall/winter.     

Ethanol and biogas production from birch by NMMO pretreatment

Birch wood was pretreated with N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO or NMO) followed by enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation to ethanol or digestion to biogas. The pretreatments were carried out with NMMO (w_NMMO = 85%) at 130 °C for 3 h, and the effects of drying after the pretreatment were investigated. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the untreated wood resulted in 8%–10% of theoretical glucose yield after 4 days hydrolysis, while the NMMO pretreatment improved this yield to 91%. Consequently, ethanol production yield from NMMO-pretreated materials resulted in around 9-fold improvement compared to the untreated wood. On the other hand, drying of the pretreated wood had a negative impact and decreased the yield of enzymatic hydrolysis by 4%–10%. Digestion of the untreated wood with thermophilic bacteria resulted in maximum methane yield of 158 cm³ g⁻¹ of VS in 30 days, while the NMMO pretreatment improved the methane yield up to 232 cm³ g⁻¹ of VS (80% of the theoretical biogas yield) in just 9 days.     

Assessment of biofertilizer quality and health implications of anaerobic digestion effluent of cow dung and chicken droppings

Anaerobic digestate have been identified as a rich source of essential plant nutrients. Nevertheless, its safety measured by the concentration of pathogen present is of great concern to end users. This research explored the efficiency of the mesophilic biodigestion process in the stabilization and sanitization of cow dung and chicken droppings. Six (6) kg each of cow dung and chicken droppings were collected fresh and free from impurities, pre-fermented, mixed with water in the ratio 1:1 w/v to form slurry, fed into the respective reactors and digested for 30 days at an average ambient temperature of 30 ± 2 °C. The pH of the medium fluctuated between 6.5 and 8.0. The analysis of the feedstock and effluent of the digesters showed that a total solids reduction of 75.3% and 60.1% were recorded for cow dung and chicken droppings while the reduction in total coliforms was 95% and 70% respectively for the dung and droppings. Microbial analysis of the biofertilizer produced reveals both aerobic and anaerobic organisms which include species of Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Clostridium, Bacillus, Bacteroides, Salmonella, Penicillum and Aspergillus. Escherichia coli and Shigella spp. were removed while species of Salmonella and Klebsiella were still present in the digestate. Notwithstanding these results, the digestate still requires further treatment for it to be suitable for application on unrestricted crops either as fertilizer; otherwise a health problem would be created as attempt is made to improve soil fertility.     

Production of hydrogen and methane by one and two stage fermentation of food waste

Anaerobic digestion is an attractive process for generation of hydrogen and methane, which involves complex microbial processes on decomposition of organic wastes and subsequent conversion of metabolic intermediates to hydrogen and methane. Comparative performance of a sequential hydrogen and methane fermentation in two stage process and methane fermentation in one stage process were tested in batch reactor at varying ratios of feedstock to microbial inoculum (F/M) under mesophilic incubation. F/M ratios influence biogas yield, production rate, and potential. The highest H₂ and CH₄ yields of 55 and 94 mL g⁻¹ VS were achieved at F/M of 7.5 in two stage process, while the highest CH₄ yield of 82 mL g⁻¹ VS in one stage process was observed at the same F/M. Acetic and butyric acids are the main volatile fatty acids (VFAs) produced in the hydrogen fermentation stage with the concentration range 10–25 mmol L⁻¹. Little concentrations of VFAs were accumulated in methane fermentation in both stage processes. Total energy recovery in two stage process is higher than that in one stage by 18%. This work demonstrated two stage fermentation achieved a better performance than one stage process.     

