Stable operation during pilot-scale anaerobic digestion of nutrient-supplemented maize/sugar beet silage

• Biogas production from maize/sugar beet silage was studied under mesophilic conditions in a continuous stirred tank reactor pilot-scale process. While energy crop mono-digestion is often performed with very long hydraulic retention times (HRTs), the present study demonstrated an efficient process operating with a 50-day HRT and a corrected total solids (TScorr) based organic loading rate of 3.4 kg/m3×d. The good performance was attributed to supplementation with both macro- and micronutrients and was evidenced by good methane yields (318 m3/ton TScorr) which were comparable to laboratory maximum expected yields plus low total volatile fatty acid concentrations (< 0.8 g/L). A viscoplastic and thixotropic digester fluid behaviour was observed, and the viscosity problems common in crop mono-digestion were not seen in this study. The effluent also complied with Swedish certification standards for bio-fertilizer for farmland application. Nutrient addition thus rendered a stable biogas process, while the effluent was a good quality bio-fertilizer.

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Industriell bioteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Industrial Biotechnology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Bio-fertilizer

Biogas

Energy crops

Macronutrients

Micronutrients

Biogas

Bio-fertilizer

Energy crops

Macronutrients

Micronutrients

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)