The Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) was applied for the mathematical simulation of the thermophilic mono-fermentation of maize silage. Data from a period of 140 days of pilot plant operation were used for model calibration. The substrate characterization in terms of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and inert matter was based on data derived from fodder analysis. The model was capable of a...

The problem of slaughterhouse waste water can be resolved by mixing it with serum from lacteal industry to produce a biogas. The effect of serum addition on the anaerobic co-digestion of solid and liquid slaughterhouse waste has been studied. The experimental device consisted of a continuous digester by recirculation of biogas produced in the anaerobic digestion. The input effluent was a mixtur...

This work focused on glycerol exploitation for biogas and hydrogen production. Anaerobic digestion of pure glycerol was studied in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), operated under mesophilic conditions (35C) at various organic loading rates. The overall operation of the reactor showed that it could not withstand organic loading rates above 0.25 g COD L d, where the maximum biogas (0.42 ...

Background: Most households in rural developing countries do not have access to modern energy supply. Household level biogas energy was considered as an option but failed due to lack of sufficient resources for its installation and operation. A community energy system can be an option, but most studies focused on off-grid electricity. This energy system cannot be a realistic option particularly...

The effect of tetracycline (TC) antibiotic on biogas generation in anaerobic wastewater treatment was studied. A lab-scale Anaerobic Baffled Reactor (ABR) with three compartments was used. The reactor was operated with synthetic wastewater in the absence of TC and in the presence of 250 μg/L TC for 90 days, respectively. The removal rate of TC, volatile fatty acids (VFAs), biogas compositions (...

This research evaluated biogas production in batch and UASB reactors from pilot-scale acid catalysed steam pretreated and enzymatic hydrolysed wheat straw. The results showed that the pretreatment was efficient and, a sugar yield of 95% was obtained. The pretreatment improved the methane yield (0.28 m(3)/kg VS(added)) by 57% compared to untreated straw. Treatment of the straw hydrolysate with n...

Anthropic methane emissions can largely be prevented or minimized using technologies that are already available. One such technology is anaerobic digestion (AD), which is used commercially around the world, especially in Europe and the United States, where some challenging targets have been set to diversify the energy mix with more renewable energy. This foresight study was designed to identify...

The Renewable Energy Source Act (EEG) promotes German biogas production in order to substitute fossil fuels, protect the environment, and prevent climate change. As a consequence, green maize production has increased significantly over the last years, causing negative environmental effects on soil, water and biodiversity. In this paper we quantitatively analyse the EEG-reform in 2012 by applyin...

The increased use of terrestrial crops for biofuel production and the associated environmental, social and ethical issues have led to a search for alternative biomass materials. Terrestrial crops offer excellent biogas recovery, but compete directly with food production, requiring farmland, fresh water and fertilizers. Using marine macroalgae for the production of biogas circumvents these probl...

This paper deals with the optimization of a two-phase anaerobic process treating biowaste for hydrogen and methane production. Neither physical nor chemical pre-treatments were used to optimize the process. The work was carried out at pilot scale, using two CSTRs (200 and 380 L working volume respectively) both maintained at thermophilic temperature (55 C) and fed semi-continuously with biowast...