Energy Conversion and Management 43 (2002) 6375

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Anaerobic digestion of semi-solid organic waste: biogas production and its purication
G. Lastella a, C. Testa a, G. Cornacchia a, M. Notornicola b, F. Voltasio b, Vinod Kumar Sharma a,*,1
a

ENEA Research Centre Trisaia, AMB-TEIN-RIF Unit, 75025 Policoro (MT), Italy b Polytecnico di Bari, Department of Environment, Bari, Italy Received 22 August 2000; accepted 18 December 2000

Abstract The main objective of the present experimental investigation was to evaluate the eects of using dierent bacteria inoculums at identical technical settings on the anaerobic digestion process for the treatment of semisolid organic waste available from the orthofruit market. As a possible means to improve the biogas production, as well as reduce their pollution potential, the idea of using recycled digested sludge from the reactor, along with the orthofruit waste, while operating the reactor at maximum retention period has been applied. Purication of the biogas produced was done by means of CO2 adsorption, resulting in a higher CH4 /CO2 ratio and, thus, improving its use as fuel for power generation. 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Anaerobic digestion; Plug ow type reactor; Semi-solid waste; Biogas production; Purication; Hydraulic retention time; Digested sludge

1. Introduction Large quantities of semi-solid wastes are generated from wholesale fruit and vegetable markets, local orthofruit shops, supermarkets etc. From the chemical point of view, such wastes present very high C/N ratios and are characterised by a high water content (>80%). It is true that such residues, after dewatering or addition of structural organics, could be composted aerobically, but anaerobic digestion without any pre-treatment, with energy recovery, seems to be the most attractive method for treatment of the above-mentioned semi-solid wastes.
*

Corresponding author. Tel.: +39-08-3597-4270; fax: +39-08-3597-4284. E-mail address: sharma@trisaia.enea.it (V.K. Sharma). 1 Visiting scientist.

0196-8904/02/$ - see front matter 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 1 9 6 - 8 9 0 4 ( 0 1 ) 0 0 0 1 1 - 5

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During the last two decades, considerable progress has been made in understanding the anaerobic process. Several researchers [15] have already described a number of designs and their performances. Designs, such as batch and plug ow types, having signicant potential to produce biogas with lower capital investment and higher eciency levels, no doubt, exist in both industrialised and developing countries, but the fact remains that, in general, such plants have been tested experimentally using substrates, such as pig manure, distillery waste water, cattle residues, organic fraction of garbage, municipal sewage sludge, etc. Very little work on the treatment of semi-solid waste mentioned above has been reported. It is in the above context that an attempt has been made to develop an ecient and reliable anaerobic digestion process for treatment of the wastes available from orthofruit shops. The main purpose of anaerobic treatment of semi-solid organic waste available from orthofruit market is to lower their pollution potential, as well as recover a gaseous mixture, which can be used as an energy source. As a possible means to improve the biogas production, as well as reduce their pollution potential, the idea of using recycled digested sludge from the reactor, along with the orthofruit waste, while operating the reactor at maximum retention period have been applied. Purication of the biogas produced was done by means of CO2 adsorption, resulting in a higher CH4 /CO2 ratio and, thus, improving its use as a fuel for power generation. For evaluating the eectiveness of the plant, parameters such as feedstock, biogas produced, physical and chemical conditions inside the reactor, etc., were monitored regularly. The data obtained from the experimental observations has been analysed, and the results obtained are presented here. 2. Anaerobic digestion process Anaerobic digestion is a process by which almost any organic waste can be biologically converted in the absence of oxygen. This is a complex process, which requires specic environmental conditions and dierent bacterial populations. Mixed bacterial populations degrade organic compounds, thus producing, as end-product, a valuable high energy mixture of gases (mainly CH4 and CO2 ) termed biogas. By means of enzymes produced by dierent kinds of bacteria, the organic wastes undergo three main reactions (i.e. hydrolysis, acetogenesis and methanogenesis). 2.1. Hydrolysis Organic macromolecules, i.e. carbohydrates, proteins and fats, are de-polymerised by extracellular enzymes. The produced monomers undergo degrading reactions, which produce acetic acid, long chain fatty acids and CO2 . 2.2. Acetic acid formation Dierent bacteria, degrading long chain fatty acids, later produce acetic acid, molecular hydrogen and CO2 . Acetic acid can even be produced from the CO2 and H2 and from fatty acids,

