Basics of Anaerobic Digestion

Introduction to anaerobic digestion
Biogas STU
ERASMUS EXCHANGE STUDENTS

February 2014
___________________________
Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes
juan.fuentes@stuba.sk
Part 1: Waste

Anthropogenic activities
Anthropogenic activity (Anthropos means
human, geny means origin): An effect or
object originated by human activity

Waste
Definition of waste, according to the EU Waste
Framework Directive:
Any substance or object which the holder
discards or intends or is required to discard
Waste management: All the processes involved
in dealing with the waste of human activities,
including its prevention, reduction, collection,
transport, handling, storage, recycling,
processing, incinerating, landfill among others.
Waste Recovery and Disposal Codes

Waste related activities are classed as recovery
(R) or disposal (D) as defined in the Waste
Framework Directive (2006/12/EC).
...
...
European Waste Catalogue

The European Waste Catalogue is a hierarchical
list of waste descriptions, each given a code
number.

Philosophy of Waste Management

T
H
E
O
R
Y
Avoidance or prevention
Minimization or reduction
Reuse or recycling
Material recovery
Energy recovery
Incineration
Landfill disposal

R
E
A
L
I
T
Y
Examples of Waste Management

PET bottles


Blackwaters or sewage


08 01 13 - Sludge from paint or varnish
containing organic solvents or other
dangerous substances


Automobile assembly plant
External waste management,
contracts with competent
and authorized waste
companies
08 01 13
15 01 01
15 01 02
16 01 22
19 08 12
Etc...
Industry
Internal waste management:

Prevention, reduction and reuse
policies; development of a waste
separation strategy,
improvement of the collection
process. Analysis of material and
energy recovery possibilities
Internal waste management:

Sales from selected materials for
its material or energy recovery
Waste recovery
Waste recovery is the selective extraction of disposed
materials for a specific next use, obtaining the maximum
practical benefits from products. It aims to reduce:
The consumption of fresh raw materials
Energy consumption
Air pollution
Water pollution
Material recovery
Energy recovery
Material recovery of waste

Recycling: Process of turning
selected waste products into
new (recycled) products
Regeneration of organic and
inorganic components
(solvents, chemical substances,
etc.)
Compost: Aerobic processes
that transform organic waste
into a fertilizer or soil
amendment
Energy recovery of waste

Waste-to-energy
Thermal technologies:
Gasification (a set of chemical reactions that uses limited
oxygen to convert a carbon-containing feedstock into
a synthetic gas, or syngas CO2 + CO + H2)
Pyrolysis (a thermochemical decomposition of organic
material at elevated temperatures in the absence
of oxygen. For example, the bio-oils)
Thermal depolymerization
Plasma arc gasification or plasma gasification process (PGP)
Biological technologies:
Anaerobic digestion (Biogas CH4 + CO2)
Fermentation (examples are ethanol, lactic acid, hydrogen)
Other biological treatments
Part 2: Anaerobic digestion

Biological treatment processes

Aerobic treatment process: Biological
processes that occur in the presence of
oxygen.
Anaerobic treatment processes: Biological
process that occur in the absence of oxygen.
Substrate: It is the term used to denote the
organic matter or nutrients that are converted
during biological treatment
Comparison of aerobic and anaerobic processes

(Wastewater treatment processes)
1. Energy contained in WW
ANAEROBIC
AEROBIC
90 % biogas
5 7 % synthesis of new biomass
3 5 % losses
60 % synthesis of new biomass

40 % losses
2. Organic carbon contained in WW

ANAEROBIC
AEROBIC
95 % biogas (CH4 + CO2)

50 % CO2

Anaerobic digestion
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a series of processes
in which microorganisms break down
biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen.
AD is often used for industrial or domestic
purposes at managing waste.
This process yields a final product of mainly
methane and carbon dioxide, a rich biogas
suitable for energy production, widely used as a
renewable energy.
Anaerobic digestion
This degradation process can be divided up into four phases,
named hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis and methanation
Hydrolysis
Acidogenesis
Carbohydrate
s
Fats
Sugars
Fatty acids
Proteins
Aminoacids
Alcohols
CO2 , H2

Acetogenesis
Acetic acid
CO2 , H2
Ammonia
H2S
Methanogenesis
BIOGAS
CH4 + CO2
Applications of anaerobic digestion
Stabilization of sludge in WWTP

Treatment of industrial wastewaters
Landfill gas-to-energy
Biogas stations


Stabilization of sludge in WWTP




Treatment of industrial wastewaters


Landfill gas-to-energy


Biogas stations
The main goal of biogas stations is to produce a certain
quantity of biogas from determined organic substrates,
in order to generate a stable and continuous amount of
energy.
Biogas
Substrate
Pre-treatment
Anaerobic
digestion
Digestate

Biogas stations
Substrates for biogas stations
The substrate and the efficiency of its conversion into
biogas are the factors that will determine the viability
of the process.



