Anaerobic Digestion

Introduction and Science

eBook Author: Appropedia

Cover Image: USDA Document: CC-by-SA3.0
Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic digestion
Contents
1 Application
Processes
3 stages
4 Configuration of anaerobic digester
4.1 Batch or continuous
4.2 Temperature
4.3 Solids
4.4 Number of stages
4.5 Residence
5 Dry anaerobic digestion
6 Products
6.1 Biogas
7 Advantages of Anaerobic Digestion
8 See also References
Application
2 types of processes exist: the process for wet anaerobic digestion' and
for dry anaerobic digestion.

In both types of process, there are a number of bacteria that are involved
in the process of anaerobic digestion including acetic acid-forming bacteria
(acetogens) and methane-forming bacteria (methanogens).

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

 Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science
The wet anaerobic process is widely used to treat wastewater sludges and
organic wastes because it provides volume and mass reduction of the
input material. As part of an integrated waste management system,
anaerobic digestion reduces the emission of land ll gas into the
atmosphere.

These bacteria feed upon the initial feedstock, which undergoes a number
of di erent processes converting it to intermediate molecules including
sugars, hydrogen & acetic acid before finally being converted to biogas.

Di erent species of bacteria are able to survive at di erent temperature

ranges. Ones living optimally at temperatures between 35-40°C are called
mesophiles or mesophilic bacteria.

Some of the bacteria can survive at the hotter and more hostile conditions of 55-60°C, these are called thermophiles or thermophilic
bacteria. Methanogens come fromAnaerobic
the primitive group of archaea.
Digestion Introduction and Science
This family includes species that can grow in the hostile conditions of hydrothermal vents. These species are more resistant to heat
and can therefore operate at thermophilic temperatures, a property that is unique to bacterial families.
Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

As with aerobic systems the bacteria in anaerobic systems the growing

and reproducing microorganisms within them require a source of
elemental oxygen to survive.
In an anaerobic system there is an absence of gaseous oxygen. In an
anaerobic digester, gaseous oxygen is prevented from entering the system
through physical containment in sealed tanks. Anaerobes access oxygen
from sources other than the surrounding air. The oxygen source for these
microorganisms can be the organic material itself or alternatively may be
supplied by inorganic oxides from within the input material.

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

When the oxygen source in an anaerobic system is derived from the

organic material itself, then the 'intermediate' end products are primarily ,
alcohols, aldehydes, and organic acids, plus carbon dioxide.

In the presence of specialised methanogens, the intermediates are

converted to the ' nal' end products of methane, carbon dioxide with trace
levels of hydrogen sulfide.

In an anaerobic system the majority of the chemical energy contained

within the starting material is released by methanogenic bacteria as
methane.

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

stages
Populations of anaerobic bacteria typically take a signi cant period of time
to establish themselves to be fully effective.

It is therefore common practice to introduce anaerobic microorganisms

from materials with existing populations.

This process is called 'seeding' the digesters and typically takes place with
the addition of sewage sludge or cattle slurry.
There are four key biological and chemical stages of anaerobic digestion:
1. Hydrolysis
2. Acidogenesis
3. Methanogenesis

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science
In most cases biomass is made up of large organic polymers. In order for
the bacteria in anaerobic digesters to access the energy potential of the
material, these chains must rst be broken down into their smaller
constituent parts. These constituent parts or monomers such as sugars
are readily available by other bacteria. The process of breaking these
chains and dissolving the smaller molecules into solution is called
hydrolysis. Therefore hydrolysis of these high molecular weight polymeric
components is the necessary rst step in anaerobic digestion. Through
hydrolysis the complex organic molecules are broken down into simple
sugars, amino acids, and fatty acids.

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science
The biological process of acidogenesis is where there is further breakdown
of the remaining components by acidogenic (fermentative) bacteria. Here
VFAs are created along with ammonia, carbon dioxide and hydrogen
sul de as well as other by-products. The process of acidogenesis is similar
to the way that milk sours.
Acetate and hydrogen produced in the rst stages can be used directly by
methanogens. Other molecules such as volatile fatty acids (VFA’s) with a
chain length that is greater than acetate must rst be catabolised into
compounds that can be directly utilised by methanogens.
The third stage of anaerobic digestion is acetogenesis. Simple molecules
created through the acidogenesis phase are further digested by acetogens
to produce largely acetic acid as well as carbon dioxide and hydrogen.
The terminal stage of anaerobic digestion is the biological process of
methanogenesis. Here methanogens utilise the intermediate products of
the preceding stages and convert them into methane, carbon dioxide and
water. It is these components that makes up the majority of the biogas
emitted from the system. Methanogenesis is sensitive to both high and low
pHs and occurs between pH 6.5 and pH 8. The remaining, non-digestable
material which the microbes cannot feed upon, along with any dead
bacterial remains constitutes the digestate.
A simpli ed generic chemical equation for the overall processes outlined
above is as follows:
C6H12O6 > 3CO2 + 3CH4