Pretreatment of energy crops with sodium hydroxide and cellulolytic enzymes to increase biogas production

This work presents the influence of alkali pretreatment on the enzymatic hydrolysis and efficiency of anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass pretreated both in a one- (chemical or enzymatic) and two-step (chemical and enzymatic) process. In this study two species of energy crops were used Miscanthus giganteus and Sida hermaphrodita. The aim of this work was to compare biogas production and methane yield during fermentation of pretreated and untreated energy crops. The results show that alkali pretreatment is necessary for the effective biogas generation from plant material due to high delignification level and significant hemicellulose degradation. The two-step hydrolysis process consisting on the alkali and enzymatic step leads to the release of high concentrations of glucose (about 20 g L⁻¹). The best results were achieved for M. giganteus with biogas production yield of 421.5 Ndm³ kg TS⁻¹ and with methane production yield of 257 Ndm³ kg TS⁻¹.     

Start up study of UASB reactor treating press mud for biohydrogen production

Anaerobic digestion of press mud mixed with water for biohydrogen production was performed in continuous fed UASB bioreactor for 120 days. Experiment was conducted by maintaining constant HRT of 30 h and the volume of biohydrogen evolved daily was monitored. Various parameters like COD, VFA, Alkalinity, EC, Volatile solids, pH with respect to biohydrogen production were monitored at regular interval of time. SBPR was 10.98 ml g⁻¹ COD reduced d⁻¹ and 12.77 ml g⁻¹ VS reduced d⁻¹ on peak yield of biohydrogen. COD reduction was above 70 ± 7%. Maximum gas yield was on the 78th day to 2240 ml d⁻¹. The aim of the experiment is to study the startup process of UASB reactor for biohydrogen production by anaerobic fermentation of press mud. The inoculum for the process is cow dung and water digested in anaerobic condition for 30 days with municipal sewage sludge. The study explores the viability of biohydrogen production from press mud which is a renewable form of energy to supplement the global energy crisis.     

Effect of microwave irradiation pretreatment of cow dung compost on bio-hydrogen process from corn stalk by dark fermentation

The bio-hydrogen production potential from corn stalk was significantly affected by microwave irradiation pretreatment of cow dung compost in batch tests. The maximum hydrogen yield of 144.3 ml/g-corn stalk and hydrogen production rate of 3.6 ml/g-corn stalk h⁻¹ were observed using the pretreated compost by microwave radiation of 1.5 min at fixed Na₂CO₃ dosage of 800 mg/l, Fe dosage of 400 mg/l, substrate concentration of 20 g/l, which increased about 99.6% and 85.2% compared with that of the control. The effects of microwave irradiation on microbial characteristics were further discussed by Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), determination of protein content and PCR-DGGE. The four dominant hydrogen-producing strains had been isolated and confirmed to be Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus subtilis and Enterococcus faecium, respectively. The diversity and symbiosis relations of the mixed bacteria were also observed in fermentation hydrogen production process.     

Economic analysis of small-scale agricultural digesters in the United States

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an economically viable manure treatment option for large dairies (>500 cows) in the U.S. However, roughly 90% of U.S. dairies have less than 200 cows, making this technology economically inaccessible to the vast majority of U.S. dairies. While there have been case studies of individual small dairies with anaerobic digesters, there are no comparative studies using cost data from these systems. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the economic viability of small-scale U.S. digesters using cost data from nine existing 100 to 250-cow dairies and seven theoretical systems and (2) reevaluate the minimum size dairy farm needed for economically feasible AD in the U.S. Cash flow analysis results showed that total capital costs, capital costs per cow, and net costs per cow generally decreased with increasing herd size in existing systems. Among existing revenue streams, use of digested solids for bedding generated the highest revenue ($100 cow⁻¹ year⁻¹), followed by biogas use for heating and/or electrical generation ($47 to $70 cow⁻¹ year⁻¹) and CO₂ credits ($7 cow⁻¹ year⁻¹). No system had a positive cash flow under the assumed conditions (8% discount rate, 20-year term). However, six of the 16 systems had positive cash flows when 50% cost sharing was included in the analysis. Our results suggest that, with cost sharing, economically viable AD systems are possible on 250-cow dairies. Additional revenue streams, such as tipping fees for food waste, may reduce the minimum size to 100-cow dairies.