Enhanced Methane Production Research Articles

Core-shell structured polyaniline/polypyrrole composites promoted methane production from anaerobic sludge

The core-shell structured polypyrrole/polyaniline (PPy@PANI) were synthesized by in-situ polymerization method and were used as the conductive medium to enhance methane production from the anaerobic wastewater treatment. It was found that the PPy@PANI has a good performance on methane production from the anaerobic wastewater treatment, and it composites can improve the methane production rate and yield by 70.2% and 28.3% in the initial 4 h compared with the control group. A high methane production rate was achieved when the dosage of PPy@PANI was 0.6 g/L, which suggested that 0.6 g/L was the optimal dosage. Finally, the mechanisms involved in the improved methane production rate by the PPy@PANI were disclosed. The PPy@PANI can enrich the functional microorganisms to enhance both the degradation of organics and the electron transfer, which contributed to the improved methane production rate from the anaerobic wastewater treatment.

Enhanced methane production during long-term UASB operation at high organic loads as enabled by the immobilized Fungi

Enhanced methane production during long-term UASB operation at high organic loads as enabled by the immobilized Fungi

Unveiling the mechanisms of a novel polyoxometalates (POMs)-based pretreatment technology for enhancing methane production from waste activated sludge

This study proposed a novel polyoxometalates (POMs)-based pretreatment technology to improve methane production from waste activated sludge (WAS) for the first time. Experimental results indicated methane production from WAS pretreated with 0.25 g POMs/g TSS increased by 43.7%. Mechanism analysis revealed POMs pretreatment promoted WAS disintegration and improved the biodegradability of the released organics. The declined oxidation–reduction potential of digestion system provided a more favorable situation for anaerobes, and hence had positive impacts on the activity of enzymes associated with hydrolysis/acidification/methanogenesis. Model-based analysis elucidated POMs pretreatment remarkably increased both biochemical methane potential and hydrolysis rate. Microbial community analysis showed microbial community was shifted toward increase hydrolytic and acidification-associated microbes and enriched the abundance of Methanosaeta sp. This work is expected to develop an innovative technology that will simultaneously enhance energy production from WAS in the sludge treatment line and improve biological nutrient removal in the wastewater treatment line of WWTPs.

The use of sludge as a micronutrient for the improvement of biogas production from seaweed: the integration of two sources of environmental concern to bring new opportunities

AbstractLarge quantities of seaweed in marine environments and coastal areas can cause serious hygienic and environmental problems. Anaerobic digestion (AD) could provide a solution and could also be useful for the production of bioenergy and fertilizer. However, the AD of algae biomass has some limitations and further work is required on the process. To increase the efficiency of the process, batches of 350 mL feedstock containing seaweed biomass (Sargassum sp.), inoculum, and different dosages of sludge from drinking water treatment (DWTS) as a micronutrient source to improve biogas production were digested in a 500 mL glass reactor and under mesophilic conditions, leading to significantly enhanced methane production. The highest methane yield (199 NmL g−1 VS) was observed when 6 mg L−1 DWTS was added, which showed a 30% improvement compared with the control digester and accounted for a 249.4 kWh increase in net energy per ton. The biodegradability index also increased by 10% compared with the control after the addition of DWTS. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Enhancement of methane production from anaerobic digestion using different manganese species

Enhancement of methane production from anaerobic digestion using different manganese species

Enhancing methane production by anaerobic co-digestion of extruded organic wastes from slaughterhouse and vegetable market in batch and continuous processes

Enhancing methane production by anaerobic co-digestion of extruded organic wastes from slaughterhouse and vegetable market in batch and continuous processes

The potential of electrotrophic denitrification coupled with sulfur recycle in MFC and its responses to COD/SO42− ratios

