Detoxifying CO2 Capture Reclaimer Waste by Anaerobic Digestion

The decrease in toxicity of carbon capture reclaimer monoethanolamine (MEA) waste (MEAw) during anaerobic degradation of such waste together with easily degradable organics was investigated. Samples were collected from a bioreactor at steady state with 86 % organic chemical oxygen demand removal at room temperature, which had been running on MEAw for 2 years. The toxicity of the digester effluents were 126, 42 and 10 times lower than that of the MEAw to the tested freshwater trophic groups of Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, Daphnia magna and embryos of Danio rerio, respectively. The toxicity of the tested taxonomic groups after anaerobic digestion was mainly attributed to the ammonia generated by the degradation of MEAw.     

A Review of the Anaerobic Digestion of Fruit and Vegetable Waste

Fruit and vegetable waste is an ever-growing global question. Anaerobic digestion techniques have been developed that facilitate turning such waste into possible sources for energy and fertilizer, simultaneously helping to reduce environmental pollution. However, various problems are encountered in applying these techniques. The purpose of this study is to review local and overseas studies, which focus on the use of anaerobic digestion to dispose fruit and vegetable wastes, discuss the acidification problems and solutions in applying anaerobic digestion for fruit and vegetable wastes and investigate the reactor design (comparing single phase with two phase) and the thermal pre-treatment for processing raw wastes. Furthermore, it analyses the dominant microorganisms involved at different stages of digestion and suggests a focus for future studies.     

Soaking Pretreatment of Corn Stover for Bioethanol Production Followed by Anaerobic Digestion Process

The production of ethanol and methane from corn stover (CS) was investigated in a biorefinery process. Initially, a novel soaking pretreatment (NaOH and aqueous-ammonia) for CS was developed to remove lignin, swell the biomass, and improve enzymatic digestibility. Based on the sugar yield during enzymatic hydrolysis, the optimal pretreatment conditions were 1?% NaOH?+?8?% NH₄OH, 50°C, 48?h, with a solid-to-liquid ratio 1:10. The results demonstrated that soaking pretreatment removed 63.6?% lignin while reserving most of the carbohydrates. After enzymatic hydrolysis, the yields of glucose and xylose were 78.5?% and 69.3?%, respectively. The simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of pretreated CS using Pichia stipitis resulted in an ethanol concentration of 36.1?g/L, corresponding only to 63.3?% of the theoretical maximum. In order to simplify the process and reduce the capital cost, the liquid fraction of the pretreatment was used to re-soak new CS. For methane production, the re-soaked CS and the residues of SSF were anaerobically digested for 120?days. Fifteen grams CS were converted to 1.9?g of ethanol and 1337.3?mL of methane in the entire process.     

Growth of Chlorella vulgaris on Sugarcane Vinasse: The Effect of Anaerobic Digestion Pretreatment

Microalgae farming has been identified as the most eco-sustainable solution for producing biodiesel. However, the operation of full-scale plants is still limited by costs and the utilization of industrial and/or domestic wastes can significantly improve economic profits. Several waste effluents are valuable sources of nutrients for the cultivation of microalgae. Ethanol production from sugarcane, for instance, generates significant amounts of organically rich effluent, the vinasse. After anaerobic digestion treatment, nutrient remaining in such an effluent can be used to grow microalgae. This research aimed to testing the potential of the anaerobic treated vinasse as an alternative source of nutrients for culturing microalgae with the goal of supplying the biodiesel industrial chain with algal biomass and oil. The anaerobic process treating vinasse reached a steady state at about 17 batch cycles of 24 h producing about 0.116 m³CH₄ kgCOD_vinasse ^?1. The highest productivity of Chlorella vulgaris biomass (70 mg l^?1 day^?1) was observed when using medium prepared with the anaerobic digester effluent. Lipid productivity varied from 0.5 to 17 mg l^?1 day^?1. Thus, the results show that it is possible to integrate the culturing of microalgae with the sugarcane industry by means of anaerobic digestion of the vinasse. There is also the advantageous possibility of using by-products of the anaerobic digestion such as methane and CO₂ for sustaining the system with energy and carbon source, respectively.     

