A pilot-scale trial comparing mesophilic and thermophilic digestion for the stabilisation of source segregated kitchen waste
A pilot-scale trial comparing mesophilic and thermophilic digestion for the stabilisation of source segregated kitchen waste
Source segregated food waste was collected from domestic properties and its composition determined together with the average weight produced per household, which was 2.91 kg per week. The waste was fed over a trial period lasting 58 weeks to an identical pair of 1.5 m3 anaerobic digesters, one at a mesophilic (36.5 oC) and the other at a thermophilic temperature (56 oC). The digesters were monitored daily for gas production, solids destruction and regularly for digestate characteristics including alkalinity, pH, volatile fatty acid (VFA) and ammonia concentrations. Both digesters showed high VFA and ammonia concentrations but in the mesophilic digester the pH remained stable at around 7.4, buffered by a high alkalinity of 13,000 mg l-1; whereas in the thermophilic digester VFA levels reached 45,000 mg l-1 causing a drop in pH and digester instability. In the mesophilic digester volatile solids (VS) destruction and specific gas yield were favourable, with 67% of the organic solids being converted to biogas at a methane content of 58% giving a biogas yield of 0.63 m3 kg-1 VS added. Digestion under thermophilic conditions showed potentially better VS destruction at 70% VS and a biogas yield of 0.67 m3 kg-1 VS added, but the shifts in alkalinity and the high VFA concentrations required a reduced loading to be applied. The maximum beneficial loading that could be achieved in the mesophilic digester was 4.0 kg VS m-3 d-1.
kitchen waste, mesophilic, thermophilic, volatile fatty acids, food waste
Banks, C.J.
5c6c8c4b-5b25-4e37-9058-50fa8d2e926f
Stringfellow, A.
024efba8-7ffc-441e-a268-be43240990a9
May 2008
Banks, C.J.
5c6c8c4b-5b25-4e37-9058-50fa8d2e926f
Stringfellow, A.
024efba8-7ffc-441e-a268-be43240990a9
Banks, C.J. and Stringfellow, A.
(2008)
A pilot-scale trial comparing mesophilic and thermophilic digestion for the stabilisation of source segregated kitchen waste.
5th IWA International Symposium on Anaerobic Digestion of Solid Wastes and Energy Crops, Hammamet, Tunisia.
25 - 28 May 2008.
9 pp
.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
Source segregated food waste was collected from domestic properties and its composition determined together with the average weight produced per household, which was 2.91 kg per week. The waste was fed over a trial period lasting 58 weeks to an identical pair of 1.5 m3 anaerobic digesters, one at a mesophilic (36.5 oC) and the other at a thermophilic temperature (56 oC). The digesters were monitored daily for gas production, solids destruction and regularly for digestate characteristics including alkalinity, pH, volatile fatty acid (VFA) and ammonia concentrations. Both digesters showed high VFA and ammonia concentrations but in the mesophilic digester the pH remained stable at around 7.4, buffered by a high alkalinity of 13,000 mg l-1; whereas in the thermophilic digester VFA levels reached 45,000 mg l-1 causing a drop in pH and digester instability. In the mesophilic digester volatile solids (VS) destruction and specific gas yield were favourable, with 67% of the organic solids being converted to biogas at a methane content of 58% giving a biogas yield of 0.63 m3 kg-1 VS added. Digestion under thermophilic conditions showed potentially better VS destruction at 70% VS and a biogas yield of 0.67 m3 kg-1 VS added, but the shifts in alkalinity and the high VFA concentrations required a reduced loading to be applied. The maximum beneficial loading that could be achieved in the mesophilic digester was 4.0 kg VS m-3 d-1.
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Banks_et_al_2008_pilot-scale_comparison_-_scholar_text.pdf
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Published date: May 2008
Additional Information:
Paper 8B1
Venue - Dates:
5th IWA International Symposium on Anaerobic Digestion of Solid Wastes and Energy Crops, Hammamet, Tunisia, 2008-05-25 - 2008-05-28
Keywords:
kitchen waste, mesophilic, thermophilic, volatile fatty acids, food waste
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 52628
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/52628
PURE UUID: 63530b5f-9f3b-4e85-b336-dd1237d323cf
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Date deposited: 16 Jul 2008
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:06
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