Improvement of Biogas Quality and Quantity for Small-Scale Biogas-Electricity Generation Application in off-Grid Settings: A Field-Based Study

Small-scale electrical power generation (<100 kW) from biogas plants to provide off-grid electricity is of growing interest. Currently, gas engines are used to meet this demand. Alternatively, more efficient small-scale solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) can be used to enhance electricity generation from small-scale biogas plants. Most...

Microbial community dynamics reflect reactor stability during the anaerobic digestion of a very high strength and sulfate-rich vinasse

BACKGROUND: Microbial community dynamics during the anaerobic digestion of vinasse has been little studied. However, having knowledge about it is essential for early detection of reactor operational difficulties to apply preventive actions. This research studies the microbial community dynamics in the anaerobic digestion of vinasse, linking...

Bio-methanation Of Fine Sieved Fraction Sequestered From Raw Municipal Sewage

Fine sieves can be implemented as compact alternatives to primary clarification. Fine sieved fraction (FSF) is a heterogeneous substrate that mainly consists of fibers originating from toilet paper and thus contains a high cellulosic fraction. Resource recovery and energy neutral sewage treatment is nowadays focus of many water authorities. This...

Quantifying electron fluxes in methanogenic microbial communities

Anaerobic digestion is a widely applied process in which close interactions between different microbial groups result in the formation of renewable energy in the form of biogas. Nevertheless, the regulatory mechanisms of the electron transfer between acetogenic bacteria and methanogenic archaea in the final steps of the anaerobic digestion...

Instrumentation and control of anaerobic digestion processes: A review and some research challenges

To enhance energy production from methane or resource recovery from digestate, anaerobic digestion processes require advanced instrumentation and control tools. Over the years, research on these topics has evolved and followed the main fields of application of anaerobic digestion processes: from municipal sewage sludge to liquid—mainly...

Microbial population dynamics during long-term sludge adaptation of thermophilic and mesophilic sequencing batch digesters treating sewage fine sieved fraction at varying organic loading rates

Background In this research, the feasibility of, and population dynamics in, one-step anaerobic sequencing batch reactor systems treating the fine sieved fraction (FSF) from raw municipal wastewater was studied under thermophilic (55 °C) and mesophilic (35 °C) conditions. FSF was sequestered from raw municipal wastewater, in the Netherlands,...

Anaerobic digestion without biogas?

Anaerobic digestion for the production of methane containing biogas is the classic example of a resource recovery process that combines stabilization of particulate organic matter or wastewater treatment with the production of a valuable end-product. Attractive features of the process include the production of a single end-product from a...

Mitigation of Humic Acid Inhibition in Anaerobic Digestion of Cellulose by Addition of Various Salts

Humic compounds are inhibitory to the anaerobic hydrolysis of cellulosic biomass. In this study, the impact of salt addition to mitigate the inhibitory effects of humic compounds was investigated. The experiment was conducted using batch tests to monitor the anaerobic hydrolysis of cellulose in the presence of humic acid. Sodium, potassium,...

Biomethane and Phosphorus Recovery from Brackish Aquaculture Recirculation System

Absolute Quantification of Individual Biomass Concentrations in a Methanogenic Coculture

Identification of individual biomass concentrations is a crucial step towards an improved understanding of anaerobic digestion processes and mixed microbial conversions in general. The knowledge of individual biomass concentrations allows for the calculation of biomass specific conversion rates which form the basis of anaerobic digestion models....