Biogas Production from Anaerobic Co-digestion of Food Waste with Dairy Manure in a Two-Phase Digestion System

Co-digestion of food waste and dairy manure in a two-phase digestion system was conducted in laboratory scale. Four influents of R0, R1, R2, and R3 were tested, which were made by mixing food waste with dairy manure at different ratios of 0:1, 1:1, 3:1, and 6:1, respectively. For each influent, three runs of experiments were performed with the same overall hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 13 days but different HRT for acidification (1, 2, and 3 days) and methanogenesis (12, 11, and 10 days) in two-phase digesters. The results showed that the gas production rate (GPR) of co-digestion of food waste with dairy manure was enhanced by 0.8–5.5 times as compared to the digestion with dairy manure alone. Appropriate HRT for acidification was mainly determined by the biodegradability of the substrate digested. Three-, 2-, and 1-day HRT for acidification were found to be optimal for the digestion of R0, R1, and R2/R3, respectively, when overall HRT of 13 days was used. The highest GPR of 3.97 L/L·day was achieved for R3(6:1) in Run 1 (1 + 12 days), therefore, the mixing ratio of 6:1 and HRT of 1 day for acidification were considered to be the optimal ones and thus recommended for co-digestion of food waste and dairy manure. There were close correlations between degradation of organic matters and GPR. The highest VS removal rate was achieved at the same HRT for acidification and mixing ratio of food waste and dairy manure as GPR in the co-digestion. The two-phase digestion system showed good stability, which was mainly attributed to the strong buffering capacity with two-phase system and the high alkalinity from dairy manure when co-digested with food waste.     

Biogas Plasticization Coupled Anaerobic Digestion: Anaerobic Pump Calorimetry

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - This paper presents the quantitative bomb calorimetric high heat values (HHV) for residue samples collected from the Anaerobic Pump (®TAP) and a...     

Microcalorimetric Monitoring of Anaerobic Digestion Processes

Microcalorimetry was used for monitoring anaerobic digestion processes of heavily polluted industrial waste waters (from cheese industry, distilleries, yeast plant). Interpreting the thermal power-time curves by HPLC, some sub-processes in batch cultures were tentatively identified as acidogenic, acetogenic and methanogenic. Processes underlying power-time curves up to 10 h were different for different wastes. In the case of cheese whey and distillery waste it was acidogenesis, in the case of sulfate containing waste - presumably reduction of sulfates. The effect of Biotreat 100 (BimKemi Eesti Ltd.), a preparation for removing H₂S from waste water, was observed for these processes. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Upgrading Solid Digestate from Anaerobic Digestion of Agricultural Waste as Performance Enhancer for Starch-Based Mulching Biofilm

Developing a green and sustainable method to upgrade biogas wastes into high value-added products is attracting more and more public attention. The application of solid residues as a performance enhancer in the manufacture of biofilms is a prospective way to replace conventional plastic based on fossil fuel. In this work, solid digestates from the anaerobic digestion of agricultural wastes, such as straw, cattle and chicken manures, were pretreated by an ultrasonic thermo-alkaline treatment to remove the nonfunctional compositions and then incorporated in plasticized starch paste to prepare mulching biofilms by the solution casting method. The results indicated that solid digestate particles dispersed homogenously in the starch matrix and gradually aggregated under the action of a hydrogen bond, leading to a transformation of the composites to a high crystalline structure. Consequently, the composite biofilm showed a higher tensile strength, elastic modulus, glass transition temperature and degradation temperature compared to the pure starch-based film. The light, water and GHG (greenhouse gas) barrier properties of the biofilm were also reinforced by the addition of solid digestates, performing well in sustaining the soil quality and minimizing N₂O or CH₄ emissions. As such, recycling solid digestates into a biodegradable plastic substitute not only creates a new business opportunity by producing high-performance biofilms but also reduces the environmental risk caused by biogas waste and plastics pollution.     

