Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Volatile Solids (volatile + solid)
Selected AbstractsEffects of organic matter and initial carbon,nitrogen ratio on the bioconversion of volatile fatty acids from sewage sludgeJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 7 2008Xiaoling Liu Abstract BACKGROUND: The biodegradable organic matter and the initial carbon,nitrogen ratio can be substantially different in different batches of sewage sludge, which results in a difference in the acidification efficiency of sludge. Using sewage sludge from three different sources, batch tests were performed to analyze the relationship between volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and consumed organic matter, and to investigate the effects of initial carbon,nitrogen (C/N) ratio on the acidification efficiency of sludge. RESULTS: Maximum yields of 152.1 ± 3.5 mg total VFAs-COD per gram volatile solid (VS) added and 22.4 ± 1.2 mg butyric acid-COD g,1 VS added were obtained from the sludge with the highest initial C/N ratio. Statistical analysis indicated that protein was the major substrate for the produced VFAs. The sludge with the least initial C/N ratio (5.01) had the least yield, and only acetic acid, which was also mainly related to protein, was detected. CONCLUSION: The initial carbon,nitrogen ratio was one of the most important factors influencing the distribution patterns of VFAs and the yield of total VFAs produced from sewage sludge. A high C/N ratio could not only improve the yield of total VFAs but also enhance the yield of butyric acid. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Microbial Community Dynamics of a Continuous Mesophilic Anaerobic Biogas Digester Fed with Sugar Beet SilageENGINEERING IN LIFE SCIENCES (ELECTRONIC), Issue 4 2008B. Demirel Abstract The aim of the study was to investigate the long-term fermentation of an extremely sour substrate without any addition of manure. In the future, the limitation of manure and therefore the anaerobic digestion of silage with a very low buffering capacity will be an increasing general bottleneck for energy production from renewable biomass. During the mesophilic anaerobic digestion of sugar beet silage (without top and leaves) as the sole substrate (without any addition of manure), which had an extreme low pH of around 3.3, the highest specific gas production rate (spec. GPR) of 0.72,L/g volatile solids (VS),d was achieved at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 25,days compared to an organic loading rate (OLR) of 3.97,g VS/L,d at a pH of around 6.80. The methane (CH4) content of the digester ranged between 58 and 67,%, with an average of 63,%. The use of a new charge of substrate (a new harvest of the same substrate) with higher phosphate content improved the performance of the biogas digester significantly. The change of the substrate charge also seemed to affect the methanogenic population dynamics positively, thus improving the reactor performance. Using a new substrate charge, a further decrease in the HRT from 25 to 15,days did not influence the digester performance and did not seem to affect the structure of the methanogenic population significantly. However, a decrease in the HRT affected the size of the methanogenic population adversely. The lower spec. GPR of 0.54,L/g,VS,d attained on day,15 of the HRT could be attributed to a lower size of methanogenic population present in the anaerobic digester during this stage of the process. Furthermore, since sugar beet silage is a relatively poor substrate, in terms of the buffering capacity and the availability of nutrients, an external supply of buffering agents and nutrients is a prerequisite for a safe and stable digester operation. [source] Region-specific assessment of greenhouse gas mitigation with different manure management strategies in four agroecological zonesGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 12 2009SVEN G. SOMMER Abstract Livestock farming systems are major sources of trace gases contributing to emissions of the greenhouse gases (GHG) nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4), i.e. N2O accounts for 10% and CH4 for 30% of the anthropogenic contributions to net global warming. This paper presents scenario assessments of whole-system effects of technologies for reducing GHG emissions from livestock model farms using slurry-based manure management. Changes in housing and storage practice, mechanical separation, and incineration of the solid fraction derived from separation were evaluated in scenarios for Sweden, Denmark, France, and Italy. The results demonstrated that changes in manure management can induce significant changes in CH4 and N2O emissions and carbon sequestration, and that the effect of introducing environmental technologies may vary significantly with livestock farming practice and interact with climatic conditions. Shortening the in-house manure storage time reduced GHG emissions by 0,40%. The largest GHG reductions of 49 to, in one case, 82% were obtained with a combination of slurry separation and incineration, the latter process contributing to a positive GHG balance of the system by substituting fossil fuels. The amount and composition of volatile solids (VS) and nitrogen pools were main drivers in the calculations performed, and requirements to improve the assessment of VS composition and turnover during storage and in the field were identified. Nevertheless, the results clearly showed that GHG emission estimates will be unrealistic, if the assumed manure management or climatic conditions do not properly represent a given country or region. The results also showed that the mitigation potential of specific manure management strategies and