skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Start-up of a sequential dry anaerobic digestion of paunch under psychrophilic and mesophilic temperatures

Journal Article · · Waste Management
;  [1]
  1. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, 5403 1st Ave S., Lethbridge (Canada)

Highlights: • Dry anaerobic digestion of paunch at 22 °C and 40 °C. • Digestion at 40 °C gave methane yields of 126.9–212.1 mL g{sup −1} VS at SRT of 40 d. • It took 3 cycles (3 × 100 d SRT) to reach a methane of 148.3 mL g{sup −1} VS at 22 °C. • An adapted inoculum is recommended for the start-up of 22 °C digestion. - Abstract: The present laboratory study evaluated the sequential leach bed dry anaerobic digestion (DAD) of paunch under psychrophilic (22 °C) and mesophilic (40 °C) temperatures. Three leach bed reactors were operated under the mesophilic temperature in sequence at a solid retention time (SRT) of 40 d with a new batch started 27 d into the run of the previous one. A total of six batches were operated for 135 d. The results showed that the mesophilic DAD of paunch was efficient, reaching methane yields of 126.9–212.1 mL g{sup −1} volatile solid (VS) and a VS reduction of 32.9–55.5%. The average daily methane production rate increased from 334.3 mL d{sup −1} to 571.4 mL d{sup −1} and 825.7 mL d{sup −1} when one, two and three leach bed reactors were in operation, respectively. The psychrophilic DAD of paunch was operated under a SRT of 100 d and a total of three batches were performed in sequence for 300 d with each batch starting after completion of the previous one. Improvements in the methane yield from 93.9 to 107.3 and 148.3 mL g{sup −1} VS and VS reductions of 24.8, 30.2 and 38.6% were obtained in the consecutive runs, indicating the adaptation of anaerobic microbes from mesophilic to psychrophilic temperatures. In addition, it took three runs for anaerobic microbes to reduce the volatile fatty acid accumulation observed in the first and second trials. This study demonstrates the potential of renewable energy recovery from paunch under psychrophilic and mesophilic temperatures.

OSTI ID:
22841172
Journal Information:
Waste Management, Vol. 74; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2017 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0956-053X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English