Comparison of methane production by co-digesting fruit and vegetable waste with first stage and second stage anaerobic digester sludge from a two stage digester

Fruit and vegetable waste (FVW) was co-digested with first stage (FSS) and second stage anaerobic digester sludge (SSS) separately, over the course of 10 days, in batch reactors. Addition of FVW significantly increased the methane production in both sludges. After 10 days of digestion FSS + FVW produced 514 ± 57 L CH(4) kg VS(-1)(added) compared with 392 ± 16 L CH(4) for the SSS + FVW. The increased methane yield was most likely due to the higher inoculum substrate ratio of the FSS. The final VS and COD contents of the sewer sludge and FVW mixtures were not significantly different from the control values suggesting that all of the FVW added was degraded within 10 days. It is recommended that FVW be added to the first stage of the anaerobic digester in order to maximize methane generation.     

Effect of the addition of fatty by-products from the refining of vegetable oil on methane production in co-digestion

The purpose of this work was to investigate the effects of the addition of by-products from the refining of vegetable oil on the behavior of co-digestion reactors treating a mixture of grass, cow dung and fruit and vegetable waste. Three by-products were used: one soapstock, one used winterization earth and one skimming of aeroflotation of the effluents. Three 15 l reactors were run in parallel and fed five times a week. In a first phase of 4 weeks, the three reactors were fed with the co-digestion substrates alone (grass, cow dung and fruit and vegetable waste) at an organic loading rate (OLR) of 1.5 g VS/kg d (VS: volatile solids). Then, a different by-product from the refining of oil was added to the feed of each reactor at an OLR of 0.5 g VS/kg d, generating a 33% increase in the OLR. The results show that the addition of by-products from the refining of oil is an efficient way of increasing the methane production of co-digestion reactors thanks to high methane yield of such by-products (0.69-0.77 l CH(4)/g VS loaded). In fact, in this work, it was possible to raise the methane production of the reactors by about 60% through a 33% increase in the OLR thanks to the addition of the by-products from the refining of vegetable oil.     

Anaerobic digestion elutriated phased treatment of piggery waste.

The performance of a novel high-rate anaerobic process, the anaerobic digestion elutriated phased treatment (ADEPT) process, for treating a slurry-type piggery waste (55 g COD/L and 37 g TS/L) was investigated. The ADEPT process consists of an acid elutriation slurry reactor for hydrolysis and acidification, followed by an upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor for methanification. This process provides stable and high system performance with short HRT (7.4 d) and better effluent quality (2 g SCOD/L and 0.68 g VSS/L) due to the alkaline pH condition for hydrolysis/acidification phase, high refractory solids removal and ammonia toxicity reduction. The optimum pH and HRT for hydrolysis/acidogenesis of the piggery waste were 9 and 5 days at both 35 degrees C and 55 degrees C conditions. The hydrolysis and acidification rate in the mesophilic reactor were 0.05 d(-1) and 0.11 d(-1), meaning that hydrolysis was a limiting step. SCOD production by the hydrolysis was about 0.26 g SCOD/g VS(fed) (3.6 g SCOD/g VS reduction). Methane production and content in the system were 0.3 L CH4/g VS(fed) (0.67 L CH4/g VS destroyed) and 80%, respectively, corresponding to 0.23 L CH4/g COD removal (@STP).     

Effect of operating conditions and reactor configuration on efficiency of full-scale biogas plants.

A study on 18 full-scale centralized biogas plants was carried out in order to find significant operational factors influencing productivity and stability of the plants. It was found that the most plants were operating relatively stable with volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration below 1.5 g/l. VFA concentration increase was observed in occasions with dramatic overloading or other disturbances such as operational temperature changes. Ammonia was found to be a significant factor for stability. A correlation between increased residual biogas production and high ammonia was found. When ammonia was higher than approx. 4g-N/l the degradation efficiency of the plant decreased and as a consequence, the residual methane potential was high. Decrease of the residual methane potential with increasing hydraulic retention time was found. Digestion temperature was very important for effective post-digestion. Post-digestion for recovering the residual methane potential at temperatures below 15 degrees C was very inefficient.     