Electrotrophic denitrification is a promising novel nitrogen removal technique. In this study, the performance and the mechanism of electrotrophic denitrification coupled with sulfate-sulfide cycle were investigated under different anodic influent COD/SO42− ratios. The results showed that electrotrophic denitrification contributed to more than 22% total nitrogen removal in cathode chamber. Higher COD/SO42− ratios would deteriorate the sulfate reduction but enhance methane production. Further mass balance indicated that the electron flow utilized by methanogenic archaea (MA) increased while that utilized by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) decreased as the COD/SO42− ratio increased from 0.44 to 1.11. However, higher COD/SO42− ratios would produce more electrons to strengthen electrotrophic denitrification. Microbial community analysis showed that the biocathode was predominantly covered by Thiobacillus that encoded with narG gene. These findings collectively suggest that electrotrophic denitrification could be a sustainable approach to simultaneously remove COD and nitrogen under suitable COD/SO42− ratio based on sulfur cycle in wastewater.

A Sodium-Translocating Module Linking Succinate Production to Formation of Membrane Potential in Prevotella bryantii.

ABSTRACTRuminants such as cattle and sheep depend on the breakdown of carbohydrates from plant-based feedstuff, which is accomplished by the microbial community in the rumen. Roughly 40% of the members of the rumen microbiota belong to the family Prevotellaceae, which ferments sugars to organic acids such as acetate, propionate, and succinate. These substrates are important nutrients for the ruminant. In a metaproteome analysis of the rumen of cattle, proteins that are homologous to the Na+-translocating NADH:quinone oxidoreductase (NQR) and the quinone:fumarate reductase (QFR) were identified in different Prevotella species. Here, we show that fumarate reduction to succinate in anaerobically growing Prevotella bryantii is coupled to chemiosmotic energy conservation by a supercomplex composed of NQR and QFR. This sodium-translocating NADH:fumarate oxidoreductase (SNFR) supercomplex was enriched by blue native PAGE (BN-PAGE) and characterized by in-gel enzyme activity staining and mass spectrometry. High NADH oxidation (850 nmol min−1 mg−1), quinone reduction (490 nmol min−1 mg−1), and fumarate reduction (1,200 nmol min−1 mg−1) activities, together with high expression levels, demonstrate that SNFR represents a charge-separating unit in P. bryantii. Absorption spectroscopy of SNFR exposed to different substrates revealed intramolecular electron transfer from the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor in NQR to heme b cofactors in QFR. SNFR catalyzed the stoichiometric conversion of NADH and fumarate to NAD+ and succinate. We propose that the regeneration of NAD+ in P. bryantii is intimately linked to the buildup of an electrochemical gradient which powers ATP synthesis by electron transport phosphorylation.IMPORTANCE Feeding strategies for ruminants are designed to optimize nutrient efficiency for animals and to prevent energy losses like enhanced methane production. Key to this are the fermentative reactions of the rumen microbiota, dominated by Prevotella spp. We show that succinate formation by P. bryantii is coupled to NADH oxidation and sodium gradient formation by a newly described supercomplex consisting of Na+-translocating NADH:quinone oxidoreductase (NQR) and fumarate reductase (QFR), representing the sodium-translocating NADH:fumarate oxidoreductase (SNFR) supercomplex. SNFR is the major charge-separating module, generating an electrochemical sodium gradient in P. bryantii. Our findings offer clues to the observation that use of fumarate as feed additive does not significantly increase succinate production, or decrease methanogenesis, by the microbial community in the rumen.

Biochar amendment rapidly shifts microbial community structure with enhanced thermophilic digestion activity

Effects of powdered (<0.075 mm) biochar on thermophilic anaerobic digestion were investigated with biochemical methane potential (BMP) assays. The assays had substrate to inoculum ratios (SIR) of 2.2 and 4.4 g-volatile solids (VS)/g-VS and biochar dosing of 6 g/g-total solids (TS)inoculum. Compared to control, biochar amendment enhanced methane production rates by 94%, 75%, and 20% in assays utilizing substrates of acidified sludge at 70 °C, 55 °C and non-acidified mixed sludge, respectively. All controls experienced acute inhibition with lag phases from 12 − 52 days at SIR of 4.4 g-VS/g-VS, while assays with biochar generated methane from day 4. Biochar addition resulted in a rapid shift in microbial community structure associated with an increase in Methanothermobacteraeae (hydrogenotrophic) and Methanosarcinaceae archaea, as well as various volatile fatty acid (VFA)-degrading and hydrogen-producing bacteria. Biochar presents great potential to tackle VFA accumulation, abbreviate lag phase and increase methane rate, particularly at high organic loadings.

