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Title: Hydrothermal but Not Mechanical Pretreatment of Wastewater Algae Enhanced Anaerobic Digestion Energy Balance due to Improved Biomass Disintegration and Methane Production Kinetics

Abstract

This study used pilot-scale high-rate algae ponds to assess algal–bacteria biomass productivity and wastewater nutrient removal as well as the impact of mechanical and hydrothermal pretreatments on biomass disintegration, methane production kinetics, and anaerobic digestion (AD) energy balance. Mechanical pretreatment had a minor effect on biomass disintegration and methane production. By contrast, hydrothermal pretreatment significantly reduced particle size and increased the solubilized organic matter content by 3.5 times. The methane yield and production rate increased by 20–55% and 20–85%, respectively, with the highest values achieved after pretreatment at 121 °C for 60 min. While the 1st-order and pseudo-1st-order reaction equation models fitted methane production from untreated biomass best (R2 > 0.993), the modified Gompertz sigmoidal-type model provided a superior fit for hydrothermally pretreated algae (R2 ≥ 0.99). The AD energy balance revealed that hydrothermal pretreatment improved the total energy output by 25–40%, with the highest values for volume-specific and mass-specific total energy outputs reaching 0.23 kW per digester m3 and 2.3 MW per ton of biomass volatile solids. Additionally, net energy recovery (energy output per biomass HHV) increased from 20% for untreated algae to 32–34% for hydrothermally pretreated algae, resulting in net energy ratio and net energy efficiency of 2.14more » and 68%, respectively.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); National Science Foundation (NSF)
OSTI Identifier:
2202993
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 2328122
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-177304
Journal ID: ISSN 1996-1073; ENERGA; PII: en16207146
Grant/Contract Number:  
EE0008808; EE0005994; AC05-76RL01830; 1236691
Resource Type:
Published Article
Journal Name:
Energies
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Energies Journal Volume: 16 Journal Issue: 20; Journal ID: ISSN 1996-1073
Publisher:
MDPI AG
Country of Publication:
Switzerland
Language:
English
Subject:
09 BIOMASS FUELS; wastewater grown algae; biomass productivity and settleability; mechanical and hydrothermal pretreatment; anaerobic digestion; methane production kinetic modelling; AD system energy balance

Citation Formats

Bohutskyi, Pavlo, Phan, Duc, Spierling, Ruth E., and Lundquist, Trygve J. Hydrothermal but Not Mechanical Pretreatment of Wastewater Algae Enhanced Anaerobic Digestion Energy Balance due to Improved Biomass Disintegration and Methane Production Kinetics. Switzerland: N. p., 2023. Web. doi:10.3390/en16207146.
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Bohutskyi, Pavlo, Phan, Duc, Spierling, Ruth E., & Lundquist, Trygve J. Hydrothermal but Not Mechanical Pretreatment of Wastewater Algae Enhanced Anaerobic Digestion Energy Balance due to Improved Biomass Disintegration and Methane Production Kinetics. Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16207146
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Bohutskyi, Pavlo, Phan, Duc, Spierling, Ruth E., and Lundquist, Trygve J. Thu . "Hydrothermal but Not Mechanical Pretreatment of Wastewater Algae Enhanced Anaerobic Digestion Energy Balance due to Improved Biomass Disintegration and Methane Production Kinetics". Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16207146.
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@article{osti_2202993,
title = {Hydrothermal but Not Mechanical Pretreatment of Wastewater Algae Enhanced Anaerobic Digestion Energy Balance due to Improved Biomass Disintegration and Methane Production Kinetics},
author = {Bohutskyi, Pavlo and Phan, Duc and Spierling, Ruth E. and Lundquist, Trygve J.},
abstractNote = {This study used pilot-scale high-rate algae ponds to assess algal–bacteria biomass productivity and wastewater nutrient removal as well as the impact of mechanical and hydrothermal pretreatments on biomass disintegration, methane production kinetics, and anaerobic digestion (AD) energy balance. Mechanical pretreatment had a minor effect on biomass disintegration and methane production. By contrast, hydrothermal pretreatment significantly reduced particle size and increased the solubilized organic matter content by 3.5 times. The methane yield and production rate increased by 20–55% and 20–85%, respectively, with the highest values achieved after pretreatment at 121 °C for 60 min. While the 1st-order and pseudo-1st-order reaction equation models fitted methane production from untreated biomass best (R2 > 0.993), the modified Gompertz sigmoidal-type model provided a superior fit for hydrothermally pretreated algae (R2 ≥ 0.99). The AD energy balance revealed that hydrothermal pretreatment improved the total energy output by 25–40%, with the highest values for volume-specific and mass-specific total energy outputs reaching 0.23 kW per digester m3 and 2.3 MW per ton of biomass volatile solids. Additionally, net energy recovery (energy output per biomass HHV) increased from 20% for untreated algae to 32–34% for hydrothermally pretreated algae, resulting in net energy ratio and net energy efficiency of 2.14 and 68%, respectively.},
doi = {10.3390/en16207146},
journal = {Energies},
number = 20,
volume = 16,
place = {Switzerland},
year = {Thu Oct 19 00:00:00 EDT 2023},
month = {Thu Oct 19 00:00:00 EDT 2023}
}
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