Anaerobic monodigestion of poultry manure: determination of operational parameters for CSTR

In this work the anaerobic monodigestion for the treatment of turkey manure was evaluated, without its codigestion with another substrate. The effect of the organic loading rate (OLR) and the substrate concentration (high total solids (TS) concentration) or product concentration (high volatile fatty acids (VFA) and/or ammonia (NH(3)-N) concentrations) was studied. The results show that for a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) operation, a maximum of 40 g/L of TS and 4.0 g/L of ammonium (NH(4)(+)) was required. In addition, the maximum organic loading rate (OLR) will not exceed 1.5 kg VS/m(3)d. Higher TS and NH(4)(+) concentrations and OLR lead to a reduction on the methane productivity and volatile solids (VS) removal. During the CSTR operation, a high alkalinity concentration (above 10 g/L CaCO(3)) was found; this situation allowed maintaining a constant and appropriate pH (close to 7.8), despite the VFA accumulation. In this sense, the alkalinity ratio (α) is a more appropriate control and monitoring parameter of the reactor operation compared to pH. Additionally, with this parameter a VS removal of 80% with a methane productivity of 0.50 m(3)(CH4)/m(3)(R)d is achieved.     

Two-stage thermophilic-mesophilic anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge from a biological nutrient removal plant.

A two-stage thermophilic-mesophilic anaerobic digestion pilot-plant was operated solely on waste activated sludge (WAS) from a biological nutrient removal (BNR) plant. The first-stage thermophilic reactor (HRT 2 days) was operated at 47, 54 and 60 degrees C. The second-stage mesophilic digester (HRT 15 days) was held at a constant temperature of 36-37 degrees C. For comparison with a single-stage mesophilic process, the mesophilic digester was also operated separately with an HRT of 17 days and temperature of 36-37 degrees C. The results showed a truly thermophilic stage (60 degrees C) was essential to achieve good WAS degradation. The lower thermophilic temperatures examined did not offer advantages over single-stage mesophilic treatment in terms of COD and VS removal. At a thermophilic temperature of 60 degrees C, the plant achieved 35% VS reduction, representing a 46% increase compared to the single-stage mesophilic digester. This is a significant level of degradation which could make such a process viable in situations where there is no primary sludge generated. The fate of the biologically stored phosphorus in this BNR sludge was also investigated. Over 80% of the incoming phosphorus remained bound up with the solids and was not released into solution during the WAS digestion. Therefore only a small fraction of phosphorus would be recycled to the main treatment plant with the dewatering stream.     

Thermal pretreatment of the solid fraction of manure: impact on the biogas reactor performance and microbial community.

Application of thermal treatment at 100-140 degrees C as a pretreatment method prior to anaerobic digestion of a mixture of cattle and swine manure was investigated. In a batch test, biogasification of manure with thermally pretreated solid fraction proceeded faster and resulted in the increase of methane yield. The performances of two thermophilic continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTR) treating manure with solid fraction pretreated for 40 minutes at 140 degrees C and non-treated manure were compared. The digester fed with the thermally pretreated manure had a higher methane productivity and an improved removal of the volatile solids (VS). The properties of microbial communities of both reactors were analysed. The specific methanogenic activity (SMA) test showed that both biomasses had significant activity towards hydrogen and formate, while the activity with the VFA - acetate, propionate and butyrate - was low. The kinetic parameters of the VFA conversion revealed a reduced affinity of the microbial community from the CSTR fed with thermally pre-treated manure for acetate, propionate and butyrate. The bacterial and archaeal populations identified by t-RLFP analysis of 16S rRNA genes were found to be identical in both systems. However, a change in the abundance of the species present was detected.     

Methane potential and biodegradability of rice straw, rice husk and rice residues from the drying process

Agricultural solid residues are a potential renewable energy source. Rice harvesting and production in Sancti Spíritus province, Cuba, currently generates residues without an environmentally sustainable disposal route. Rice residues (rice straw, rice husk and rice residues from the drying process) are potentially an important carbon source for anaerobic digestion. For this paper, rice residues were placed for 36 days retention time in anaerobic batch reactor environments at both mesophilic (37 °C) and thermophilic (55 °C) conditions. Biogas and methane yield were determined as well as biogas composition. The results showed that rice straw as well as rice residues from the drying process had the highest biogas and methane yield. Temperature played an important role in determining both biogas yield and kinetics. In all cases, rice straw produced the highest yields; under mesophilic conditions the biogas yield was 0.43 m(3) kg(VS)(-1), under thermophilic conditions biogas yield reached 0.52 m(3) kg(VS)(-1). In the case of the rice husk, the biodegradability was very low. Methane content in all batches was kept above 55% vol. All digested material had a high carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratio, even though significant biodegradation was recorded with the exception of rice husk. A first-order model can be used to describe the rice crop residues fermentation effectively.     

Methane production and solids destruction in an anaerobic solid waste reactor due to post-reactor caustic and heat treatment.