Anaerobic Digestion of Wastewater Sludge and Alkaline-Pretreated Wheat Straw at Semi-Continuous Pilot Scale: Performances and Energy Assessment

During the last decade, the application of pretreatment has been investigated to enhance methane production from lignocellulosic biomass such as wheat straw (WS). Nonetheless, most of these studies were conducted in laboratory batch tests, potentially hiding instability problems or inhibition, which may fail in truly predicting full-scale reactor performance. For this purpose, the effect of an alkaline pretreatment on process performance and methane yields from WS (0.10 g NaOH g−1 WS at 90 °C for 1 h) co-digested with fresh wastewater sludge was evaluated in a pilot-scale reactor (20 L). Results showed that alkaline pretreatment resulted in better delignification (44%) and hemicellulose solubilization (62%) compared to untreated WS. Pilot-scale study showed that the alkaline pretreatment improved the methane production (261 ± 3 Nm3 CH4 t−1 VS) compared to untreated WS (201 ± 6 Nm3 CH4 t−1 VS). Stable process without any inhibition was observed and a high alkalinity was maintained in the reactor due to the NaOH used for pretreatment. The study thus confirms that alkaline pretreatment is a promising technology for full-scale application and could improve the overall economic benefits for biogas plant at 24 EUR t−1 VS treated, improve the energy recovery per unit organic matter, reduce the digestate volume and its disposal costs.

Methane production and toxicity evaluation of petroleum refinery biosludge through optimization of different modes of heat

The colossal amount of hydrocarbon-rich sludge generated from effluent treatment plants of petroleum refineries has enormous potential for methane-rich biogas production. The biodegradation of petroleum refinery biosludge (PRB) was compared between undigested residue (UR) and anaerobically acclimated or digested sludge (DS) from an anaerobic reactor at five different inoculum:sludge ratios (0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0 based on volatile solids content). Upon performing batch anaerobic degradation assay tests, methanogen-rich DS provided a better seeding environment with maximum methane yield being attained at ratio DS:PRB = 0.5. The long hydrolysis phase of the complex hydrocarbon substrate was intended to be improved through the optimization of different modes of heat application (dry heat, pressurized moist heat, agitated open moist heat and microwave irradiation). The best mode was dry heat which when applied at 140 °C for 60 min improved soluble chemical oxygen demand and fatty acids concentration of untreated sludge by 2.28 and 1.3 folds respectively. Dry heat application enhanced methane production by 24.8 % with 48.7 % organic matter removal in presence of DS as inoculum. Morphological and chemical characterization corroborated the fragmentation of aliphatic hydrocarbon bonds through dry heat application. Positive energy recovery (21,826 kJ) from PRB upon dry heat pretreatment evinces its feasibility at a larger scale. The presence of toxic organic pollutants was confirmed by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectroscopy (GC–MS) analysis and the phytotoxicity assay using V. radiata showed concentration-dependent decrease in seed germination, shoot length, root length and biomass after the digestion process in comparison to control thereby, suggesting a sustainable and promising method to petrochemical industries for utilization and transformation of such toxic hydrocarbon-rich sludge into a renewable energy source.

Enhanced methane production from waste activated sludge by potassium ferrate combined with ultrasound pretreatment

This study explored the effect of potassium ferrate (PF) combined with ultrasound (US) pretreatment on methane generation from sludge by a series of experiments and simulations. Batch experiments showed that the pretreatment of PF coupled with US exhibited positively synergy on the methane yield. And by the pretreatment of 0.05 g/g TSS (total suspended solids) PF cooperated with US (1 W/mL, 25 kHz, 15 min), the methane yield was enhanced from 180.62 ± 3.26 to 228.83 ± 4.76 mL/g VSS (volatile suspended solids). Mechanism studies confirmed that the co-pretreatment of PF and US efficiently promoted sludge disintegration, and the biodegradability of sludge organics was obviously enhanced. Microbial community analysis showed that the functional microorganisms participating in sludge anaerobic digestion were enriched by PF cooperated with US pretreatment, with the total abundance enhanced from 12.96% in the control to 17.96% in PF + US pretreated reactor.

