Digestion Of Cow Manure Research Articles

The new strategies of using nitrogen and iron modified hydrochar to enhance methane production during co-anaerobic digestion of cow manure and corn straw

The traditional hydrochar shows limited ability to promote methane production during anaerobic digestion of organic solid waste. This study explored the effect of hydrochar modified using nitrogen and iron on methane production and microbial communities during the co-anaerobic digestion (co-AD) of cow manure and corn straw. Compared with unmodified hydrochar prepared from biogas residue (BHC), iron and nitrogen-iron modified hydrochar (BHC-Fe and BHC-N) improved the specific surface area (SSA) and proportion of oxygen-containing functional groups (OCFGs) related to direct interspecies electron transfer. The results showed that, compared to the control group (without hydrochar addition), the total methane production increased by 30 %, 36 %, and 46 % in the BHC, BHC-Fe, and BHC-N groups, respectively. The addition of modified hydrochar improved the microbial diversity and enrichment of Methanobacterium, Methanobrevibacter, and Methanosarcina spp., with BHC-N being the most effective. COD and Methanobrevibacter showed the highest explanation for methane production in AD performance indexes and archaeal genera (66.4 % and 29.3 %). Surface OCFGs of hydrochar had a more significant and direct effect on methane production than the SSA and archaeal genera. Therefore, the addition of BHC-N contributes more to promote methane production during the co-AD of cow manure and corn straw. This study could provide the new strategies for improving the co-AD of cow manure and corn straw performance, further promoting the resourcing and disposal of cow manure and corn straw.

Maximizing the value of liquid products and minimizing carbon loss in hydrothermal processing of biomass: an evolution from carbonization to humification

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) converts wet biomass into hydrochar and a process liquid, but aromatic compounds in the products have been reported as a roadblock for soil applications as they can inhibit germination, plant growth, and soil microbial activity. Here, we compared HTC and hydrothermal humification (HTH) of cow manure digestate while varying the initial alkaline content by adding KOH. HTH converted 37.5 wt% of the feedstock to artificial humic acids (A-HAs) found in both solid and liquid, twice that of HTC. HTH reduced phenolic and furanic aromatic compounds by over 70% in solids and 90% in liquids. The A-HAs in HTH resemble natural humic acids (N-HA), based on FTIR, UV–vis spectra, and CHN and XRD analysis. The HTH liquid possesses 60% higher total organic carbon (TOC) than HTC. Although one-third of TOC can be precipitated as A-HA, a high TOC concentration remains in the liquid, which is shown to be mainly organic acids. Therefore, we also evaluated the HTC and HTH liquids for anaerobic biomethane production, and found that compared to the original cow manure digestate, the HTH liquids increased methane yield by 110.3 to 158.6%, a significant enhancement relative to the 17.2% increase seen with HTC liquid. The strong reduction in organic acids during biogas production from HTH liquid indicates the potential for converting soluble byproducts into methane, while maintaining high A-HAs levels in the solid product.Graphical

Growth of Nordic container forest tree seedlings in some peatless and peat-reduced growing media

Carbon emissions and environmental concerns have led to the aspiration to reduce peat extraction and its use as a growing medium (GM). In Nordic Forest tree seedling production, Sphagnum peat has been almost exclusively used as a GM in seedling containers due to its good properties and availability. This study examined the feasibility of several peat-reduced and peat-free GM in container tree seedling production of the key tree species in Nordic forestry (Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) and silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) as well as Russian larch (Larix archangelica P. Lawson & C. Lawson ex Trautv.) and common alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.). Pure or mixed GM, consisting of low-humified Sphagnum peat (pure as a control), harvested Sphagnum moss, wood fiber, cow manure digestate from a biogas plant, and a common reed compost were tested. Seedlings were grown in controlled conditions in greenhouse experiments and also in larger-scale commercial tree nurseries. Peat-reduced media containing peat of at least 50 vol% provided growth that is similar to pure Sphagnum peat for the tested species and container types. All the studied alternative media can yield marketable seedlings, although commonly of reduced size and requiring special adjustments in growing management. The studied media have a potential to reduce or replace peat in seedling production, but adjustments of their physical and chemical properties, as well as of seedling fertigation and management procedures, are required. The economic feasibility and environmental sustainability of these GM, as well as the outplanting success of seedlings grown in these media, remain to be studied.