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic digesters can be designed and engineered to operate using a

number of different process configurations:

Configuration of anaerobic digester

Batch or continuous
Temperature: Mesophilic or thermophilic
Solids content: High solids or low solids
Complexity: Single stage or multistage
Batch or continuous
A batch system is the simplest form of digestion. Biomass is added to the
reactor at the start of the process in a batch and is sealed for the duration
of the process. Biogas production will be formed with a normal distribution
pattern over time. The operator can use this fact to determine when they
believe the process of digestion of the organic matter has completed.
Temperature

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science
There are two conventional operational temperature levels for anaerobic
digesters, which are determined by the species of methanogens in the
digesters:
Mesophilic which takes place optimally around 37°-41°C or at ambient
temperatures between 20°-45°C where mesophiles are the primary
microorganism present
Thermophilic which takes place optimally around 50°-52° at elevated
temperatures up to 70°C where thermophiles are the primary
microorganisms present.
There are a greater number of species of mesophiles than thermophiles.
These bacteria are also more tolerant to changes environmental conditions
than thermophiles. Mesophilic systems are therefore considered to be
more stable than thermophilic digestion systems. Thermophilic digestion
systems are considered to be less stable, however the increased
temperatures facilitate faster reaction rates and hence faster gas yields.
Operation at higher temperatures facilitates greatersterilisation
(pastuerisation) of the end digestate.

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science
A drawback of operating at thermophilic temperatures is that more heat
energy input is required to achieve the correct operational temperatures.
This increase in energy is not be outweighed by the increase in the outputs
of biogas from the systems. It is therefore important to consider an energy
balance for these systems

Solids
Typically there are two di erent operational parameters associated with
the solids content of the feedstock to the digesters:
High-solids
Low-solids

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science
Digesters can either be designed to operate in a high solids content, with a
Total Suspended Solids (TSS) concentration greater than 20%, or a low
solids concentration less than 15%.
High-solids digesters process a thick slurry that requires more energy input
to move and process the feedstock.

The thickness of the material may also lead to associated problems with
abrasion. High-solids digesters will typically have a lower land requirement
due to the lower volumes associated with the moisture.

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Digestion systems can be configured with different levels of complexity:

Number of stages
Low-solids digesters can transport material through the system using
standard pumps that require signi cantly lower energy input. Low-solids
digesters require a larger amount of land than high-solids due to the
increase volumes associated with the increased liquid: feedstock ratio of
the digesters. There are bene ts associated with operation in a liquid
environment as it enables more thorough circulation of materials and
contact between the bacteria and their food. This enables the bacteria to
more readily access the substances they are feeding o and increases the
speed of gas yields.
One-stage or single-stage
Two-stage or multistage
A single-stage digestion system is one in which all of the biological
reactions occur within a single sealed reactor or holding tank. Utilising a
single stage reduces construction costs, however facilitates less control of
the reactions occurring within the system. Acidogenic bacteria, through the
production of acids, reduce the pH of the tank. Methanogenic bacteria
operate in a strictly de ned pH range. Therefore the biological reactions of
the di erent species in a single stage reactor can be in direct competition
with each other. Another one-stage reaction system is an anaerobic
lagoon. These lagoons are pond-like earthen basins used for the treatment
and long-term storage of manures. Here the anaerobic reactions are
contained within the natural anaerobic sludge contained in the pool.

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Residence Times
Typically hydrolysis, acetogenesis and acidogenesis occur within the rst
reaction vessel. The organic material is then heated to the required
operational temperature (either mesophilic or thermophilic) prior to being
pumped into a methanogenic reactor. The initial hydrolysis or acidogenesis
tanks prior to the methanogenic reactor can provide a bu er to the rate at
which feedstock is added
In a two-stage or multi-stage digestion system di erent digestion vessels
are optimised to bring maximum control over the bacterial communities
living within the digesters. Acidogenic bacteria produce organic acids and
more quickly grow and reproduce than methanogenic bacteria.
Methanogenic bacteria require stable pH and temperature in order to
optimise their performance.
The residence time in a digester varies with the amount and type of feed
material, the con guration of the digestion system and whether it be one-
stage or two-stage.

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

In two-stage mesophilic digestion, residence time may vary between 15

and 40 days.
In the case of single-stage thermophilic digestion residence times may be
in the region of 14 days, which comparatively to mesophilic digestion is
relatively fast. The plug- ow nature of some of these systems will mean
that the full degradation of the material may not have been realised in this
timescale. In this event digestate exiting the system will be darker in colour
and will have more odour.