An integrated anaerobic digestion and microbial electrolysis system for the enhancement of methane production from organic waste: Fundamentals, innovative design and scale-up deliberation

In the foreseeable future, renewable energy generation from electromethanogenesis to be more cost-effective energy. Electromethanogenesis system is a recent and efficient CO2 to methane technology to upgrade biogas to 100% methane for power generation. And this can be attained through by integrating anaerobic digestion with microbial electrolysis system. Microbial electrolysis system can able to support carbon reduction on cathode and oxidation on anode by CO2 capture thereby provides more CH4 production from an integrated anaerobic digestion system. Scale-up the recent advance technique of microbial electrolysis system in the anaerobic digestion process for 100% methane production for power generation is need of the hour. The overall objective of this review is to facilitate the recent technology of microbial electrolysis system in the anaerobic digestion process. At first, the function of electromethanogenesis system and innovative integrated design method are outlined. Secondly, different external parameters such as applied voltage, operating temperature, pH etc are examined for the significance on process optimization. Eventually, electrode selections, electrode spacing, surface chemistry and surface area are critically reviewed for the scale-up considerations of integration process.

Enhancement of lignocellulosic biomass anaerobic digestion by optimized mild alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreatment for biorefinery applications

Lignocellulosic energy crops are promising feedstocks for producing renewable fuels, such as methane, that can replace diminishing fossil fuels. However, there is a major handicap in using lignocellulosic sources to produce biofuels, which is their low biodegradability. In this study, the application and the optimization of a lignocellulose pretreatment process, named alkaline hydrogen peroxide, was investigated for the enhancement of methane production from the energy crop switchgrass. Four independent process variables, solid content (3–7%), reaction temperature (50–100 °C), H2O2 concentration (1–3%), and reaction time (6–24 h), and three response variables, soluble reducing sugar, soluble chemical oxygen demand, and biochemical methane potential were used in process optimization and modeling. The optimization was performed by two different approaches as maximum methane production and cost minimization. The optimum conditions for the highest methane production were found as 6.65 wt% solid content, 50.6 °C reaction temperature, 2.94 wt% H2O2 concentration, and 16.05 h reaction time. The conditions providing the lowest cost were 6.43 wt% solid content, 50 °C reaction temperature, 1.83 wt% H2O2 concentration, and 6.78 h reaction time. For maximum methane production and cost minimization, specific methane yields of 338.52 mL CH4/g VS and 291.34 mL CH4/g VS were predicted with 62.4 % and 39.8 % enhancements compared to untreated switchgrass, respectively. Finally, it was found that the predicted methane production for the maximum methane production represents 77 % of the theoretical methane yield and 82.22 % energy recovery.

Optimization of electrokinetic pretreatment for enhanced methane production and toxicity reduction from petroleum refinery sludge

This study examined the effect of electrokinetic pretreatment on petroleum sludge (PS) released from the wastewater treatment plants of petrochemical industries for enhanced biodegradation and contaminant removal. The application of electric field on PS through direct current is optimized with the combined variation of applied voltage (40–80 V), exposure duration (20–120 min) and distance between graphite electrodes (8–16 cm) using central composite design-response surface methodology (CCD-RSM). The optimization study revealed significant interaction among the response variables to obtain an optimum condition (60 V, 83.5 min, 11.6 spacing) for maximization of solubilization in terms of soluble chemical oxygen demand (230% increment against untreated) and volatile fatty acids (172% increment against untreated) concentrations for accelerated hydrolysis of complex PS. BMP batch assays were performed at different inoculum and sludge ratios (0.3, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.7) based on volatile solids content after pretreatment at the optimized condition which resulted in accumulated methane ranging from 5.16 to 6.61 L/gVSadded (untreated - 3.9 L/gVSadded). The mixing ratio of 0.4 showed the maximum methane enhancement of 69.2% compared to untreated. The maximum removal of organic content (62.8%), oil and grease (71.74%), and total petroleum hydrocarbon (52.9%) were also observed for the mixing ratio of 0.4. The FTIR study showed the efficacy in hydrocarbon dissociation and decomposition after pretreatment of PS. The net energy gain (3508 kJ) and phytotoxicity reduction of batch digestate after the anaerobic digestion suggest the economic feasibility and decontamination efficiency of the electrokinetic pretreatment technique respectively. Further research could be performed to evaluate the viability of this pretreatment for enhanced methane recovery at field-scale levels to relate to these lab-scale postulations.