IMPROVEMENT OF AQUACULTURE WASTEWATER CO-DIGESTION PERFORMANCE BY CATTLE DUNG USING A THERMOPHILIC PILOT REACTOR AND FERTILISER RECOVERY

The fundamental challenge to balancing the fuel demand is the risk of process instability. Research on energy recovery from aquaculture effluent addresses energy demands and environmental pollution concerns. The current study examined the effectiveness of anaerobic co-digestion of aquaculture effluent in a 45 L thermophilic reactor without utilising chemical catalysts. The partially digested cow manure created a substantial buffering capacity in this co-digestion process that balanced the volatile fatty acids (VFA). The methane produced was 0.45 m3 CH4/kg VS, whereas 71% of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) was removed. Thermophilic wet co-digestion was used to shorten the digestion and co-digestion phases. The results showed the highest methane was produced after 5 days (0.085 m3 CH4/(kgVSday), and 81% of total methane potential was attained after 9 days. The system proficiency for eliminating volatile solids was more than 36% after 6 days. Sludge recovery was 0.08 m3 sludge/m3 wastewater and water recovery was 0.85 (m3 sludge/m3 wastewater). It is suggested that wet co-digestion at a thermophilic state was favourable for the commercial application of co-digestion of aquaculture wastewater.

Techno-Economic Analysis of Biogas Production from Cow Manure

Biogas has been considered as a renewable alternative energy produced by anaerobic digestion of cow manure. A process of anaerobic digestion of cow manure was simulated by Aspen Plus software to analyze the cost of production. The simulated project used cow manure wastes as a feedstock. From the study, economic analysis includes Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Payback period (PBP), and B/C Ratio. The resulting BEP value is 539.20, the NPV is 6,414,566,421.98, the IRR is 249.84%, and the B/C ratio is 1.66. These values can be said that the business of cow dung which is processed into biogas is feasible to run.

Hydrochar stability: understanding the role of moisture, time and temperature in its physiochemical changes

Limited information is available about potential physicochemical changes that can occur in hydrochar post-production, e.g. during drying and storage. Understanding these changes is crucial not just for shaping future research plans, but also for future practical applications. Here we studied the effect of moisture (69.2% and 2.4%) and three storage temperatures (− 18, 4, and 20 °C) over a year on selected organic and inorganic compounds in hydrochar produced from the Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of digested cow manure. Comparison of the control wet hydrochars (WHs) and dry hydrochars (DHs) showed changes in organic compound composition due to drying. Overall, the total amount of the selected organic compounds was notably greater in WH (15.2 g kg−1 DM) compared to DH (11.8 g kg−1 DM), with variations observed in individual compound concentrations. Drying, however, had no significant influence on the identified inorganic compounds. Storage caused significant changes in both WH and DH, particularly in organic compounds after 12 weeks. Sugars (2–sevenfold), acids (36–371%), and aromatics (58–120%) in stored samples at week 52 were significantly higher than their control values. Changes in the inorganic elements (e.g., Co, K, Mg, Mn, P, S, Sr, and Zn) occurred faster in WH, with significant differences starting from week 1 compared to their control values, while DH showed fewer changes. Based on these changes in both organic and inorganic content, we recommend the optimal storage conditions for future HTC studies to preserve hydrochar properties. Finally, we discussed potential applications for stored hydrochars, with DH showing greater stability, especially at − 18 °C, making it suitable for various applications.Graphical

The new strategy of using humic acid loaded biochar to enhance the anaerobic digestion of cow manure for methane production