This study was undertaken to determine the feasibility of caustic and heat treatment of sludge from a dry anaerobic reactor (DAR) with respect to increased methane production and solids destruction. The DAR was operated semi-continuously at 55 degrees C on sized-reduced municipal solid waste at a solids retention time of 15 days. A respirometer was employed to monitor the extent and rate of methane production from anaerobic biodegradation of DAR sludge that was treated with caustic and heat. Results indicate that caustic and heat treatment at 50 degrees C and 175 degrees C increased methane production by 22% and 52%, respectively. Also, volatile solids destruction increased from 46% to 58% and 83%, respectively. Based on these results, economic analysis for a full-scale 10(5) kg/d facility suggests that annual project revenue for 50 degrees C and 175 degrees C treatment is estimated at $21,000 and $445,000, respectively.     

Granular biofilm-based anaerobic digestion: molecular biomonitoring and high-rate psychrophilic treatment of phenolic wastewater.

Two pairs of expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) bioreactors, R1/R2 and R3/R4, were designed. R1/R2 were used for mesophilic (37 degrees C) treatment of synthetic wastewater over a 100-day trial. A successful start-up was achieved by R1 and R2, with COD removal over 90%. Both reactors were operated under identical parameters; however, increased organic loading induced a reduction in COD removal by R1, while R2 maintained satisfactory performance throughout the experiment. R3/R4 were operated at 15 degrees C throughout a 422-day trial and were used for the stabilisation of volatile fatty acid-based wastewater. Phenol was introduced to R4 at an applied loading rate of 1 kg phenol m(-3)d(-1), which was increased to 2 kg phenol m(-3)d(-1). No phenol was supplied to R3. Efficient COD conversion was recorded in both R3 and R4, thus demonstrating the feasibility of high-rate phenol degradation under psychrophilic conditions. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was applied to the characterisation of microbial community dynamics within each of the reactors. The results indicated a microbiological basis for the deviation, in terms of operational performance, of R1 and R2. TRFLP analyses indicated stable microbial communities in R3 and R4, but detected changes in the abundance of specific ribotypes in response to phenol mineralisation.     

Relative kinetics of anaerobic digestion under thermophilic and mesophilic conditions

With several advantages over the conventional mesophilic anaerobic digestion, such as better sludge quality and higher biogas production, thermophilic anaerobic digestion is regarded as a promising alternative for sludge digestion. Primary and activated sludges are complex materials, and historically, analysis of kinetics has been largely on whole sludge, without analysis of individual components. This paper analyses relative digestion kinetics of pure substrates designed to target main stages of sludge digestion under thermophilic and mesophilic conditions. Hydrolysis rate of cellulose was significantly influenced by temperature with hydrolysis coefficients of--at 55 degrees C (0.7 +/- 0.1 day(-1)), 60 degrees C (0.8 +/- 0.2 day(-1)), 65 degrees C (1.1 +/- 0.2 day(-1)) and 70 degrees C (1.2 +/- 0.2 day(-1)) over 38 degrees C (0.4 +/- 0.1 day(-1)). This strongly follows the Arrhenius relationship, with an activation energy (E(A)) of 31 +/- 4 kJ mol(-1), corresponding to an increase of 1.5x for each 10 degrees C of temperature increase. Glucose uptake was rapid with a wide variety of fermentation products detected under mesophilic conditions, while uptake was slower under thermophilic conditions with acetate and propionate being dominant products. Propionate acetogenesis and acetate-utilizing methanogenesis kinetics were not influenced by temperatures. Hydrolysis is widely regarded as a rate-limiting step in sludge digestion, thus improvements in hydrolysis rates as measured during this study have the potential for significant improvements in overall apparent sludge digestion rates.     

Mesophilic-thermophilic-mesophilic anaerobic digestion of liquid dairy cattle manure.

The potential of a mesophilic-thermophilic-mesophilic anaerobic digestion system was investigated with respect to improvement of both digestion and sanitation efficiencies during treatment of liquid cattle manure. The pilot plant produced a high methane yield from liquid dairy cattle manure of 0.24 m3 (kg VSfed)(-1) Considering the low system loading rate of 1.4-1.5 kg VS (m3 d)(-1), digestion efficiency compared to conventional processes did not appear improved. The minimum guaranteed retention time in the tubular thermophilic reactor was increased compared to a continuously stirred tank reactor. Levels of intestinal enterococci in raw liquid manure as determined with cultivation methods were reduced by 2.5 -3 log units to a level of around 10(2) cfu/mL. This sanitizing effect was achieved both during mesophilic-thermophilic-mesophilic and thermophilic-mesophilic treatment, provided the thermophilic digester was operated at 53-55 degrees C. A change in feeding interval from 1 h to 4 h did not significantly alter methane yield and sanitation efficiency. It was proposed that a two-stage, thermophilic-mesophilic anaerobic digestion system would be able to achieve the same sanitizing effect and equal or better digestion efficiency at lower costs.     

