Search results for "Biofuels"
showing 10 items of 50 documents
Aspen Plus process-simulation model: Producing biogas from VOC emissions in an anaerobic bioscrubber
2018
A process-simulation model for a novel process consisted of an anaerobic bioscrubber was developed in Aspen Plus®. A novel approach was performed to implement the anaerobic reactor in the simulation, enabling it to be connected to the scrubber. The model was calibrated and validated using data from an industrial prototype that converted air emissions polluted with volatile organic compounds with an average daily concentration of 1129 mgC Nm−3 into bioenergy for more than one year. The scrubber, which showed a removal efficiency within 83-93%, was successfully predicted with an average absolute relative error of 5.2 ± 0.08% using an average height-to-theoretical-plate value of 1.05 ± 0.08 m …
Towards a microbial thermoelectric cell.
2013
Microbial growth is an exothermic process. Biotechnological industries produce large amounts of heat, usually considered an undesirable by-product. In this work, we report the construction and characterization of the first microbial thermoelectric cell (MTC), in which the metabolic heat produced by a thermally insulated microbial culture is partially converted into electricity through a thermoelectric device optimized for low ΔT values. A temperature of 41°C and net electric voltage of around 250–600 mV was achieved with 1.7 L baker’s yeast culture. This is the first time microbial metabolic energy has been converted into electricity with an ad hoc thermoelectric device. These results might…
Bioresource technology for bioenergy, bioproductsenvironmental sustainability.
2022
The 3rd International Conference for Bioresource Technology for Bioenergy, Bioproducts & Environmental Sustainability (BIORESTEC) was held online from 17 to 19 May 2021. More than 120 participants from all over the world participated in this conference. The conference was studded with nine plenary lectures, ten invited lectures as well as more than 50 oral presentations along with several poster presentations. The purpose of the conference was to foster the exchange of knowledge and ideas among researchers in academia and industry as well as policymakers working on various aspects of biorefinery to discuss the progress made during the intervening three years and the latest trends in bio…
Insights into the annotated genome sequence of Methanoculleus bourgensis MS2(T), related to dominant methanogens in biogas-producing plants
2014
The final step of the biogas production process, the methanogenesis, is frequently dominated by members of the genus Methanoculleus. In particular, the species Methanoculleus bourgensis was identified to play a role in different biogas reactor systems. The genome of the type strain M. bourgensis MS2(T), originally isolated from a sewage sludge digestor, was completely sequenced to analyze putative adaptive genome features conferring competitiveness within biogas reactor environments to the strain. Sequencing and assembly of the M. bourgensis MS2(T) genome yielded a chromosome with a size of 2,789,773 bp. Comparative analysis of M. bourgensis MS2(T) and Methanoculleus marisnigri JR1 revealed…
Unveiling microbial structures during raw microalgae digestion and co-digestion with primary sludge to produce biogas using semi-continuous AnMBR sys…
2020
[EN] Methane production from microalgae can be enhanced through anaerobic co-digestion with carbon-rich substrates and thus mitigate the inhibition risk associated with its low C:N ratio. Acclimated microbial communities for microalgae disruption can be used as a source of natural enzymes in bioenergy production. However, co-substrates with a certain microbial diversity such as primary sludge might shift the microbial structure. Substrates were generated in a Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) and combined as follows: Scenedesmus or Chlorella digestion and microalgae co-digestion with primary sludge. The study was performed using two lab-scale Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors (AnMBR). Du…
Mesophilic co-digestion of dairy manure and lipid rich solid slaughterhouse wastes: process efficiency, limitations and floating granules formation.
2014
Lipid and protein rich solid slaughterhouse wastes are attractive co-substrates to increase volumetric biogas production in co-digestion with dairy manure. Addition of decanter sludge (DS), containing 42.2% of lipids and 35.8% of proteins (total solids basis), up to 5% of feed mixture resulted in a stable process without any indication of long chain fatty acids (LCFA) or free ammonia (NH3) inhibition and in 3.5-fold increase of volumetric biogas production. Contrary, only lipids addition as technical fat (TF) at over 2% of feed mixture resulted in formation of floating granules (FG) and process efficiency decrease. Formed FG had low biodegradability and its organic part was composed of lipi…
Effect of additives on process stability of mesophilic anaerobic monodigestion of pig slaughterhouse waste
2012
The effect of two additives on anaerobic monodigestion of pig slaughterhouse waste was studied in three laboratory scale continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) operated for 242-284 days at 35°C. A higher organic loading rate (OLR), namely 2.25 kg volatile solids (VS)/m(3)d with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 30 d was feasible with an additive containing Fe, HCl and trace elements while an OLR of 1.5 kg VS/m(3)d (HRT 30 d) led to instabilities in CSTR with an additive consisting of Fe and HCl and in CSTR without additives. Methane yields of ca. 700 dm(3) CH(4)/kg VS(fed) were obtained in all reactors under stable conditions. Both additives decreased H(2)S concentration of the biogas…
Screening of novel plants for biogas production in northern conditions.
2013
Abstract The objective of this study was to screen nine annual or perennial novel plants for biogas production cultivated in years 2007–2010 in Finland. The most promising novel plants for biogas production were found to be brown knapweed, giant goldenrod and Japanese millet producing 14–27 t total solids/ha and 4000–6100 Nm 3 CH 4 /ha. The specific methane yields of all studied plants varied from 170 to 381 Nm 3 CH 4 /t volatile solids (VS), depending on harvest time and plant species. Co-digestion of brown knapweed with cow manure in continuously stirred tank reactor was investigated and the highest methane yield was 254 NL CH 4 /kg VS, when the share of brown knapweed was 50% in the fe…
Methane recovery efficiency in a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor (SAnMBR) treating sulphate-rich urban wastewater: Evaluation of methane loss…
2012
The present paper presents a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor (SAnMBR) as a sustainable approach for urban wastewater treatment at 33 and 20 C, since greenhouse gas emissions are reduced and energy recovery is enhanced. Compared to other anaerobic systems, such as UASB reactors, the membrane technology allows the use of biogas-assisted mixing which enhances the methane stripping from the liquid phase bulk. The methane saturation index obtained for the whole period (1.00 ± 0.04) evidenced that the equilibrium condition was reached and the methane loss with the effluent was reduced. The methane recovery efficiency obtained at 20 C (53.6%) was slightly lower than at 33 C (57.4%) due to …
Reliable method for assessing the COD mass balance of a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor (SAMBR) treating sulphate-rich municipal wastewater
2012
The anaerobic treatment of sulphate-rich wastewater causes sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB) and methanogenic archaea (MA) to compete for the available substrate. The outcome is lower methane yield coefficient and, therefore, a reduction in the energy recovery potential of the anaerobic treatment. Moreover, in order to assess the overall chemical oxygen demand (COD) balance, it is necessary to determine how much dissolved CH4 is lost in the effluent. The aim of this study is to develop a detailed and reliable method for assessing the COD mass balance and, thereby, to establish a more precise methane yield coefficient for anaerobic systems treating sulphate-rich wastewaters. A submerged anaer…