Upgrading the performance of high solids feeding anaerobic digestion of chicken manure under extremely high ammonia level

Abstract

Biogas production using high solids feeding anaerobic digestion has several benefits, including higher treatment capacity, lower energy requirements, and reduced volume of digestate. However, when chicken manure is used as a substrate, the process is prone to reactor instability due to ammonia inhibition. This study investigated the performance of three laboratory-scale anaerobic systems fed by chicken manure with total solids (TS) up to 15%, giving rise to total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) concentration of 7.5 g/L. The tolerance of the anaerobic system to ammonia inhibition was evaluated by operating three organic loading rates (OLR) in the range of 1.5-4.5 g-volatile solids (VS)/(L center dot d). The results showed that methane yield reached 0.33 L/g center dot VS under an OLR of 1.5 g-VS/(L center dot d), comparable to conventional wet-type process performance. The total volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were below 0.5 g/L, indicating a highly acceptable performance. The digestive performance deteriorated when the OLR was increased to 4.5 g-VS/(L center dot d) and highlighted the importance of selecting an appropriate OLR. The result may support the adoption of high solids feeding anaerobic treatment for nitrogen-rich materials. (c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Anaerobic digestion; High solids feeding; Chicken manure; Ammonia inhibition; Organic loading rates

Published in

Renewable Energy
2022, volume: 194, pages: 13-20
Publisher: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

SLU Authors

• Westerholm, Maria

  • Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Bioenergy

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2022.05.100

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/118230