Types of biogas stations

According to the solid content of the substrate:
Dry fermentation technology (when TS is
greater than ~25%)

Anaerobic fermenters (PFR)

Collectors of leachate or percolate for its recirculation into the

sprinkling system
Biogas holders
Process control

Cogeneration unit (CHP)

Types of biogas stations

Liquid or wet fermentation technology
(TS less than ~15%)

Part 3: Operation of a biogas station

Process parameters
Temperature
pH-value (Hydrogen partial pressure)
Concentration of microorganisms (Retention time)
Inoculation and cultivation
Mixing (agitation)
Volume and organic load
Type of substrate (organic content and C/N/P ratio)
Presence or formation of inhibitors
Flow recirculation and bypass

Biogas recirculation and removal
Specific surface of material (Mass transfer)
Redox potential
Etc...
Process parameters
Temperature operational ranges
Cryophilic (0 20 C)
Psychrophilic (20 30 C)
Mesophilic (30 40 C)
Thermophilic (40 60 C)

Process parameters
pH-value (Hydrogen partial pressure)
The measure of the acidity or basicity of the tank
aqueous environment. The pH optimum of the
methane - forming microorganism is at pH = 6.7
7.5.
Biogas digestion failure

(Acid fermentation)
Process parameters
Concentration of microorganisms (Retention time)
Methanogenic microorganisms have a long generation time in
general. To avoid washing out of the reactor, hydraulic retention
time must be at least 10-15 days with reactor systems which do
not have facilities for retaining and returning biomass.
Nevertheless, retention times are recommended to be of 50
days and more. In comparison with this, the regeneration times
of hydrolytic and acid-forming bacteria are significantly shorter,
so that with them there is hardly any risk of washout.
[days]
Process parameters
Inoculation and cultivation
The start-up phase of an anaerobic plant often last 2-4
months. The cultivation of desired cultures of bacteria can
fail completely, i.e., the anaerobic digestion doesnt take
place and the biogas is not produced. To avoid these
problems, the reactors are often inoculated with an
anaerobic sludge from other fermentation process.

Hydrolytic b.
Methanogenic b.
Process parameters
Volume and organic loading rate
The volume (organic) loading rate depends on several factors such temperature
range of the process, organic dry-matter content in the substrate, retention
time, dosing system, among others. Mostly, biogas digesters are designed to
decompose 75% of the total degradable matter, due to economical and/or
operational reasons.
OLR [kg VS.m-3.d-1], [kg COD.m-3.d-1]

Process parameters
Type of substrate
Dry matter and organic dry matter content
Terminology:
Abb.
SK*
Meaning
Units
DM
Dry matter content
kg TS. ton SUBSTRATE-1
oDM
Organic dry matter content
kg VS. ton SUBSTRATE-1
TS
Xc
Total solids (settable solids)
g TS.kg SAMPLE-1
VS
Xorg
Volatile solids
g VS. kg SAMPLE-1
TSS
Xc,WW*
Total suspended solids (retained by a

membrane filter)
g TSS. kg SAMPLE-1
VSS
Xorg,WW*
Volatile suspended solids
g VSS. kg SAMPLE-1

Process parameters
Organic matter content and its measurement
Abb.
SK*
Meaning
Units
TOD
TCHSK Theoretical oxygen demand Total oxidation

Stoichiometric amount of O2 needed for a hypothetical total
oxidation
mol O2 , g O2
COD
CHSK
mg COD . l SAMPLE-1
Chemical oxygen demand - Oxidability

It is an oxygen equivalent of the organic matter that can be
oxidized by using a strong chemical oxygen agent in acid
solutions
BODx
BSKx
Biochemical oxygen demand - Biodegradability

Measurement of dissolved oxygen used by microorganisms
for the biochemical oxidation of organic matter
Correlation among measurements of organic content
TOD > COD > BODx

mg BOD . l SAMPLE-1
Process parameters
Type of substrate
Organic matter content and its measurement
Abb.
Meaning
Units
TOC
Total organic carbon

It is a parameter that measures the composition of substrates (Firstly C and
then C/H/O/N/P/S ratio). Organic carbon is oxidised to CO2 at high
temperatures in the presence of catalysts.
mol C, g C
mol N, g N
mol O, g O
etc.
Dissolved organic carbon
DOC
It is a parameter that measures the composition of dissolved organic

compounds in aqueous solutions.

