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New Advances in Anaerobic Fermentation for Biogas and Biomethane Production

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 21237

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Elena Tamburini

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Guest Editor

Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
Interests: microbial processes; biofuels; microbial ecology and biogeochemical cycles; environmental impact; near infrared spectroscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Stefania Costa

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Guest Editor

Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Interests: fermentations; biotransformations; applied biocatalysis; near-infrared spectroscopy; energy from biomass; enzymatic reactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The biological degradation of the organic matrix under anaerobic conditions determines the formation of different products through simultaneous reactions in which the compounds pass into different oxidation states until they are converted into methane, carbon dioxide and other by-products. The process is carried out by a bacterial consortium and includes a series of biodegradative reactions, the slowest of which, methanogenesis, is the step limiting the process. Each population has a well-defined role in demolition by producing reaction intermediates as catabolites that act as a substrate for the next population in the trophic chain. The microbial consortium includes hydrolytic bacteria, acidifying bacteria (acetogenic and homoacetogenic) and methanogenic bacteria.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to highlight advances in biogas production. Currently, a rapidly growing concern for environmental sustainability is represented by the use of food waste as a substitute for dedicated crops for biogas production. Another very important aspect concerns the condition of the fermentations used and their optimization. Lastly, since it is a process that generates by-products, work concerned with upgrading processes is vital and can be included in this Special Issue.

Dr. Elena Tamburini
Dr. Stefania Costa
Guest Editors

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Keywords

biogas production
anaerobic fermentation
upgrading processes
biomethane production

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 608 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Bio-Delignification of Green Waste (GW) in Co-Digestion with the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW) to Enhance Biogas Production

by Bruno Semeraro, Daniela Summa, Stefania Costa, Federico Zappaterra and Elena Tamburini

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(13), 6061; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11136061 - 29 Jun 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1737

Abstract

The organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) is recognized as a suitable substrate for the anaerobic digestion (AD) process and is currently considered a mature technology. A promising strategy to enhance biogas yield and productivity is the co-digestion of OFMSW with other organic biomass, such as green waste (GW), a mixture of leaves, grass, and woody materials originated from private yards and public greenspace management. The main limitation to the use of GW for biogas production is the high percentage of the lignocellulosic fraction, which makes necessary a pretreatment of delignification to dissolve the recalcitrant structure. In this study, a new strategy of sustainable bio-delignification using the white-rot fungi Bjerkandera adusta (BA) in comparison with other chemical pretreatments were investigated. Untreated and treated GW were, respectively, submitted to anaerobic co-digestion with OFMSW. AD processes were carried out in a lab-scale plant for 30 days in thermophilic conditions (55 °C). Biogas cumulative production was increased by about 100% in the case of treated GW compared with that of just OFMSW, from 145 to 289 Nm³ CH₄/ton SV, and productivity almost doubled from 145 to 283 Nm³/ton FM * day. The measured average methane content values in the cumulative biogas were 55% from OFMSW and 54% from GW. Moreover, over 95% of the biogas was produced in 20 days, showing the potential opportunity to reduce the AD time. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Anaerobic Fermentation for Biogas and Biomethane Production)

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14 pages, 2038 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Diauxie Studies in Biogas Production from Gelatin and Adaptation of the Modified Gompertz Model: Two-Phase Gompertz Model

by Carolina Scaraffuni Gomes, Martin Strangfeld and Michael Meyer

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 1067; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11031067 - 25 Jan 2021

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 2305

Abstract

The anaerobic degradation of gelatin results in a two-phase cumulative biogas production curve, i.e., diauxie behaviour. The modified Gompertz model is normally used to fit these curves but due to the diauxie it would result in a less accurate representation. Furthermore, this inhibition slows down the production of biogas in batch reactors. This study adapted the modified Gompertz model to fit cumulative biogas production curves with diauxie behaviour and to investigate the inhibition that leads to this diauxie. Results show that the two-phase Gompertz model can fit diauxie curves with high accuracy and that diauxie curves are not a direct consequence of the accumulation of volatile fatty acids produced in the process of anaerobic digestion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Anaerobic Fermentation for Biogas and Biomethane Production)

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11 pages, 1607 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biomethane Potential of Sludges from a Brackish Water Fish Hatchery

by Francesco da Borso, Alessandro Chiumenti, Giulio Fait, Matia Mainardis and Daniele Goi

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 552; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11020552 - 08 Jan 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1952