Application and biomolecular monitoring of psychrophilic anaerobic digestion.

Thirteen anaerobic hybrid expanded granular sludge bed-anaerobic filter bioreactors were used for psychrophilic (15-18 degrees C) anaerobic digestion of a variety of synthetic and non-synthetic wastewaters, including: food-processing, dairy, aromatic- and aliphatic-containing and brewery discharges. Specific methanogenic activity assays were employed to assess temporal physiological activity dynamics. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism genetic fingerprinting and fluorescent in situ hybridization were used to monitor shifts in the structure of the microbial communities in the bioreactors in response to operating conditions. Treatment efficiencies obtained were comparable to previous mesophilic (37 degrees C) trials. Methanogenic activity developed under psychrophilic conditions and putative psychrophilic populations were detected within otherwise psychrotolerant mesophilic communities. Shifts in the population structure of archaeal (methanogenic) communities were more indicative of process disruption than bacterial communities. Biomolecular techniques were demonstrated as valuable tools for anaerobic wastewater treatment plant monitoring.     

Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) treatment of supernatant of cow manure by thermal pre-treatment.

Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) methane fermentation treatment of cow manure that was subjected to screw pressing, thermal treatment and subsequent solid-liquid separation was studied. Conducting batch scale tests at temperatures between 140 and 180 degrees C, the optimal temperature for sludge settling and the color suppression was found to be between 160-170 degrees C. UASB treatment was carried out with a supernatant obtained from the thermal treatment at the optimal conditions (170 degrees C for 30 minutes) and polymer-dosed solid-liquid separation. In the UASB treatment with a COD(Cr) loading of 11.7 kg/m3/d and water temperature of 32.2 degrees C, the COD(Cr) level dropped from 16,360 mg/L in raw water to 3,940 mg/L in treated water (COD(Cr), removal rate of 75.9%), and the methane production rate per COD(Cr) was 0.187 Nm3/kg. Using wastewater thermal-treated at the optimal conditions, also a methane fermentation treatment with a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) was conducted (COD(Cr) in raw water: 38,000 mg/L, hydraulic retention time (HRT): 20 days, 35 degrees C). At the COD(Cr) loading of 1.9 kg/m3/d, the methane production rate per COD(Cr), was 0.153 Nm3/kg. This result shows that UASB treatment using thermal pre-treatment provides a COD(Cr), loading of four times or more and a methane production rate of 1.3 times higher than the CSTR treatment.     

Is sonication effective to improve biogas production and solids reduction in excess sludge digestion?

Results of three semi-continuous anaerobic tests were reported and discussed. Each test was carried out by two parallel anaerobic reactors fed with waste activated sludge, either as it was sampled from the sewage treatment plant of Rome North or previously disintegrated by ultra-sound treatment. Activated sludge was sonicated at the energy input of 5,000 or 2,500 kJ kg(-1) dry solids corresponding to a disintegration degree of approximately 8 or 4%, respectively. Sonication proved to be effective both in increasing VS destruction and cumulative biogas production. The best increase of VS destruction (from 30 to 35%) was achieved in test #3 carried out at high organic load (10 d residence time) and low energy input (2,500 kJ kg(-1) dry solids). The best increase in cumulative biogas production (from 472 to 640 NL after 67 d of tests i.e.) was obtained in test #1 at low organic load (20 d residence time) and high energy input (5,000 kJ kg(-1) dry solids). Specific biogas production varied in the tests carried out with untreated sludge (0.55 - 0.67 Nm3 kg(-1) VS destroyed) but was practically unchanged for all the tests with sonicated sludge (0.7 Nm3 kg(-1) VS destroyed).     

The effect of temperature on the performance and stability of thermophilic anaerobic digestion.

Sustainable operation of an anaerobic sewage sludge digester requires the effective shuttling of carbon from complex organic material to methane gas. The accumulation of intermediates and metabolic products such as volatile fatty acids and hydrogen gas not only reveal inefficiency within the digestion process, but can be detrimental to reactor operation at sufficiently high levels. Eight anaerobic digesters (1 mesophilic and 7 thermophilic) were operated in order to determine the effect of steady-state digestion temperature on the operational stability and performance of the digestion process. Replicate reactors operated at 57.5 degrees C, the highest temperature studied, were prone to accumulation of volatile fatty acids (4052 and 3411 mg/L as acetate) and gaseous hydrogen. Reactors operated at or below 55 degrees C showed no such accumulation of intermediate metabolites. Overall methanogenesis was also greatly reduced at 57.5 degrees C (0.09 L CH4/g VS fed) versus optimal methane formation at 53 degrees C (0.40 L CH4/g VS fed). Microbial community assessment and free energy calculations suggest that the accumulation of fatty acids and hydrogen, and relatively poor methanogenic performance at 57.5 degrees C are likely due to temperature limitations of thermophilic aceticlastic methanogens.     

