Nitrogen cycling in an integrated biomass for energy system
A series of experiments was conducted to evaluate N cycling in three components of an integrated biomass for energy system, i.e. water hyacinth production, anaerobic digestion in hyacinth biomass, and recycling of digester effluent and sludge. Plants assimilated 50 to 90% of added N in hyacinth production systems. Up to 28% of the total plant N was contained in hyacinth detritus. Nitrogen loading as plant detritus into hyacinth ponds was 92 to 148 kg N ha/sup -1/ yr/sup -1/. Net mineralization of plant organic /sup 15/N during anaerobic digestion was 35 and 70% for water hyacinth plants with low and high N content, respectively. Approximately 20% of the /sup 15/N was recovered in the digested sludge while the remaining /sup 15/N was recovered in the effluent. Water hyacinth growth in digester effluents was affected by electrical conductivity and /sup 15/NH/sub 4//sup +/-N concentration. Addition of water hyacinth biomass to soil resulted in decomposition of 39 to 50% of added C for fresh plant biomass and 19 to 23% of added C for digested biomass sludge. Only 8% of added /sup 15/N in digested sludges was mineralized to /sup 15/NO/sub 3//sup -/-N despite differences in initial N content. In contrast, 3 and 33% of added /sup 15/N in fresh biomass with low and high N content, respectively, was recovered as /sup 15/NO/sub 3//sup -/-N. Total /sup 15/N recovery after anaerobic digestion ranged from 70 to 100% of the initial plant biomass /sup 15/N. Total N recovery by sludge and effluent recycling in the integrated biomass for energy system was 48 to 60% of the initial plant biomass /sup 15/N.
- Research Organization:
- Florida Univ., Gainesville (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6773448
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BIOMASS
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
NITROGEN 15
TRACER TECHNIQUES
WATER HYACINTHS
NITROGEN CYCLE
BIOCONVERSION
FERTILIZERS
MINERALIZATION
NITRATES
SLUDGES
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
DIGESTION
ENERGY SOURCES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MANAGEMENT
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
PROCESSING
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
STABLE ISOTOPES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
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550201 - Biochemistry- Tracer Techniques