The status of anaerobic zoosporic (Chytridiomycota) fungi along the entire digestive tract of sheep was assessed both analytically and microscopically. Digest samples were taken from different segments of the digestive tracts of three newly killed sheep that previously had been used in experimental dietary studies. These digest samples were tested for the presence of rumen fungi by assessing th...

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is one of the few sustainable technologies that both produce energy and treat waste streams. Driven by a complex and diverse community of microbes, AD may be affected by different factors, many of which also influence the composition and activity of the microbial community. In this study, the biodiversity of microbial populations in innovative mesophilic/thermophilic te...

The potential of microalgae as a source of biofuels and as a technological solution for CO2 fixation is subject to intense academic and industrial research. In the perspective of setting up massive cultures, the management of large quantities of residual biomass and the high amounts of fertilizers must be considered. Anaerobic digestion is a key process that can solve this waste issue as well a...

−− A previously developed deterministic steady state module for modeling methanogenic biofilm reactors has been revised to enlarge the model application range and to deal with system dynamics. Two models for the hydrolysis of non-active biomass representing extreme alternatives: without biomass hydrolysis (model A) and with complete and instantaneous hydrolysis of non-active suspended and attac...

Background: Large amounts of fibre-rich organic waste material from public green and private gardens have to be treated environmentally friendly; however, this fibre-rich biomass has low biogas yields. This study investigated the presence of fungi in full-scale biogas plants as well as in laboratory reactors and elucidated the importance of fungi for the biogas process. Methods: The dominating ...

Introduction: Mixotrophic microalgae systems have great potential for bioenergy production and wastewater treatment. Anaerobic-treated wastewater supplemented with carbon can improve biomass yield and quality, as it presents low carbon content. Alternative carbon sources in microalgae cultivation, such as glycerol, are essential for minimizing the economic and environmental impacts caused by bi...

The biomass production potential at temperate latitudes (56°N), and the quality of the biomass for energy production (anaerobic digestion to methane and direct combustion) were investigated for the green macroalgae, Ulva lactuca. The algae were cultivated in a land based facility demonstrating a production potential of 45T (TS) ha(-1) y(-1). Biogas production from fresh and macerated U. lactuca...

Using water hyacinth [Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms) for wastewater renovation produces biomass that must be disposed of. This biomass may be anaerobically digested to produce CH4 or added to soil directly as an amendment. In this study, fresh and anaerobically digested water hyacinth biomass, with either low or high N tissue content, were added to soil to evaluate C and N mineralization c...

Tobacco is widely planted across the world especially in China, which means that a large amount of tobacco waste needs to be treated. This study investigated the biogas fermentation of tobacco stalks co-digested with different biomass feedstocks and the inactivation of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) by anaerobic digestion. Results showed that the maximum methane yield o...

Biomass is a readily available renewable energy source which has received increasing attention due to rising prices of fossil fuels and the urgent need to mitigate anthropogenic global warming. The conversion of biomass into gaseous and liquid biofuels by microorganisms can be considered as a way to gain safe and sustainable energy which does not contribute to a further build up of carbon dioxi...