Alkaline pre-fermentation for anaerobic digestion of polyacrylamide flocculated sludge: Simultaneously enhancing methane production and polyacrylamide degradation

The residual Polyacrylamide (PAM) in sewage sludge might cause severe disturbance in anaerobic digestion, and appropriate solutions to alleviate such situation are urgently required. In present study, alkaline pre-fermentation was proposed for PAM-flocculated sewage sludge (PFS) pretreatment, by which both PFS methane production and PAM degradation were remarkably enhanced. Under the optimal alkaline pre-fermentation condition (pH 10 for 12 d), the biochemical methane potential of PFS (12 g PAM/kg TS) increased from 107.2 to 246.6 mL/g VS, the hydrolysis rate increased from 0.109 to 0.197 d−1, and the degradation efficiency of PAM increased from 30.6% to 80.1%. Mechanism analysis indicated that the alkaline pre-fermentation broke the large “PAM-sludge” floccules, decreased the molecular weight of PAM, which alleviated the disturbance situation of PAM-present digester and made PAM more available for microbes to be biodegraded. Moreover, PFS hydrolysis and acidification were simultaneously accelerated by alkaline pre-fermentation, thereby providing more bioavailable carbon substrates for subsequent methane producing and PAM co-metabolism. Microbial community analysis demonstrated syntrophic bacteria such as Petrimonas and Sedimentibacter, which had ability to degrade an extensive range of various types of organics including carbohydrates and PAM, were enriched in alkaline pre-fermenter, and the acetotrophic methanogen Methanosaeta, were elevated in anaerobic digester. This work provides an effective microbial based strategy to improve the efficiency of anaerobic digestion of PFS.

Nickel Foam Promotes Syntrophic Metabolism of Propionate and Butyrate in Anaerobic Digestion.

Enhanced interspecies electron transfer (IET) among symbiotic microorganisms is an effective method to increase the rate of methane (CH4) production in anaerobic digestion. Direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET), which does not involve dissolved redox media, is considered an alternative and superior method to enhance methane production by interspecific hydrogen (H2) transfer (IHT). In this study, nickel foam was built into a semicontinuous anaerobic reactor to investigate its effect on the metabolism of propionate and butyrate. Both increased the average yield of CH4 in anaerobic digestion by 18.1 and 15.9%, respectively. Analysis of bacterial and archaeal communities showed that the addition of nickel foam could increase the relative abundance of microbial communities involved in DIET and could increase the diversity of microorganisms in the reactor. Moreover, the anaerobic digestion performance of the nickel foam reactor was good at high hydrogen partial pressure.

Specialized trace elements and volatile fatty acids interactions for enhanced methane production and biomethanization process stability during high organic loading rate

Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and trace elements (TEs) interactions (VFAs*TEs) during biomethanization have effects that could be exploited to enhance anaerobic digestion (AD) of biomass. The goal of this study was to validate biocatalytic effects of specialized VFAs*TEs identified from a batch-derived Optimum TEs Configuration (or simply ‘Optimum’) on high organic loading rate (OLR) involving mixed fruit residue (MFR) fed in semi-continuous AD operation. The specialized VFAs*TEs were formulated as Variants of the Optimum and included Optimum –Cobalt (Co) for specialized VFAs*Co effects, and Optimum +Selenium (Se) for specialized VFAs*Se effects. Four duplicate AD reactors were treated with formulations reflecting the Optimum and the Variants. Each duplicate reactor was semi-continuously fed with MFR at varying OLR until instability occurred. Methane production, total volatile organic acidity (FOS) / total alkalinity (TAC) and VFAs fingerprints were measured as main responses. The results showed that reactors of the Optimum and its Variants were unstable at OLR of 8g oDM/L/d, but stability was restored in the Optimum –Co (FOS/TAC values of 0.6 compared to 1.51 and 1.67 for Optimum and Optimum +Se respectively). The average specific CH4 production (Nml/g oDM) of the Optimum and its Variants were Control: 431±36; Optimum: 553±16; Optimum –Co: 580±12; and Optimum +Se: 545±13. Optimum –Co also had the lowest acetic acid and butyric acid accumulation, but had higher propionic acid concentration (0.7 g/L) compared to the Optimum (0.3 g/L) and Optimum +Se (0.4 g/L).

Calcium hypochlorite enhances the digestibility of and the phosphorus recovery from waste activated sludge

Waste activated sludge (WAS) can be treated using anaerobic digestion (AD) for biogas recovery and volume reduction. However, the poor digestibility and hydrolysis of WAS limit AD applications. The current study investigated the feasibility of applying calcium hypochlorite as a WAS pretreatment strategy to improve AD treatment efficiency using laboratory reactors. The results showed that pretreatment with 5 – 20% Ca(ClO)2 (total suspended solids basis) significantly enhanced WAS anaerobic digestibility, and led to significantly enhanced methane production rate and biomethane yield comparing to the AD of raw WAS (P < 0.05). Low Ca(ClO)2 pretreatment (5 – 10%) significantly enhanced digestion efficiency, which can be attributed to the development of fermentative and syntrophic bacteria. However, high Ca(ClO)2 doses (>20%) reduced microbial activities, leading to slow release of dissolved organic compounds and prolonged methane production lag phase. In addition, high Ca(ClO)2 removed 82.7% of the initial phosphate by calcium-phosphate binding, reducing the phosphorus in liquid digestate.

Enhancing methane production from the invasive macroalga Rugulopteryx okamurae through anaerobic co-digestion with olive mill solid waste: process performance and kinetic analysis

The biomass valorisation of the invasive brown alga Rugulopteryx okamurae (Dictyotales, Phaeophyceae) is key to curbing the expansion of this invasive macroalga which is generating tonnes of biomass on southern Spain beaches. As a feasible alternative for the biomass management, anaerobic co-digestion is proposed in this study. Although the anaerobic digestion of macroalgae barely produced 177 mL of CH4 g−1 VS, the co-digestion with a C-rich substrate, such as the olive mill solid waste (OMSW, the main waste derived from the two-phase olive oil manufacturing process), improved the anaerobic digestion process. The mixture improved not only the methane yield, but also its biodegradability. The highest biodegradability was found in the mixture 1 R. okamurae—1 OMSW, which improved the biodegradability of the macroalgae by 12.9% and 38.1% for the OMSW. The highest methane yield was observed for the mixture 1 R. okamurae—3 OMSW, improving the methane production of macroalgae alone by 157% and the OMSW methane production by 8.6%. Two mathematical models were used to fit the experimental data of methane production time with the aim of assessing the processes and obtaining the kinetic constants of the anaerobic co-digestion of different combination of R. okamurae and OMSW and both substrates independently. First-order kinetic and the transference function models allowed for appropriately fitting the experimental results of methane production with digestion time. The specific rate constant, k (first-order model) for the mixture 1 R. okamurae- 1.5 OMSW, was 5.1 and 1.3 times higher than that obtained for the mono-digestion of single OMSW and the macroalga, respectively. In the same way, the transference function model revealed that the maximum methane production rate (Rmax) was also found for the mixture 1 R. okamurae—1.5 OMSW (30.4 mL CH4 g−1 VS day−1), which was 1.6 and 2.2 times higher than the corresponding to the mono-digestions of the single OMSW and sole R. okamurae (18.9 and 13.6 mL CH4 g−1 VS day−1), respectively.