Anaerobic digestion is a beneficial way to convert organic waste resources, such as cow manure, into clean energy through microbial actions. However, when biochar was used as an additive to promote the efficiency of anaerobic digestion, there was a problem that the number of oxygen-containing functional groups was small, resulting in a limited effect on improving the electronic transport efficiency of the anaerobic digestion system. In this study, a high oxygen functional group containing humic acid biochar was prepared using ball milling technology to enhance reactivity and improve the anaerobic digestion performance of cow manure. The results showed that humic acid biochar had a more excellent performance in improving the gas production efficiency of cow manure AD. The addition of humic acid biochar did not significantly affect methane content. The humic acid biochar with a milling time of 8 h showed the best promotion effect in the anaerobic digestion system, and the methane yield reached 110.49 mL/gVS, which was 43.16% higher than that of the control group. The addition of humic acid biochar stimulated the secretion of extracellular polymers and enhanced interspecific electron transfer, leading to increased activity of key enzymes, including coenzyme F420. As a result, hydrogen-producing methanogens were enriched, methanogenic pathways were enhanced, and methane production was ultimately increased. Therefore, it improves intermediate product yield and utilization efficiency, thereby increasing methane production, and has great potential in the treatment of refractory organic waste.

Animal manure digestate fertilization effect on the soil microbial activity and crop productivity in the northern part of temperate climate conditions-Lithuania

Microbial communities make up a significant portion of the soil, and their activity is crucial to the soil's ability to function. In this study, we aim to evaluate the influence of animal waste-based digestate as N source on soil microbial activity and crop productivity over a three-year period in a crop rotation system. Two experimental field trials using the same design were performed in the year 2018–2020 and 2019–2021, respectively. Four different fertilization treatments, namely Synthetic Nitrogen, Chicken manure digestate, Cow manure digestate, and Pig manure digestate split fertilized (90 kg ha−1 N and 80 kg ha−1 N), and unfertilized treatment (control) were studied while growing different annual crops (spring wheat, triticale, and barley). There was a more significant positive effect on the soil microbial biomass carbon noticeably observed after the first year of digestate application, with an increase of 20.2–75% when compared to the unamended soil. Soil dehydrogenase activity was a less sensitive indicator for the effect of fertilization on soil biochemical activity, but the average data from both experiments showed an increase in fertilized soils from 6.6 to 8.5% in fertilized soils. The soil moisture did not significantly influence the microbial biomass and the enzymatic activity. However, crop productivity consistently rose each successive year, a positive effect of digestate use. We deduced that the long-term application of animal manure digestate under natural conditions coupled with other variable factors such as seasonal conditions and agricultural management techniques significantly influenced the microbial biomass contents – a critical component of the biological state of the soil. Our findings will help identify how and what could make soil microbial communities and crop productivity vulnerable to seasonal changes in relation to the consistent application of animal manure digestate to agricultural soils and the agricultural techniques employed.

Applying membrane separation technology for integrating high strength cow manure digestate treatment and microalgae cultivation in an open reactor system

Applying membrane separation technology for integrating high strength cow manure digestate treatment and microalgae cultivation in an open reactor system

The Multifunctional Effect of Porous Additives on the Alleviation of Ammonia and Sulfate Co-Inhibition in Anaerobic Digestion

Ammonia and sulfide derived from the reduction of sulfate by the sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are two of the most common inhibitors in anaerobic digestion. Zeolites and bentonites are characterized as porous materials able to adsorb both ammonia and sulfur compounds and seem to be promising candidates as additives in anaerobic digestion to counteract this co-inhibition. In this study, bentonite and zeolite 13X were subjected to alkali modification at different concentrations of NaOH to alter their physicochemical properties, and their effect on the alleviation of ammonia and sulfate co-inhibition in anaerobic digestion of cow manure was examined. The methane production in 13X treatments (13X without NaOH, 13X02-NaOH 0.2 M and 13X1-NaOH 1 M) was elevated by increasing the NaOH concentration in the modification step, resulting in a significance increase by 8.96%, 11.0% and 15.56% in 13X treatments compared to the treatment without additive. Bentonite treatments did not show the same behavior on the toxicity mitigation. The results appear to be influenced by the combined effect of 13X zeolites on the sulfur compounds adsorption and on the increase in pH and Na+ concentration in the batch reactors.