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alcohols and carbohydrates. Bacteria that produce the enzymes for such reactions are generically called ``acetogens''. 2.3. Production of methane Acetic acid is nally degraded with methane production by the so-called methanogenic bacteria or ``methanogens''. These bacteria are highly sensitive to the O2 concentration in the system. Their inactivity depends on an increasing fatty and acetic acids concentration within the environment, consequently lowering pH, whose measure, in a well-balanced system, has to range between 7 and 8. 3. Anaerobic plug ow type digester under investigation The principal objective of developing such a design was to provide low initial investment, high eciency and relatively simple operational and maintenance operations (Fig. 1). The anaerobic inclined reactor, grinding system, mixer, loading unit, biogas discharging system, gas analyser, gas purifying unit and data acquisition device are the main components of the system under investigation. For detailed description of the plant, readers are referred to Ref. [5]. 4. Experimentation Test runs were performed for six months. During this period, the pilot scale digester was fed with orthofruit wastes. In order to shorten the start-up phase, the reactor was inseminated, as suggested by Vallini et al. [6]. Sewage sludge or recycled digested sludge from the reactor, has been used as bacterial inoculums. From the technical and experimental point of view, the test runs were divided into three dierent stages, i.e. Inoculum: To start with, the reactor was fed with farm sludge. The duration of this phase was one month. Anaerobic digestion without recycling: The anaerobic digester was loaded with a feedstock mixture of orthofruit wastes mixed with sewage sludge (as bacterial charge) in the waste to sludge ratio of 9:1. The digestion process was repeated at two dierent hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 33.7 and 22.5 days. The duration of this test lasted for three months. The idea of this experiment was to optimise the hydraulic retention period. Anaerobic digestion with recycling: This run lasted for one month. In this case, the feedstock was prepared using orthofruit wastes mixed with digested sludge (ratio 9:1) available from the plug ow type reactor under investigation. The test was conducted at the optimised hydraulic retention period of 22.5 days. Physical and chemical parameters, such as volatile solids, total COD (both in the feedstock mixture and output sludge), daily biogas production and CH4 and H2 S concentration in the gas, were monitored. Standard methods (2540E and 5220C), owmeter, chromatographer and UNICHIM method no. 634 were used to monitor the above mentioned various parameters. Process parameters inside the reactor, such as pH and volatile fatty acids, were monitored too.

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Fig. 1. Pilot scale experimental plug ow type anaerobic reactor.

The biogas produced was puried by means of CO2 adsorption thus acquiring a higher CH4 / CO2 ratio in the biogas. The experiments lasted for nearly six months or so. Waste characteristics: Because of the heterogeneity of the orthofruit waste, mean values for total COD and volatile solids in the input mixture are presented in Table 1. The analysis of the aforementioned parameters was done following the standard methods reported in Ref. [7].
Table 1 Mean characteristics of the main components in the input feed stock Orthofruit wastes Volatile solids (g/kg) CODtot (mg/l) 64 98 000 Sewage sludge 14 18 500

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5. Results and discussion 5.1. Biogas production The mean daily biogas production and mean daily biogas yield per unit waste were, respectively: 2067 l biogas/day and 51.6 l biogas/kg day (for run B1); and 2923 l biogas/day and 48.7 l biogas/kg day (for run B2); and 4050 l biogas/day and 67.5 l biogas/kg day (for run C), as shown in Fig. 2. From the results obtained, it was observed that the amount of biogas produced per unit weight of waste under treatment increases for higher retention time (run B1 compared to run B2). This may be attributed to a longer digestion period. However, high retention times increase the plants overall cost.

Fig. 2. Daily mean biogas production and mean biogas yield per unit waste for dierent runs.

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Contrarily, the amount of biogas produced per unit weight of semi-solid orthofruit waste mixed with digested sludge available from the reactor (run C), even at a shorter retention time (same as run B2), resulted in higher production compared to the biogas produced with a higher HRT but without using recycled digested sludge. 5.2. Biogas composition The composition of the biogas produced (on average) during the runs B and C is shown in Fig. 3. Other gases, such as H2 , N2 , C2 H6 or CO, were not present in the biogas. The values recorded

Fig. 3. Mean biogas composition during experimental runs.

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for H2 S were very low (about 0.1%). The mean CH4 content varies for dierent runs (60% during B1, 66% during B2 and 68% during C). Assuming the heat potential of CH4 as 35 880 kJ/m3 , the heat potentials of the biogas produced were 21 530, 23 680 and 24 400 kJ/m3 , respectively, for the runs. Such biogas characteristics make the orthofruit waste suitable for energy recovery, in accordance with Italian law (DMA 72, 5/2/ 98). 5.3. Pollution potential reduction Mean values for the total COD and volatile solids removed under each experimental set-up are presented in Fig. 4. Comparing the eciency of pollution removals, as expected, the eectiveness

Fig. 4. Mean volatile solids and total COD removal during dierent experimental runs.

