TY - JOUR
T1 - Use of biochars in anaerobic digestion
AU - Mumme, Jan
AU - Srocke, Franziska
AU - Heeg, Kathrin
AU - Werner, Maja
PY - 2014/1/1
Y1 - 2014/1/1
N2 - This study investigated the behavior of biochars from pyrolysis (pyrochar) and hydrothermal carbonization (hydrochar) in anaerobic digestion regarding their degradability and their effects on biogas production and ammonia inhibition. A batch fermentation experiment (42°C, 63days) was conducted in 100mL syringes filled with 30g inoculum, 2g biochar and four levels of total ammonium nitrogen (TAN). For pyrochar, no clear effect on biogas production was observed, whereas hydrochar increased the methane yield by 32%. This correlates with the hydrochar's larger fraction of anaerobically degradable carbon (10.4% of total carbon, pyrochar: 0.6%). Kinetic and microbiota analyses revealed that pyrochar can prevent mild ammonia inhibition (2.1gTANkg-1). Stronger inhibitions (3.1-6.6gTANkg-1) were not mitigated, neither by pyrochar nor by hydrochar. Future research should pay attention to biochar-microbe interactions and the effects in continuously-fed anaerobic digesters.
AB - This study investigated the behavior of biochars from pyrolysis (pyrochar) and hydrothermal carbonization (hydrochar) in anaerobic digestion regarding their degradability and their effects on biogas production and ammonia inhibition. A batch fermentation experiment (42°C, 63days) was conducted in 100mL syringes filled with 30g inoculum, 2g biochar and four levels of total ammonium nitrogen (TAN). For pyrochar, no clear effect on biogas production was observed, whereas hydrochar increased the methane yield by 32%. This correlates with the hydrochar's larger fraction of anaerobically degradable carbon (10.4% of total carbon, pyrochar: 0.6%). Kinetic and microbiota analyses revealed that pyrochar can prevent mild ammonia inhibition (2.1gTANkg-1). Stronger inhibitions (3.1-6.6gTANkg-1) were not mitigated, neither by pyrochar nor by hydrochar. Future research should pay attention to biochar-microbe interactions and the effects in continuously-fed anaerobic digesters.
KW - Ammonia inhibition
KW - Anaerobic digestion
KW - Biochar
KW - Degradation kinetics
KW - Methanogenic microflora
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84901193690&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.biortech.2014.05.008
DO - 10.1016/j.biortech.2014.05.008
M3 - Article
C2 - 24859210
AN - SCOPUS:84901193690
VL - 164
SP - 189
EP - 197
JO - Bioresource technology
JF - Bioresource technology
SN - 0960-8524
ER -