Biogas Plasticization Coupled Anaerobic Digestion: The Anaerobic Pump Stoichiometry

This paper presents the stoichiometry section of a bioenergetics investigation into the biogas plasticization of wastewater sludge using the Anaerobic Pump (TAP). Three residue samples, an input substrate and two residual products, were collected from two side by side operated AD systems, a conventional continuous flow and stirred reactor, and TAP, and submitted for elemental and calorimetric analyses. The elemental compositions of the residues were fitted to a heterotrophic metabolism model [1] for both systems. To facilitate balanced stoichiometric models, a simple “cell” correction computation separates measured residual composites into “real” residual composition and cell growth (C₅H₇NO₂) components. The elemental data and model results show that the TAP stage II residual composition (C₁H_0.065O_0.0027N_0.036) was nearly devoid of hydrogen and oxygen, leaving only fixed carbon and cells grown as the composition of the remaining mass. This quantitative evidence supports prior measurements of very high methane yields from TAP stage II reactor during steady-state experiments [2]. All performance parameters derived from the stoichiometric model(s) showed good agreement with measured steady-state averaged values. These findings are strong evidence that plasticization–disruption (TAP) cycle is the mechanism responsible for the observed increases in methane yield. The accuracy achieved by the stoichiometry models qualifies them for thermodynamic analysis to obtain potentials and bioconversion efficiencies. How applied pressure causes matrix conformation changes triggered by a functional consequence (plasticization and disruption) is this study’s essential focus.     

Anaerobic Digestion of Cassava Wastewater Pre-treated by Fungi

Cassava wastewater (cww) contains high concentrations of easily acidifying compounds, requiring a buffered system to allow a stable operation during anaerobic digestion (AD). The possibility to include a preliminary one-step fungi treatment aimed at raising the pH and buffering the cww prior to AD was studied. Preliminary tests were performed with a naturally grown fungal mixed culture, under aerated (AE), non-aerated (NAE) and initially oxygen-deprived (IOD) conditions. The cww was pre-treated by the NAE condition, until reaching a soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 10 g?L^?1 and pH 6.4 (batch A) and pH 5.7 (batch B). The fungal mixed culture showed ability to biodegrade the cww with initial pH of 4.4 and 14,500 mg?COD?L^-1, raising the pH over 8.5, with only 13 % of COD remaining within 27 days for both AE and NAE condition. The fungal pre-treated-cww (FPTcww) was subjected to anaerobic digestion under different buffered (CaCO₃ and NaHCO₃) and non-buffered conditions. The FPTcww with initial pH at 6.4 provided stability during the anaerobic biodegradability tests, showing the possibility of system operation without buffer addition, with final pH around 7. The application of a fungal pre-treatment can be a promising strategy to permit the anaerobic digestion of carbohydrate-rich wastewaters.     

厌氧消化过程化学变化的教学研究

有氧和无氧分解是生物体代谢有机物的2种途径,前者一直是生物化学课程中物质代谢的教学核心和重点。厌氧消化是有机物经无氧分解生成甲烷和二氧化碳的途径,相比于有氧分解,其具有化学反应众多、中间产物多、途径复杂等特点,同时对维护自然生态平衡、物质循环和人类社会的绿色健康发展等具有重要作用。如此重要的途径长期以来一直没有在生物化学教材与教学内容中体现,亟需进行教学改革。利用布鲁姆教学目标分类理论将厌氧消化过程中的主要反应、氧化还原过程及电子传递、热力学变化及串联反应等知识进行系统介绍,对物质代谢的另一条无氧路径进行补充,丰富了学生代谢网络的知识框架,完善了生物化学教学体系,相关教学内容和经验可供同行参考借鉴,对相关课程教学改革具有重要价值。     