Abstract

The development of intensive aquaculture is facing the challenge of the sustainable management of effluents. The reproductive sectors (i.e., hatcheries) mainly use water recirculation systems (RAS), which discharge a portion of wastewater. Anaerobic digestion (AD) could reduce the environmental impact of this waste stream while producing biogas. The study is focused on the biochemical methane potential (BMP) of brackish fish hatchery sludges. Wastewater was concentrated by microfiltration and sedimentation and thickened sludges were treated in a BMP system with different inoculum/substrate (I/S) volatile solids ratios (from 50:1 to no inoculum). The highest I/S ratio showed the highest BMP (564.2 NmL CH₄/g VS), while different I/S ratios showed a decreasing trend (319.4 and 127.7 NmL CH₄/g VS, for I/S = 30 and I/S = 3). In absence of inoculum BMP resulted of 62.2 NmL CH₄/g VS. The kinetic analysis (modified Gompertz model) showed a good correlation with the experimental data, but with a long lag-phase duration (from 14.0 to 5.5 days) in particular with the highest I/S. AD applied to brackish water sludges can be a promising treatment with interesting methane productions. For a continuous, full-scale application further investigation on biomass adaptation to salinity and on retention times is needed. Further experimental tests are ongoing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Anaerobic Fermentation for Biogas and Biomethane Production)

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Review

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27 pages, 2025 KiB

Open AccessReview

Biogas Plants in Renewable Energy Systems—A Systematic Review of Modeling Approaches of Biogas Production

by Mathias Heiker, Matthias Kraume, Anica Mertins, Tim Wawer and Sandra Rosenberger

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(8), 3361; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11083361 - 08 Apr 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 10167

Abstract

Biogas production is a relevant component in renewable energy systems. The paper addresses modeling approaches from an energy system, as well as from a process optimization, point of view. Model approaches of biogas production show different levels of detail. They can be classified as white, gray, and black box, or bottom-up and top-down approaches. On the one hand, biogas modeling can supply dynamic information on the anaerobic digestion process, e.g., to predict biogas yields or to optimize the anaerobic digestion process. These models are characterized by a bottom-up approach with different levels of detail: the comprehensive ADM1 (white box), simplifications and abstractions of AD models (gray box), or highly simplified process descriptions (black box). On the other hand, biogas production is included in energy system models. These models usually supply aggregated information on regional biogas potentials and greenhouse gas emissions. They are characterized by a top-down approach with a low level of detail. Most energy system models reported in literature are based on black box approaches. Considering the strengths and weaknesses of the integration of detailed and deeply investigated process models in energy system models reveals the opportunity to develop dynamic and fluctuating business models of biogas usage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Anaerobic Fermentation for Biogas and Biomethane Production)

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25 pages, 2609 KiB

Open AccessReview

Halophyte Plants and Their Residues as Feedstock for Biogas Production—Chances and Challenges

by Ariel E. Turcios, Aadila Cayenne, Hinrich Uellendahl and Jutta Papenbrock

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(6), 2746; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11062746 - 18 Mar 2021

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4212

Abstract

The importance of green technologies is steadily growing. Salt-tolerant plants have been proposed as energy crops for cultivation on saline lands. Halophytes such as Salicornia europaea, Tripolium pannonicum, Crithmum maritimum and Chenopodium quinoa, among many other species, can be cultivated in saline lands, in coastal areas or for treating saline wastewater, and the biomass might be used for biogas production as an integrated process of biorefining. However, halophytes have different salt tolerance mechanisms, including compartmentalization of salt in the vacuole, leading to an increase of sodium in the plant tissues. The sodium content of halophytes may have an adverse effect on the anaerobic digestion process, which needs adjustments to achieve stable and efficient conversion of the halophytes into biogas. This review gives an overview of the specificities of halophytes that needs to be accounted for using their biomass as feedstocks for biogas plants in order to expand renewable energy production. First, the different physiological mechanisms of halophytes to grow under saline conditions are described, which lead to the characteristic composition of the halophyte biomass, which may influence the biogas production. Next, possible mechanisms to avoid negative effects on the anaerobic digestion process are described, with an overview of full-scale applications. Taking all these aspects into account, halophyte plants have a great potential for biogas and methane production with yields similar to those produced by other energy crops and the simultaneous benefit of utilization of saline soils. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Anaerobic Fermentation for Biogas and Biomethane Production)

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