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science
This process uses no manure at all and is thus more suitable for certain
applications in which no manure needs to be processed. This process can
be done at several ways. For example, there is the Wiessmann-Bioferm
"Kompoferm" process [2] [3]. There is also the Axpo Kompogas AG system ,
the Dranco process as designed by OWS , as well as a system by Jan Klein
Hesselink.[6] [5][4]

Dry anaerobic digestion[7]

Continuous digesters have mechanical or hydraulic devices, depending on
the level of solids in the material, to mix the contents enabling the bacteria
and the food to be in contact. They also allow excess material to be
continuously extracted to maintain a reasonably constant volume within
the digestion tanks.
In the case of mesophilic UASB digestion hydraulic residence times can be
(1hour-1day) and solid retention times can be up to 90 days. In this manner
the UASB system is able to separate solid an hydraulic retention times with
the utilisation of a sludge blanket.

Products
Biogas
There are three principal products of anaerobic digestion: biogas, digestate
and water.

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science
Biogas is the ultimate waste product of the bacteria feeding o the input
biodegradable feedstock, and is mostly methane and carbon dioxide, with
a small amount hydrogen and trace hydrogen sul de. Most of the biogas is
produced during the middle of the digestion, after the bacterial population
has grown, and tapers o as the putrescible material is exhausted. The gas
is normally stored on top of the digester in an in atable gas bubble or
extracted and stored next to the facility in a gas holder.
The methane in biogas can be burned to produce both heat and electricity,
usually with a reciprocating engine or microturbine often in a cogeneration
arrangement where the electricity and waste heat generated are used to
warm the digesters or to heat buildings. Excess electricity can be sold to
suppliers or put into the local grid.

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science
Electricity produced by anaerobic digesters is considered to be renewable
energy and may attract subsidies. Biogas does not contribute to increasing
atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations because the gas is not
released directly into the atmosphere and the carbon dioxide comes from
an organic source with a short carbon cycle.

In digestion facilities accepting these materials as a component of the

feedstock, low molecular weight siloxanes volatilise into biogas. When this
gas is combusted in a gas engine, turbine or boiler, siloxanes are converted
into silicon dioxide (Si02) which deposits internally in the machine,
increasing wear and tear.
Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science
When organic waste is deposited in land ll sites, it produces an enormous
amount of greenhouse gases, including Carbon Dioxide and Methane.

Disadvantages of Anaerobic Digestion

Biogas may require treatment or 'scrubbing' to re ne it for use as a fuel.
Hydrogen sul de is a toxic product formed from sulfates in the feedstock
and is released as a trace component of the biogas. If the levels of
hydrogen sul de in the gas are high, gas scrubbing and cleaning
equipment (such as amine gas treating) will be needed to process the
biogas to within regionally accepted levels( determined by the US EPA or
the English and Welsh Environment Agency). An alternative method to this
is by the addition of ferric chloride FeCl 3 to the digestion tanks in order to
inhibit hydrogen sulfide production.
Volatile siloxanes can also contaminate the biogas; such compounds are
frequently found in household waste and wastewater. In digestion facilities
accepting these materials as a component of the feedstock, low molecular
weight siloxanes volatilise into biogas. When this gas is combusted in a gas
engine, turbine or boiler, siloxanes are converted into silicon dioxide (SiO 2)
which deposits internally in the machine, increasing wear and tear can also
contaminate the biogas; such compounds are frequently found in
household waste and wastewater.
AD can play an important role as a means of dealing with organic waste
and eliminating, by more e cient capture and treatment, these
greenhouse gas emissions; converting them to useful products.

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science
References
Bokashi Anaerobic Digestion: a domestic anaerobic digestion process,
ie for kitchen scraps
Original: Recycling agricultural wastes to produce hot water
See also
AD recovers energy which would otherwise be lost to the atmosphere and
produces valuable biofertilisers. The biogas can be used to generate
electricity, heat, biofuels or cleaned and injected into the gas grid.

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science

Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science
1. Lorry has driven 25 times around the earth using gas from
Biodegradable waste
2. http://www.zerowasteenergy.com/content/dry-anaerobic-digestion
3. See brochure Bioferm_Trockenfermentation.pdf at
www.graskracht.be
4. http://www.sswm.info/sites/default/files/toolbox/OSTREM%202004%20Komp
5. See graskracht_25-11-2011_Isabella Wierinck_OWS.pdf at
www.graskracht.be
6. See 25092012 Droogvergisten Jan klein Hesselink Ekwadraat.pdf at
www.graskracht.be
7. Note that although it appears similar to composting it isn't the same,
as dry digestion uses anaerobic digestion, composting uses a aerobic
digestion. The air is kept out of the dry digestion process using airtight
seals (still allowing to let the biogas out)

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Anaerobic Digestion Introduction and Science