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Small-Scale Anaerobic Digestion for Biogas Production

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A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 18825

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. John Bartlett

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Guest Editor

Department of Environmental Science, Institute of Technology Sligo, F91 YW50 Sligo, Ireland

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Small-scale anaerobic digestion (SSAD), i.e., plants with a CHP electrical capacity ranging from 15 to 100 kWe, is a promising technology for the treatment of biomass and the organic fraction of municipal wastes, especially in low population communities, or stand-alone waste treatment facilities. In addition to the benefits afforded by traditional plants, SSAD provides greater portability and flexibility options, enabling the technology's implementation in environments previously not justifiable due to insufficient feedstock quantities. This Special Issue aims to address state-of-the-art findings and improvements in SSAD, in particular in relation to aspects that include: innovative reactor configurations; biomass pre-treatments; optimisation; biogas upgrading and management; modelling; SSAD technology and policy; and field-scale practices and case studies. It is anticipated that this Special Issue will make a significant contribution to future research, development, and application of SSAD technologies.

Dr. John Bartlett
Guest Editor

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Keywords

anaerobic treatment
methane production
GHG reduction
energy and resource recovery

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 908 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

An Investigation of the Potential Adoption of Anaerobic Digestion for Energy Production in Irish Farms

by Sean O’Connor, Ehiaze Ehimen, Suresh C. Pillai, Niamh Power, Gary A. Lyons and John Bartlett

Environments 2021, 8(2), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments8020008 - 27 Jan 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4532

Abstract

Anaerobic digestion (AD) has been recognised as an effective means of simultaneously producing energy while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Despite having a large agriculture sector, Ireland has experienced little uptake of the technology, ranking 20th within the EU-28. It is, therefore, necessary to understand the general opinions, willingness to adopt, and perceived obstacles of potential adopters of the technology. As likely primary users of this technology, a survey of Irish cattle farmers was conducted to assess the potential of on-farm AD for energy production in Ireland. The study seeks to understand farmers’ motivations, perceived barriers, and preferred business model. The study found that approximately 41% of the 91 respondents were interested in installing AD on their farming enterprise within the next five years. These Likely Adopters tended to have a higher level of education attainment, and together, currently hold 4379 cattle, potentially providing 37,122 t year⁻¹ of wastes as feedstock, resulting in a potential CO₂ reduction of 800.65 t CO₂-eq. year⁻¹. Moreover, the results indicated that the primary consideration preventing the implementation of AD is a lack of information regarding the technology and high investment costs. Of the Likely Adopters and Possible Adopters, a self-owned and operated plant was the preferred ownership structure, while 58% expressed an interest in joining a co-operative scheme. The findings generated provide valuable insights into the willingness of farmers to implement AD and guidance for its potential widespread adoption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Small-Scale Anaerobic Digestion for Biogas Production)

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13 pages, 1963 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Temperature and Organic Load on the Performance of Anaerobic Bioreactors Treating Grasses

by Spyridon Achinas and Gerrit Jan Willem Euverink

Environments 2020, 7(10), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments7100082 - 1 Oct 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2338

Abstract

The organic residues generated in grasslands can be treated by adopting anaerobic digestion technology. This technology can enhance the efforts for sustainable waste management around the world. In the northern Netherlands, there is a vast amount of ditch clippings and canal grasses that can be used as a renewable source of energy; however, optimal bioenergy production from grasses is still under research and this study aims to evaluate biogas production from grassy residues at the local level in the context of a sustainable waste management scheme. Batch tests were facilitated to investigate the impact of temperature and organic load on the anaerobic digestion performance of grass mixtures (ditch clippings and canal grasses). The results showed that high temperature favors the degradation of high lignocellulosic materials like grasses. Specifically, bioreactors at 55 °C with an organic load of 30 g volatile solids (VS) L⁻¹ reached 360.4 mL g VS_substrate⁻¹. Moreover, reactors with low organic loads resulted in a lower methane yield. The kinetics study also showed good fitting of the predicted and experimental values. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Small-Scale Anaerobic Digestion for Biogas Production)