Biogas Plasticization Coupled Anaerobic Digestion: Continuous Flow Anaerobic Pump Test Results

In this investigation, the Anaerobic Pump (®TAP) and a conventional continuous flow stirred tank reactor (CFSTR) were tested side by side to compare performance. TAP integrates anaerobic digestion (AD) with biogas plasticization–disruption cycle to improve mass conversion to methane. Both prototypes were fed a “real world” 50:50 mixture of waste-activated sludge (WAS) and primary sludge and operated at room temperature (20°C). The quantitative results from three steady states show TAP peaked at 97% conversion of the particulate COD in a system hydraulic residence time (HRT) of only 6 days. It achieved a methane production of 0.32 STP cubic meter CH₄ per kilogram COD fed and specific methane yield of 0.78 m³ CH₄ per cubic meter per day. This was more than three times the CFSTR specific methane yield (0.22 m³ CH₄ per cubic meter per day) and more than double the CFSTR methane production (0.15 m³ CH₄ per kilogram COD fed). A comparative kinetics analysis showed the TAP peak substrate COD removal rate (R _o) was 2.24 kg COD per cubic meter per day, more than three times the CFSTR substrate removal rate of 0.67 kg COD per cubic meter per day. The three important factors contributing to the superior TAP performance were (1) effective solids capture (96%) with (2) mass recycle and (3) stage II plasticization–disruption during active AD. The Anaerobic Pump (®TAP) is a high rate, high efficiency–low temperature microbial energy engine that could be used to improve renewable energy yields from classic AD waste substrates like refuse-derived fuels, treatment plant sludges, food wastes, livestock residues, green wastes and crop residuals.     

Extension of Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 with processes of sulfate reduction

In the present work, the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) for computer simulation of anaerobic processes was extended to the processes of sulfate reduction. The upgrade maintained the structure of ADM1 and included additional blocks describing sulfate-reducing processes (multiple reaction stoichiometry, microbial growth kinetics, conventional material balances for ideally mixed reactor, liquid-gas interactions, and liquid-phase equilibrium chemistry). The extended model was applied to describe a longterm experiment on sulfate reduction in a volatile fatty acid-fed upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor and was generally able to predict the outcome of competition among acetogenic bacteria, methanogenic archaea, and sulfate- reducing bacteria for these substrates. The computer simulations also showed that when the upward liquid velocity in the reactor exceeds 1 m/d, the structure of the sludge becomes essential owing to bacterial detachment.     

Physical Pretreatment Methods for Improving Microalgae Anaerobic Biodegradability

Microalgae may be a potential feedstock for biogas production through anaerobic digestion. However, this process is limited by the hydrolytic stage, due to the complex and resistant microalgae cell wall components. This fact hinders biomass conversion into biogas, demanding the application of pretreatment techniques for inducing cell damage and/or lysis and organic matter solubilisation. In this study, sonication, thermal, ultrasound, homogeneizer, hydrothermal and steam explosion pretreatments were evaluated in different conditions for comparing their effects on anaerobic digestion performance in batch reactors. The results showed that the highest biomass solubilisation values were reached for steam explosion (65–73%) and ultrasound (33–57%). In fact, only applied energies higher than 220 W or temperatures higher than 80 °C induced cell wall lysis in C. sorokiniana. Nonetheless, the highest methane yields were not correlated to biogas production. Thermal hydrolysis and steam explosion showed lower methane yields in respect to non-pretreated biomass, suggesting the presence of toxic compounds that inhibited the biological process. Accordingly, these pretreatment techniques led to a negative energy balance. The best pretreatment method among the ones evaluated was thermal pretreatment, with four times more energy produced that demanded.     