Process parameters
Type of substrate
Nitrogen content and its measurement
Abb.
Meaning
Units
Ammonium nitrogen or total ammoniacal nitrogen (NH4+ + NH3)
mg.l-1
NH4+
Ammonium ion
mg.l-1
NH3
Free ammonia or ammonia
mg.l-1
Ammonia nitrogen
mg.l-1
Norg
Kjeldahl nitrogen or organic nitrogen (Protein N and non-protein N

e.g. urea, nucleic acids, polymers, etc.)
mg.l-1
TKN
Total Kjeldahl nitrogen (= NH4-N + Norg)
mg.l-1
NOx-N
Total oxidised nitrogen (NO3-N + NO2-N)
mg.l-1
NO3-N
Nitrate nitrogen
mg.l-1
NO2-N
Nitrite nitrogen
mg.l-1
Total nitrogen (sum of all nitrogen compounds)
mg.l-1
NH4-N
NH3-N
TN

Process parameters
Type of substrate
Phosphorus content and its measurement
Abb.
Meaning
Units
Phosphate phosphorus, orthophosphate
mg.l-1
Porg
Phosphorus content of organic P compounds
mg.l-1
TP
Total phosphorus
mg.l-1
PO4-P
complex P Complex bonded P, that cannot be precipitated with chemicals

mg.l-1
Part 4: Modelling at laboratory

Laboratory bioreactors
Characteristics of our reactors:
CSTR model
Semi-continuous feeding
Single-stage anaerobic digestion
Mesophilic conditions (37oC)
Inoculum: Stabilized excess sludge from
WWTP
TS of reactors sludge is less than 15%
OLR of reactor is less than 3 gVS.L-1.d-1


Dry matter (DM)
Organic dry matter (oDM)
Loss on ignition (LOI)
Laboratory oven
(105oC, 6 h)
Laboratory furnace
(105oC, 3 h)
Analytical balance

Gravimetric method:
Calculation
Units
DM = (md-me)/(ma-me) . 1000
iDM = (mb-me)/(ma-me) . 1000
oDM = DM - iDM
g TS/kg sample or %
LOI = oDM/DM . 100
e = empty
a = added
d = dried
b = burnt
TS Total solids
VS Volatile suspended solids
IS inorganic suspended solids
DM = Dry matter
oDM = organic dry matter
iDM = inorganic dry matter
LOI Loss on ignition

g IS/kg sample or %
g VS/kg sample or %

Exercises
Calculate TS, VS, LOI
1. Maize silage
me = 100,252 g
ma = 101,586 g
md = 100,819 g
mb = 100,325 g
2. Poultry manure
me = 50,125 g
ma = 55,155 g
md = 51,131 g
mb = 50,438 g
Literature says:
Maize silage has a DM = 20-40 % and a
oDM = 95%.DM (LOI)
Poultry manure has a DM = 10-29 % and a
oDM = 70%.DM (LOI)
Organic loading rate of reactor

Organic loading rate (OLR) means how much organic matter is
being introduced into the reactor in an interval of time.
For this purpose, we can use either the COD or the VS parameter.
OLRCOD = Vsubstrate.CODsubstrate/Vsludge
OLRVS = substrate.VSsubstrate/Vsludge

Organic loading rate of reactor

Exercises
Calculate the amount of substrate that have to
be loaded into the biogas plant.
1. Maize silage
OLR = 3 kg VS.m-3.d-1
Vdigester = 3 000 m3 (The digester is filled with sludge at its 85%
capacity)
2. Poultry manure with grass silage at a ratio of 5:2

OLR = 1,5 kg VS.m-3.d-1
Vdigester = 1 500 m3 (The digester is filled with sludge at its 78%
capacity)
Grass silage (DM = 30%, oDM = 85%.DM)
Biogas yield
Specific biogas production (Biogas yield)
m3. kg-1 TS
m3. kg-1 VS
l . g-1 TS
l . g-1 VS

Laboratory analysis
Determination of:
COD concentration
NH4-N concentration
PO4-P concentration
VFA concentration
Heater
Spectral colorimeter
(spectrophotometer)
Language key

Laboratory equipment
for chemistry

CHONPS compounds



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Introduction to anaerobic digestion

ERASMUS EXCHANGE STUDENTS

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Waste Recovery and Disposal Codes

European Waste Catalogue

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Philosophy of Waste Management

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Examples of Waste Management

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Examples of Waste Management

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Examples of Waste Management

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Examples of Waste Management

Internal waste management:

Internal waste management:

Material recovery of waste

Energy recovery of waste

Part 2: Anaerobic digestion

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Biological treatment processes

Comparison of aerobic and anaerobic processes

60 % synthesis of new biomass

2. Organic carbon contained in WW

95 % biogas (CH4 + CO2)

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Applications of anaerobic digestion

Stabilization of sludge in WWTP

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Applications of anaerobic digestion

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Applications of anaerobic digestion

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Applications of anaerobic digestion

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Applications of anaerobic digestion

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Types of biogas stations

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Anaerobic fermenters (PFR)

Collectors of leachate or percolate for its recirculation into the

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Cogeneration unit (CHP)

Types of biogas stations

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Part 3: Operation of a biogas station

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Flow recirculation and bypass

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

Biogas digestion failure

Ing. Juan Jos Chvez Fuentes

OLR [kg VS.m-3.d-1], [kg COD.m-3.d-1]

Dry matter content

kg TS. ton SUBSTRATE-1

Organic dry matter content

kg VS. ton SUBSTRATE-1