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of the process increases at the higher HRT value. However, performing the test at the same retention time but using recycled digested sludge, leads to higher removals. This is mainly due to the presence of a well developed bacterial population in the input feed, which is able to decompose the feeding substrate more eectively. Thus, recycling digested sludge leads to much higher pollutant removals when compared to those obtained simply with a higher HRT. 5.4. Purication of the biogas produced Improving the heat potential of the biogas produced (when used as fuel), reducing technical problems caused due to the presence of H2 S biogas when used in power generating engines and lowering CO emissions during energy production (the parameter strictly related to CO2 content in the fuel) are the main objectives of biogas purication. Tufo Giallo Napoletano (TGN) has been used as an adsorption material. The material is easily available and of low cost. The chemical composition of the adsorption material used is presented in Table 2. It is to be noted that due to its microcrystalline structure, TGN is able to adsorb acid gases selectively. Laboratory tests have demonstrated the suitability of TGN for adsorption of both pure gases and biogas-like gaseous mixtures as a function of process pressure, as well as temperature. Low temperature and high pressure determine high adsorption eciencies. Moreover, using vacuum pumps or heating, it is easy to regenerate the saturated TGN. In the present experimental investigation,vacuum pumps have been used for regeneration purposes. The material has been settled in columns. Two continuous adsorptiondesorption cycles have been performed. The biogas, produced from the anaerobic reactor (using recycled digested sludge at a hydraulic retention time of 22.5 days) was conveyed to the purication plant. Biogas inow rates of 200 and 100 cm3 /min were maintained during the rst and second recycle, respectively.The cycles lasted 31 and 75 min, respectively. The pressure inside the adsorption unit during both runs was maintained at 1 ATA. The characteristics of the input and output gases were monitored chromatographically using the CHROMEPACK instrument with two dierent columns, such as MOLECULAR SIEVE SA and HAYESEP A). From the observations recorded, no evidence of gases, such as ethane, N2 or CO, was found. H2 S was monitored using the UNICHIM method no. 634. Adsorption was stopped automatically when the CO2 values in the output gas reach 20%. There was no adsorption of CH4 in the TGN unit, as conrmed by comparing its input and output ow rates.
Table 2 Chemical composition of TGN % SiO2 Al2 O3 CaO MgO Na2 O 56.70 18.84 3.20 0.58 0.61

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CO2 adsorption eciencies during the two cycles have been 89% and 98%, respectively. This increase may be due to the lower ow rate. Longer contact times provide higher adsorptive efciencies. Compared to CH4 , adsorption of CO2 appears to be much more selective. Considering its high selectivity towards CO2 , TGN appears to be a good adsorptive medium. It is suitable for application in biogas purication as it enriches the CH4 content in the mixture, thus enhancing its heat potential (up to about 36 000 kJ/m3 ). Puried biogas is suitable for many industrial and domestic uses. Figs. 58 compare the input and output ow rates for the main gases in the adsorption unit under dierent test runs. Because of the progressive saturation of the adsorption, the CO2 output

Fig. 5. Input and output ow rate for CO2 and CH4 (test A: biogas input fow rate 200 cm3 /min).

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Fig. 6. Input and output ow rates of H2 S and H2 O (test A: biogas input ow rate 200 cm3 /min).

ow rate increases slowly and then faster.The CH4 output ow rate does not show relevant changes with time, even when compared to the input ow rate, thus evidencing the TGN selectivity towards CO2 . Examining the input and output ow rates of H2 O, it has been observed that the TGN adsorptive power, even toward water, was very signicant. H2 S is completely removed in both adsorption cycles. In view of the properties of the biogas produced, as well as the prevailing Italian regulations, anaerobic digestion has been proven to be a suitable method for energy recovery from wastes.

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Fig. 7. Input and output ow rate for CO2 ans CH4 (test B: biogas input ow rate 100 cm3 /min).

6. Conclusions On the basis of the experimental results obtained, it is possible to conclude that anaerobic digestion of semi-solid orthofruit waste, when mixed with the digested sludge available from the reactor, provides a global optimisation for an anaerobic digestion process, and it enhances biogas production and minimises the pollution potential of output sludge, recycling of digested sludge improves both the biogas production and its methane content, tests concerning purication of the biogas produced show that TGN has a good adsorptive power towards CO2 . Moreover, being highly selective, it allows biogas enrichment (in terms

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Fig. 8. Input and output ow rates of H2 S and H2 O (test B: biogas input ow rate 100 cm3 /min).

of the percentage of methane content). The puried biogas can be considered as a good biofuel, suitable for power and heat cogeneration using cheap and low technology engines. Acknowledgements One of the authors (VKS) would like to express his sincere thanks to Prof. G. Furlan, Head, ICTP Programme for Training and Research in Italian laboratories, for his valuable suggestions, constant encouragement and above all the nancial support provided.

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