Production of grass biomethane is an integrated process which involves numerous stages with numerous permutations. The grass grown can be of numerous species, and it can involve numerous cuts. The lignocellulosic content of grass increases with maturity of grass; the first cut offers more methane potential than the later cuts. Water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) are higher (and as such methane potential is higher) for grass cut in the afternoon as opposed to that cut in the morning. The method of ensiling has a significant effect on the dry solids content of the grass silage. Pit or clamp silage in southern Germany and Austria has a solids content of about 40%; warm dry summers allow wilting of the grass before ensiling. In temperate oceanic climates like Ireland, pit silage has a solids content of about 21% while bale silage has a solids content of 32%. Biogas production is related to mass of volatile solids rather than mass of silage; typically one ton of volatile solid produces 300 m3 of methane. The dry...

Review of the integrated process for the production of grass biomethane.

Batch and semi-continuous experiments were carried out to determine the effect of pH on hydrolysis and acidogenesis of kitchen wastes in the two-phase anaerobic digestion. The results of the batch experiment showed pH adjustment could improve both hydrolysis and acidogenesis rates of kitchen wastes. Compared with pH at 5, 9 and 11, pH 7 provided an optimum working condition for anaerobic digestion of kitchen wastes. At pH 7, about 86% of the total organic carbon (TOC) and 82% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) were solubilized and the maximum volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration of 36g l−1 was achieved on the fourth day. The total VFA yield was 0.27 g (g total solid (TS))−1, which almost doubled the yield without pH adjustment (0.15 g (g TS)−1). The acidified products with lower concentration of lactic acid were more favorable to the subsequent methanogenesis. At pH 7, most of the protein was degraded into ammonia nitrogen (NH4 +-N), resulting in additional buffer of acidified liquid. According to this, a...

The Influence of pH on Hydrolysis and Acidogenesis of Kitchen Wastes in Two-phase Anaerobic Digestion

Odor compounds from different sources of landfill: Characterization and source identification

Anaerobic digestion of grass silage in batch leach bed processes for methane production

Energy crops (willow, sugar beet and grass silage) were digested in pilot scale two-stage anaerobic digesters. The specific methane yields obtained were 0.16, 0.38 and 0.39 m3 kg(-1) added volatile solids (VSadded) for willow, sugar beet and grass, respectively, corresponding to yearly gross energy yields of 15, 53 and 26 megawatt-hours (MWh) per hectare. With grass and sugar beets as substrate, 84-85% of the harvestable methane was obtained within 30 days. In pilot scale two-stage digestion of willow and sugar beet, 56 and 85% of the laboratory scale methane yields were obtained, but digestion of grass in two-stage reactors yielded 5% more methane than digestion in laboratory scale completely mixed low solids systems, possibly due to the pH conditions favourable to hydrolysis in the two-stage system. In digestion of grass and sugar beet the liquid at the end of digestion was rich in ammonium nitrogen, and the nitrogen in the substrate was efficiently mineralised. The results show that heavy metal concentrations are not likely to limit the utilisation of residues from digestion of nonmetal accumulating crops. Efficient mobilisation of heavy metals during the acidic phase of digestion revealed the possibility of removing metals from leachate generated in two-stage anaerobic digestion of phytoextracting crops.

Bunpot Sitanrassamee

Papers

Effect of acid speciation on solid waste liquefaction in an anaerobic acid digester.