technologies varied depending on current management and climatic conditions. [source] Utilization of semi-natural grassland through integrated generation of solid fuel and biogas from biomass.GRASS & FORAGE SCIENCE, Issue 4 2009Abstract A procedure (Integrated Generation of Solid Fuel and Biogas from Biomass, IFBB) was developed which uses a screw press to separate the readily digestible constituents of mature grassland biomass into a press fluid for conversion into biogas and a fibrous press cake for processing into a solid fuel. Effects of mechanical dehydration and prior hydrothermal conditioning at different temperatures (5, 60 and 80°C) on concentrations of organic compounds in the press fluid and on methane production in batch experiments were evaluated for five semi-natural grasslands typical of mountain areas of Germany. Results show that the crude protein concentration of the press fluids was higher and crude fibre concentration was lower than that of the parent material (herbage conserved as silage). Digestion tests in batch fermenters showed that the methane yield of the press fluids was double [397,426 normal litre (NL) kg,1 volatile solids (VS) after 13 d] that of the whole-crop grassland silage (218 NL kg,1 VS after 27 d) but no consistent effect of higher temperature during conditioning was observed. Within 13 d of fermentation the decomposition of the organic matter (OM) that occurred in the press fluids was 0·90, whereas after 27 d of fermentation more than 0·40 of the OM remained undigested in the whole-crop silage, pointing at a marked reduction in retention time for anaerobic digestion of press fluids in continuous systems. Press fluids produced 0·90 of the maximum methane yield after 4 to 7 d compared with 19 days for the whole-crop silage. [source] Effects of butyric acid stress on anaerobic sludge for hydrogen production from kitchen wastesJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 6 2010Mingxing Zhao Abstract BACKGROUND: Anaerobic digestion is an alternative technology to achieve the dual benefits of hydrogen production and waste stabilization from kitchen wastes. In this work, the butyric acid stress on anaerobic sludge was investigated in order to improve the tolerance of sludge against organic acids, and to enhance hydrogen accumulation. RESULTS: The tolerance of butyric acid in anaerobic sludge increased with the stress concentration, however, it decreased at concentrations greater than of 4.0 g L,1. The maximum hydrogen yield reached 63.72 mL g,1 VS at 4.0 g L,1 stress, representing an increase of 114% compared with the control group. The concentration of volatile solids (VS) of the sludge and SCOD increased steadily with time up to 20 h. At 4.0 g L,1 butyric acid stress, the maximum activity of ,-glucosidase, BAA-hydrolysing protease and dehydrogenase enzyme were 14912.1 µmol PNP g,1 TS h,1, 134.14 µmol NH4 -N g,1 TS h,1 and 7316.42 µg TF g,1 TS h,1, which were 2.78, 1.90 and 2.01 times that of the control, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The feasibility of butyric acid stress on anaerobic sludge to increase hydrogen production from kitchen wastes was demonstrated. Remarkably, 4.0 g L,1 butyric acid stress was found to be favorable for improving the tolerance of butyric acid in sludge as well as hydrogen yield in the experiment. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Straw bed priming enhances the methane yield and speeds up the start-up of single-stage, high-solids anaerobic reactors treating plant biomassJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 11 2006L Mattias Svensson Abstract A simple and potentially inexpensive implementation of a high-solids reactor is a single-stage, stratified bed reactor, in which the bed is made up of the plant biomass fed into the system. In the present study, the stratified bed was started up for a period of four weeks by either direct feeding of sugar beet leaves at four different feeding rates, or by introducing a straw bed primer which was batch digested without feeding. During weeks five to six both systems were fed with sugar beet leaves at such a rate that the total amount of beet leaves added at the end of week six was the same in each of the four corresponding pairs of straw and ,no-straw' reactors. Straw bed priming enhanced the methane yield of the sugar beet leaves, with 0.33,0.37 m3 kg,1 VSadded (volatile solids) accumulated at average solid retention times as short as 11,25 days, while the ,no-straw' reactors had lower yields at longer average solid retention times. The levels and speciation of the organic acids suggested that both the rate and extent of the anaerobic digestion of the sugar beet leaves added in the straw reactors were improved. At the highest loading rate, the straw reactor failed, while the ,no-straw' reactor did not. It is hypothesised that the microbial biomass was better established in the straw reactors than in the ,no-straw' reactors. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Municipal sludge degradation kinetic in thermophilic CSTRAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 12 2006Ángeles de la Rubia Abstract The performance of a pilot-scale continuous-flow stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) treating municipal sludge under thermophilic conditions has been studied. Two pilot-scale reactors (CSTR1 (175 L) and CSTR2 (850 L)) were operated at different hydraulic residence times (,: 40 to 15 days). The anaerobic sludge processes are generally affected by variations in the concentration of substrate (determined as influent volatile solids, VS) and volumetric flow, both of which lead to a modification in biomass concentration and VS removal efficiency. This unsteady-state situation is mathematically explained in terms of an autocatalytic kinetic model. The general kinetic equation in this model has been applied to experimental data obtained in CSTR1. The fit of the experimental data to the model was used to estimate kinetic parameters and the yield coefficients (,max, ,, YP/S). The estimated parameters were ,max: 0.175d,1, ,: 0.358, YP/S: 0.309 m3CH4/kgVS). These parameters were subsequently used to model the substrate utilization rate and the methane generation rate in CSTR2. The model with the estimated parameters was found to provide excellent results, and is satisfactory in describing the concentration of VS and the methane generation rate in an actual digestion plant. © 2006 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2006 [source] Pilot-scale anaerobic thermophilic digester treating municipal sludgeAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2006M. A. de la Rubia Abstract The work reported concerns anaerobic thermophilic municipal sludge digestion (55°C) in a completely mixed anaerobic digester on a pilot-plant scale (850 L). The experimental protocol was defined to examine the effect of increasing the organic loading rate (OLR) on the efficiency of this digester and to report on its steady-state performance. The reactor had previously been converted from mesophilic to thermophilic conditions following the protocol previously proposed by the authors: this was achieved by a modified method that combined systems investigated in Chicago and in Vancouver. The reactor was subsequently subjected to a program of steady-state operation over a range of sludge retention times (SRTs) of 27, 20, and 15 days. The digester was fed with raw sludge [containing approximately 34.8 g/L volatile solids (VS)] three times per day. Under thermophilic conditions and with a 27-day SRT, the reactor was operated with an OLR of 1.48 kg VS m,3 day,1. The solids removal efficiency of the reactor was 42.9%, whereas the volumetric methane production rate in the digester reached 0.35 m3 m,3 day,1. Over an operating period of 150 days, an OLR of 2.63 kg VS m,3 day,1 was achieved with 41.8% VS removal efficiency in the pilot sludge digester (SRT: 15 days). During this period the volumetric methane production rate in the digester reached 0.20 m3 m,3 day,1 and 0.20 m3/kg VSr (VS reduction). The greatest efficiency in terms of substrate removal was 54.3% for an OLR of 1.71 kg VS m,3 day,1 and SRT of 20 days. Under these conditions, the generation of biogas and methane was at levels of 0.86 and 0.58 m3 m,3 day,1, respectively, with a methane yield of 0.70 m3/kg VSr. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2006 [source] Mats of Beggiatoa bacteria reveal that organic pollution from lumber mills inhibits growth of Zostera marinaMARINE ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2006Joel K. Elliott Abstract The objectives of this study were to determine the distribution and abundance of Zostera marina (eelgrass) in relation to the distribution of the mat forming bacteria Beggiatoa spp., and the levels of sulfide and organic material (wood waste) in the sediment. Underwater videography and intertidal surveys were used to map the distribution and abundance of Z. marina beds and Beggiatoa in the nearshore area of Commencement Bay, WA (USA), a location that has a long history of sawmill activity. Zostera marina occurred from the intertidal to ,6 m mean lower low water (MLLW) on sandy substrates in areas with low levels of sulfide (<50 ,m) and organic material (<5 % total volatile solids). Areas with high sulfide levels (>200 ,m) occurred where there were significant amounts of organic material in the sediments, which was found to be wood waste that had been discarded from sawmills. Zostera marina was absent from the intertidal and occurred at lower densities in areas with high sulfide levels. In contrast, mats of Beggiatoa were only found in areas where the sulfide levels were >1000 ,m and there were significant deposits of wood. Thus, the negative correlation between the distribution and abundance of Z. marina and Beggiatoa suggests that the presence of Beggiatoa mats could be used as a biological indicator of inhibiting levels of hydrogen sulfide in the marine environment. [source] Biomethane production from starch and lignocellulosic crops: a comparative reviewBIOFUELS, BIOPRODUCTS AND BIOREFINING, Issue 4 2010Jean-Claude Frigon Abstract The methane produced from the anaerobic digestion of organic wastes and energy crops represents an elegant and economical means of generating renewable biofuel. Anaerobic digestion is a mature technology and is already used for the conversion of the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes and excess primary and secondary sludge from waste-water treatment plants. High methane yield up to 0.45 m3 STP CH4/kg volatile solids (VS) or 12 390 m3 STP CH4/ ha can be achieved with sugar and starch crops, although these cultures are competing with food and feed crops for high-quality land. The cultivation of lignocellulosic crops on marginal and set-aside lands is a more environmentally sound and sustainable option for renewable energy production. The methane yield obtained from these crops is lower, 0.17,0.39 m3 STP CH4/kg VS or 5400 m3 STP CH4/ha, as its conversion into methane is facing the same initial barrier as for the production of ethanol, for example, hydrolysis of the crops. Intensive research and development on efficient pre-treatments is ongoing to optimize the net energy production, which is potentially greater than for liquid biofuels, since the whole substrate excepted lignin is convertible into methane. Copyright © 2010 Crown in the right of Canada [source] | |||||||||||||