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 »
- Authors:
- 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.
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
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.
@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}
}
https://doi.org/10.3390/en16207146
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