Static supply of different simulated flue gases for native microalgae cultivation in diluted cow manure digestate

The application of microalgae to sequester CO2 from flue gases can be an interesting process since it can contribute to mitigate CO2 emission into the atmosphere. One obstacle of such application is the high CO2 concentration in the flue gases, which can lead to low pH in the cultivation medium and hence process failure. This study aims to investigate static CO2 gas supply for microalgae cultivation as a potential alternative that might allow applying different flue gases with different compositions and higher CO2 concentrations. Two sets of experiments were performed. First, the effect of increasing the amount of supplied carbon was tested. In the second experiment, the applicability of such system for different flue gases regarding their oxygen and carbon content was tested. In all experiments, 50 times diluted cow manure digestate was used as a culture medium. By increasing CO2 concentration up to 10% in the supplied air, microalgae growth productivity of 48.7 mg/L/d was achieved. A further improvement of microalgae growth was shown with increasing the gas/culture volume ratio. Microalgae productivity rate increased form 48.7 mg/L/d to 73.5 mg/L/d when the volume of gas increased from 47% to 81% of total volume. Applying CO2 in air (O2 content around 20%) or in N2 (O2 content less than 2%) didn't show any difference regarding inorganic carbon dissolution, pH, ammonium nitrogen removal, CO2 fixation or biomass productivity. Generally, it can be concluded that static gas supply for microalgae cultivation can allow the application of different flue gases from different industries with low or high O2 content and with CO2 concentration as high as 20%. According to our results, a microalgae cultivation system with continuous static gas supply was proposed.

Changes in Selected Organic and Inorganic Compounds in the Hydrothermal Carbonization Process Liquid While in Storage.

Although many studies have investigated the hydrothermal transformation of feedstock biomass, little is known about the stability of the compounds present in the process liquid after the carbonization process is completed. The physicochemical characteristics of hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) liquid products may change over storage time, diminishing the amount of desired products or producing unwanted contaminants. These changes may restrict the use of HTC liquid products. Here, we investigate the effect of storage temperature (20, 4, and -18 °C) and time (weeks 1-12) on structural and compositional changes of selected organic compounds and physicochemical characteristics of the process liquid from the HTC of digested cow manure. ANOVA showed that the storage time has a significant effect on the concentrations of almost all of the selected organic compounds, except acetic acid. Considerable changes in the composition of the process liquid took place at all studied temperatures, including deep freezing at -18 °C. Prominent is the polymerization of aromatic compounds with the formation of precipitates, which settle over time. This, in turn, influences the inorganic compounds present in the liquid phase by chelating or selectively adsorbing them. The implications of these results on the further processing of the process liquid for various applications are discussed.

Effect of the initial pH on the anaerobic digestion process of dairy cattle manure

Anaerobic digestion (AD) has recently been studied to obtain products of greater interest than biogas, such as volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and phytoregulators. The effect of the initial pH of cow manure and the fermentation time of the AD on the microbial composition, VFAs, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and gibberellic acid (GA3) production was evaluated. The cow manure (7% solids) was adjusted to initial pH values of 5.5, 6.5, 7.5, and 8.5, and the AD products were analyzed every four days until day 20. The initial pH and the fermentation time had an important effect on the production of metabolites. During AD, only the hydrolytic and acidogenic stages were identified, and the bacteria found were from the phyla Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Spirochaetes. The most abundant genera produced in the four AD were Caproiciproducens, Clostridium sensu stricto 1, Romboutsia, Paeniclostridium, Turicibacter, Peptostreptococcaceae, Ruminococcaceae and Fonticella. The highest amount of VFAs was obtained at pH 8.5, and the production of the acids was butyric > acetic > propionic. The maximum production of GA3 and IAA was at an initial pH of 6.5 on day 20 and a pH of 5.5 on day 4, respectively. There was a strong correlation (> 0.8) between the most abundant microorganisms and the production of VFAs and GA3. The anaerobic digestion of cow manure is a good alternative for the production of VFAs, GA3 and IAA.