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17 pages, 3311 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Description of a Decentralized Small Scale Digester for Treating Organic Wastes

by Rubén González, Daniel Blanco, Judith González-Arias, José García-Cascallana and Xiomar Gómez

Environments 2020, 7(10), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments7100078 - 29 Sep 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2761

Abstract

This manuscript deals with the detailed design of a small digestion prototype intended as a commercial unit fully operational to cover the demand for decentralized treatment of wastes. These plants are highly affected by the complex nature of wastes giving rise to different operating problems that should be considered in detail. This paper describes the design and start-up strategy of a small-scale digestion plant with a volume of 8 m³ designed to operate with a hydrolysis pretreatment unit. The plant was designed to treat fruit and vegetable wastes as substrates derived from a local processing food factory. The performance of the plant during fed-batch operation was reported. The strategy of inoculating the reactor only to a third of its original volume and subsequently increasing the volume of the reactor by using the fed-batch mode was inadequate. The acid pH of the feeding substrate resulted in the application of a low organic loading rate with a volumetric variation of just 19.7 L/d. The performance of the plant was evaluated at non-steady state conditions and resulted in excessive destruction of volatile solids due to the low nitrogen content of the feeding substrate. The prototype reported a specific methane production of 232 L/kg volatile solids despite the low feeding rate supplemented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Small-Scale Anaerobic Digestion for Biogas Production)

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10 pages, 973 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Microaeration and Sound to Increase Biogas Production from Poultry Litter

by John Loughrin, Stacy Antle, Michael Bryant, Zachary Berry and Nanh Lovanh

Environments 2020, 7(8), 62; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments7080062 - 16 Aug 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3383

Abstract

Microaeration, wherein small amounts of air are introduced into otherwise anaerobic digesters, has been shown to enhance biogas production. This occurs by fostering the growth of facultatively aerobic bacteria and production of enzymes that enhance the degradation of complex polymers such as cellulose. The treatment of anaerobic digestate with sound at sonic frequencies (<20 kHz) has also been shown to improve biogas production. Microaeration at a rate of 800 mL day⁻¹, treatment with a 1000-Hz sine wave, and combined microaeration/sound were compared to a control digester for the production of biogas and their effect on wastewater quality. Poultry litter from a facility using wood chips as bedding was used as feed. The initial feeding rate was 400 g week⁻¹, and this was slowly increased to a final rate of 2400 g week⁻¹. Compared to the control, sound treatment, aeration, and combined sound/aeration produced 17%, 32%, and 28% more biogas. The aeration alone treatment may have been more effective than combined aeration/sound due to the sound interfering with retention of aeration or the formation of free radicals during cavitation. Digesters treated with sound had the highest concentrations of suspended solids, likely due to cavitation occurring within the sludge and the resulting suspension of fine particles by bubbles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Small-Scale Anaerobic Digestion for Biogas Production)

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Review

Jump to: Research

23 pages, 1011 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

High-Solid Anaerobic Digestion: Reviewing Strategies for Increasing Reactor Performance

by Marcos Ellacuriaga, José García Cascallana, Rubén González and Xiomar Gómez

Environments 2021, 8(8), 80; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments8080080 - 14 Aug 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4899

Abstract

High-solid and solid-state anaerobic digestion are technologies capable of achieving high reactor productivity. The high organic load admissible for this type of configuration makes these technologies an ideal ally in the conversion of waste into bioenergy. However, there are still several factors associated with these technologies that result in low performance. The economic model based on a linear approach is unsustainable, and changes leading to the development of a low-carbon model with a high degree of circularity are necessary. Digestion technology may represent a key driver leading these changes but it is undeniable that the profitability of these plants needs to be increased. In the present review, the digestion process under high-solid-content configurations is analyzed and the different strategies for increasing reactor productivity that have been studied in recent years are described. Percolating reactor configurations and the use of low-cost adsorbents, nanoparticles and micro-aeration seem the most suitable approaches to increase volumetric production and reduce initial capital investment costs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Small-Scale Anaerobic Digestion for Biogas Production)

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