Feasibility of Hydrothermal Pretreatment on Maize Silage for Bioethanol Production

The potential of maize silage as a feedstock to produce bioethanol was evaluated in the present study. The hydrothermal pretreatment with five different pretreatment severity factors (PSF) was employed to pretreat the maize silage and compared in terms of sugar recovery, toxic test, and ethanol production by prehydrolysis and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. After pretreatment, most of the cellulose remained in the residue, ranging between 85.87% by the highest PSF (185°C, 15 min) and 92.90% obtained at the lowest PSF (185°C, 3 min). A larger part of starch, varying from 71.64% by the highest PSF to 78.28% by the lowest, was liberated into liquor part, leaving 8.05–11.74% in the residues. Xylan recovery in the residues increased from 44.25% at the highest PSF to 82.95% at the lowest. The recovery of xylan in liquor changed from 20.13% to 50.33%. Toxic test indicated that all the liquors from the five conditions were not toxic to the Baker’s yeast. Pretreatment under 195°C for 7 min had the similar PSF with that of 185°C for 15 min, and both gave the higher ethanol concentration of 19.92 and 19.98 g/L, respectively. The ethanol concentration from untreated maize silage was only 7.67 g/L.     

Immobilized Cells in Anaerobic Digestion for Methane from Poultry Manure

The two-stage immobilized microbe waste processor designed for sewage treatment by Messing has been modified to process poultry manure. The Messing reactor of 120-mL volume was modified and scaled up to a 4-L volume. Three different carrier materials have been investigated. Temperatures for each of the two stages were examined, and residence time as well as feed concentration were explored. Analytical data has been computer analyzed using multiple variable correlations and the results of this analysis have indicated directions for optimization.     

Optimization of Anaerobic Co-digestion of Strawberry and Fish Waste

Anaerobic co-digestion of agri-food waste is a promising management alternative. Its implementation, however, requires evaluating the proportion in which waste should be mixed to optimize their centralized treatment. The combined treatment of strawberry extrudate and fish waste, which are widely generated in Mediterranean areas, was optimized. Strawberry extrudate and fish waste were mixed and treated at different proportions (88:12, 94:6, and 97:3, respectively; wet basis). The proportions selected for the mixture allow the different flows to be absorbed simultaneously. The highest methane production was observed for the ratio 94:6 (0.205 m³ _STP CH₄/kg volatile solid) (VS) (STP; 0 °C, 1 atm), with a methane production rate in the range of 5?·?10^?3–9?·?10^?3 m³ _STP/kg VS?·?d, while the highest organic loading rate was observed for the mixture at a proportion 88:12 (1.9?±?0.1 kg VS/m³?·?d). Biodegradability was found to be similar for the 88:12 and 94:6 proportions, with values around 90 % in VS. Nevertheless, the 97:3 ratio was not viable due to a low methane production. An inhibition phenomenon occurred at increasing loads due to the effect of some compounds contained in the fish waste such as chloride or nitrogen.     

Thermal Pretreatment of Harvest Residues and Their Use in Anaerobic Co-digestion with Dairy Cow Manure

Several batch experiments were conducted on the anaerobic co-digestion of dairy cow manure (DCM) with three harvest residues (HR) (soybean straw, sunflower stalks, and corn stover). The influence of thermal pretreatment of HR on biogas production was investigated, where the HR were thermally pretreated at two different temperatures: T = 121 °C and T = 175 °C, during t = 30 and t = 90 min, respectively. All anaerobic co-digestion batch experiments were performed simultaneously under thermophilic regime, at T = 55 °C. Biogas and methane yields were significantly improved in experiments performed with corn stover thermally pretreated at 175 °C for 30 min (491.37 cm³/g VS and 306.96 cm³/g VS, respectively), if compared to experiments performed with untreated corn stover. The highest VS and COD removal rates were also observed in the same group of experiments and were 34.5 and 50.1%, respectively. The highest biogas and methane yields with soybean straw (418.93 cm³/g VS and 261.44 cm³/g VS, respectively) were obtained when soybean straw pretreated at 121 °C during 90 min. The highest biogas and methane yields with sunflower stalk (393.28 cm³/g VS and 245.02 cm³/g VS, respectively) were obtained when sunflower stalk was pretreated at 121 °C during 90 min.