Effect of air mixing on high-solids anaerobic digestion of cow manure: Performance and mechanism

This study aimed to further investigate the effect of air mixing on the performance of a high-solids anaerobic digestion system and reveal its underlying mechanisms via analyses of carbon conversion, microbial communities and key functional genes. When the air mixing intensity was 12.5, 37.5 and 62.5 mL/(L‧min), compared with the anaerobic digestion without air mixing, the methane yield was increased by 6 %, 13 % and 6 %, respectively. The improved performance was partly attributed to the increased hydrolysis rate of macromolecular substances by 5 %–16 % and carbon recovery in the form of methane by 6 %–7% compared with the controls. Functional flora (Magnetospirillum, Synergistaceae) and hydrolytic metabolism-related enzymes (cellulose, α-amylase) demonstrated higher abundance under air mixing condition, thus promoting the degradation of organic matter and methane production. This work provides some new insights into the use of air mixing to improve anaerobic digestion of high-solids waste.

Enhancement of Anaerobic Digestion of Cow Manure Through Inoculation Under Mesophilic Conditions

Enhancement of Anaerobic Digestion of Cow Manure Through Inoculation Under Mesophilic Conditions

Mineral residue accelerant-enhanced anaerobic digestion of cow manure: An evaluation system of comprehensive performance

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an efficient technology for treating biowaste and generating biogas. A reasonable evaluation of AD performance is crucial to its development. Herein, a comprehensive evaluation system covering five dimensions (energy output, process stability, degradation efficiency, digestate fertility, and digestate safety) was established to assess AD performance. Each dimension in the evaluation system was assigned a specific indicator defined by a threshold or range. Additionally, the proposed evaluation system was applied to assess a case study of batch-mode mesophilic AD that employed three industrial waste residues as mineral accelerants (nickel‑iron slag, steel slag, and fly ash). The mineral accelerants enhanced the energy output (methane yield by 66.55 %–87.54 %) and the feedstock degradation (chemical oxygen demand removal ratio by 11.23 %–32.42 %). The digestates also retained promising safety (heavy metal contents of 190–1260 mg/kg) and fertility (total nutrient contents of 3.71 %–4.69 %). The evaluation system reasonably appraised the comprehensive performance of accelerant-enhanced AD systems with cow manure. This work provides a reliable methodology for evaluating and comparing the performance of different novel accelerants and can be applied to evaluate the comprehensive performance of large-scale biogas projects with cow manure.

Design and Employing of a Non-Linear Response Surface Model to Predict the Microbial Loads in Anaerobic Digestion of Cow Manure: Batch Balloon Digester

Biogas is among the sources of renewable energy with a great potential to mitigate global energy challenges by virtue of the ease of implementation of the technology. The study focused on monitoring the total viable bacteria counts with the number of days, daily average ambient temperature and pH from a balloon type biodigester fed with 2500 L of cow manure (500 L of slurry each day for five successive days) with six months retention time using data acquisition system, standard methods and mathematical model. A non-linear response surface model was developed to predict the total viable bacteria counts with the predictors. The predictors were ranked by weights of importance to the desired targets by reliefF test. At the end of the anaerobic digestion cycle the cumulative volume of biogas was 6.75 m3 with 65.8% methane and 31.2% carbon dioxide. The ranking by weights of the predictors revealed that all the input parameters were primary factors and number of days contributed the most. Based on the testing data set, the response surface model was capable of predicting the total viable bacteria counts with high accuracy as the determination coefficient, root mean square error and p-value were 0.959, 0.197 and 0.602.