Low temperature anaerobic biotreatment of priority pollutants.

The effect of low operating temperature and pollutant concentration on the performance of five anaerobic hybrid reactors was investigated. Stable and efficient long-term (>400 days) treatment of a cold (6-13 degrees C), volatile fatty acid (VFA)-based, wastewater was achieved at applied organic loading rates (OLRs) of 5 kg chemical oxygen demand (COD) m(-3) d(-1) with COD removal efficiencies c. 84% at 6 degrees C (sludge loading rate (SLR) 1.04-1.46 kg COD kg [VSS](-1) d(-1)). VFA-based wastewaters, containing up to 14 g pentachlorophenol (PCP) m(-3) d(-1) or 155 g toluene m(-3) d(-1) were successfully treated at applied OLRs of 5-7 kg COD m(-3) d(-1). Despite transient declines in reactor performance in response to increasing toxicant loading rates, stable operation (COD removal efficiencies > 90%) and satisfactory toxicant removal efficiencies (>88%) were demonstrated by the systems.     

UASB treatment of liquid residues from grass bioraffination.

In 2001 the first green biorefinery started operation in Switzerland with a design load of 5,000 tons dm of grass per year and a combined output of fibres (0.4 tons per ton input), protein (160 t/t) and bioenergy (500 kWh/t). Bioenergy was produced in a 570 m3 UASB reactor which has been monitored intensively during its first year of operation. Anaerobic treatment of liquid residues with > 80% degradation of organics was shown up to high f/m ratios and loading rates of 12 -15 kg COD/m3 d and specific biogas production of 0.5-0.65 Nm3 of gas per kg of COD added. A mass flow analysis of solids and pellets leads to the conclusion, that due to a low sludge bed volume of only 16% of the reactor combined with a low actual organic loading of 1.5 kg COD/m3 d there was a restricted adsorption and a low degradation of substrate solids.     

Biochemical methane potential (BMP) of agro-food wastes from the Cider Region (Spain)

An inventory of agro-food industry organic waste streams with a high potential for biogas transformation was studied in a logistically viable area (Cider Region, Asturias, Spain). Three industries were selected as the most viable ones: livestock, dairy and beverage. The potential for methane production from six wastes (beverage waste, BW; milled apple waste, MA; milk waste, MK; yogurt waste, YG; fats and oils from dairy wastewater treatment, F&O and cattle manure, CM) at five different substrate:inoculum ratios (0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00 and 1.50) was evaluated in laboratory batch assays. Obtained methane yields ranged from 202-549 mL STP CH(4)·g VS waste(-1), and the methane content in biogas ranged from 58-76%. The ultimate practical biochemical methane potentials were slightly affected by the substrate:inoculum ratio. The estimation of the regional fluxes of waste and methane potentials suggests anaerobic digestion as a sustainable solution for the valorization of the organic wastes generated in this Region.     

Microalgae growth for nutrient recovery from sludge liquor and production of renewable bioenergy

Proof-of-concept has been demonstrated for a process that will utilize nutrients from sludge liquor, natural light, and CO2 from biogas to grow microalgae at wastewater treatment plants. This process will reduce the impact of returning side-streams to the head of the plant. The produced algae will be fed to anaerobic digesters for increased biogas production. Dewatering of anaerobically digested sludge in centrifuges produces reject water with extremely low transmittance of light. A pretreatment procedure was developed that improved light transmittance for reject water from the FREVAR, Norway, wastewater treatment plant from 0.1% T to 77% T (670 nm, 1 cm path). Chlorella sp. microalgae were found to be suitable for growth in this pre-treated reject water. Typical nitrogen removal was 80-90 g N/kg TSS of produced microalgae. The microalgae were successfully harvested by chemically assisted flocculation followed by straining through a 33 microm sieve cloth, achieving up to 99% recovery. Harvested algae were anaerobically co-digested with wastewater sludge. The specific methane gas production (mL CH4/g VS fed) for the algae varied from less than 65% to 90% of the specific methane gas production for the wastewater sludge, depending on digester temperature, retention time and pre-treatment of the algae biomass.