Effects of hydrochar and biogas slurry reflux on methane production by mixed anaerobic digestion of cow manure and corn straw

This study aimed to enhance methane production from mixed anaerobic digestion of cow manure and corn straw by adding hydrochar and biogas slurry reflux. The hydrochar characterization revealed that it can provide attachment for microbial growth, and abundant surface functional groups (such as C–O, CO, C–OH, and C–N) for adsorption. Direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) mediated by surface oxygen-containing functional groups on hydrochar increased the methane yield. The experimental group added with hydrochar and biogas slurry reflux had the highest methane and biogas production (34.40% and 36.98% higher than the control group, respectively). Results demonstrate hydrochar and biogas slurry reflux can improve microorganism species richness in anaerobic digestion systems, in which hydrochar can also improve microorganism species uniformity. Distance-based redundancy analysis showed that the VFAs, and pH had the greatest effects on the composition of the microbial community. The dominant microorganism at the phylum level in AD system were Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. The addition of hydrochar and biogas slurry reflux can significantly increase the species abundance of Methanobacterium. These results indicate that the addition of hydrochar and biogas slurry reflux can improve the corresponding microbial abundance, in which hydrochar can enhance the redox characteristics and DIET between microorganism, biogas slurry reflux can also increase nutrient content of anaerobic digestion system, and collectively promote the methane yield.

Peruraian Anaerobik Termofilik Palm Oil Mill Effluent dengan Variasi Konsentrasi Substrat

High utilization of palm oil in Indonesia corresponds to palm oil mill effluent (POME). The POME has chemical oxygen demand (COD) of up to 100.000 mg/L, which can pollute the ecosystem if not adequately treated. One of the methods to manage POME is anaerobic thermophilic digestion. The advantage of this method is the production of methane gas which is a form of alternative energy. Substrate concentration affects anaerobic digestion. This preliminary experiment aims to evaluate the performance of anaerobic thermophilic digestion on various POME concentrations at 55 °C. The anaerobic digestion was run with 16.000, 11.000 and 5.000 mg sCOD/L substrate concentrations. Digested cow manure (DCM) was used as inoculum. The process was running in a continuous system after 7-days of acclimatization of the batch system. The result shows that 16.000 and 11.000 mg sCOD/L concentrations produced more methane, but the methane yield was not statistically significant with the Tukey test (p=0,05). The POME with a 5.000 mg sCOD/L concentration produced less methane and plummeted after day 85. The lower methane production at lower substrate concentration was due to the low sCOD availability and high volatile fatty acid (VFA) accumulation which inhibited the methane production.

Effects of various materials used to promote the direct interspecies electron transfer on anaerobic digestion of low-concentration swine manure

The activation of direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) by the supplementation of conductive materials is one of the effective and available methods to enhance anaerobic digestion (AD). Microorganisms that colonize the surface of these materials form biofilms, the study of which could provide new insights into the character of the DIET process and its effect on AD. The present study focused on AD performance, microbial community, as well as morphological and topological features of biofilms on various materials used to promote DIET during AD of low-concentration swine manure. The best AD characteristics were observed in stainless steel mesh (SM)/digested cow manure (CM) and polyester felt (PF)/digested sewage sludge (SS) combinations used as material/inoculum, respectively. Thus, potential methane yields in CM-SM and SS-PF were up to 26.4% and 26.2% higher compared to the corresponding controls. Microbial analysis of biofilms revealed the dominance of putatively syntrophic bacteria of the MBA03 group of the Limnochordia class in CM inoculated reactors, and syntrophic proteolytic bacteria of the genus Coprothermobacter and acetogenic Clostridium sensu stricto 1, known for their ability to carry out DIET, in SS inoculated reactors. Biofilms on non-conductive materials contained pili-like structures, which were observed only in SS inoculated reactors. Polyester felt tended to biofoul better than carbon felt, resulting in up to 2.8, 3.2 and 1.8 higher nucleic acid, extracellular polymeric substances, and total biomass content, respectively, depending on the inoculum. These results provide new insights into the different types of DIET that can occur in low-loaded AD systems with attached growth.