anaerobic digestion

anaerobic digestion, chemical process in which organic matter is broken down by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen, which results in the generation of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄). Materials high in organic content, such as municipal wastewater, livestock waste, agricultural waste, and food wastes, may all undergo anaerobic digestion. The methane gas produced may be collected and used directly as a fuel for cooking or heating, or it can be burned to generate electricity. Unlike the production of methane from gas wells, anaerobic digestion is a renewable source of energy.

Feedstocks

Several feedstocks exist for the anaerobic digestion process, all of which contain organic matter, including municipal and animal wastewaters and agricultural and food wastes. Anaerobic digestion is frequently used in the treatment of municipal wastewaters, often in a process that also includes aerobic digestion (digestion in the presence of oxygen) and sedimentation. The amount of solids produced from wastewater treatment can be reduced though anaerobic digestion, which in turn reduces the costs associated with their disposal. Similar to human waste, animal waste may also provide the feedstock for anaerobic digestion.

Confined feeding operations (CFOs) and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are large animal-feeding operations, typically containing more than 300 cattle, 600 swine or sheep, or 30,000 fowl. When that many animals exist on one farm, the resulting manure and wastewater can have significant environmental impacts if they are allowed to simply run over land and into storm sewers and surface waters. The waste depletes water of its oxygen as it degrades, which can be detrimental to aquatic wildlife. Containing the animal waste is often required to protect water quality. Anaerobic digestion reduces the volume of the waste, produces methane for use, and provides a by-product that can be used as fertilizer.

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biogas

In addition to animal waste, plant waste from agriculture can be processed by anaerobic digestion. In Europe, energy crops are grown for plants dedicated to anaerobic digestion, called biogas plants. (If the plant accepts more than one agricultural feedstock, it is termed a co-digestion plant.) Crops blighted by disease or insects may also be harvested and used as a feedstock for anaerobic digestion.

Most organics can undergo anaerobic digestion, the exception being woody wastes. Wood contains lignin, which most anaerobic microorganisms cannot degrade. However, in the early 21st century, research in the biofuels industry focused on anaerobes that can break down cellulose for the purpose of producing ethanol from woody wastes.

Process

The anaerobic digestion process is used in the treatment of domestic and industrial wastewater. Within the typical wastewater process, both primary (solid) and secondary (liquid) organic wastes can be anaerobically digested. Although that digestion process does produce methane, its primary intent is to reduce the volume of waste solids that must be disposed of. Increasingly, municipal plants are viewing methane as a beneficial by-product of solids processing, and they are capturing the methane to be used on-site. The organic material (or organics) within the low-oxygen environment of landfills also undergoes anaerobic digestion, producing methane.

The organics that feed the anaerobic digestion process are composed of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen (C, N, and O). Microorganisms use those organics as a substrate for growth and combine them with water (H₂O) to form carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄). The actual breakdown of organics to methane is not performed by a single microorganism but occurs in three stages through the teamwork of various microorganisms. The first microorganisms convert the organics to a substance that other microorganisms can convert to organic acids. Methanogenic (methane-producing) anaerobic bacteria convert the organic acids to methane.

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The amount of methane versus carbon dioxide produced depends on the composition of the original organic substrate being broken down. Sugars, starches, and cellulose produce approximately equal amounts of methane and carbon dioxide. When proteins and fats undergo anaerobic digestion, more methane than carbon dioxide is produced. Digested biogas typically contains a maximum concentration of 70 percent when fats are digested. Digested slaughter-facility wastes can produce approximately 60 percent methane.

Gas production is also very dependent upon temperature. Anaerobic bacteria survive in a broad range of temperatures, but there are two broad categories of methanogens. Medium-temperature (mesophilic) bacteria thrive between 20 and 45 °C (68 and 113 °F), and anaerobic digestion using mesophilic bacteria takes place between 30 and 38 °C (86 and 100 °F). In contrast, the optimum gas-producing temperature range for high-temperature (thermophilic) bacteria is 49–57 °C (120–135 °F). Gas production can be maximized when the temperature is kept within those ranges and the feedstock is constant.

Landfill methane

Although it is not an intentional treatment technique for municipal solid waste, the decomposition of organic matter in the low-oxygen environment of landfills naturally produces gas that is about 50 percent methane and 50 percent carbon dioxide. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, approximately one-fifth of human-caused emissions of methane come from landfills. Landfill gas can be extracted and collected using a series of wells. The gas can be flared directly if heat or electricity is needed on-site. It can also be processed to increase the methane content, providing a higher-quality gas for pipelines or storage in tanks.

End uses of methane

Methane may be burned to release energy. The energy can then be used for residential heating, cooking, or electricity generation. Methane combusted at wastewater-treatment plants is typically used for on-site heat. This methane would otherwise be flared or vented directly to the atmosphere. Using methane on-site reduces a plant’s overall operating costs.

In the early 21st century, biogas use for the production of electricity was on the rise worldwide, especially in India, Pakistan, and China. In Europe, Germany emerged as the leader in the effort to use biogas for electricity production.

In developing countries, small-scale anaerobic digesters can provide fuel for cooking and lighting within homes. For small farms, it is estimated that the waste from one cow can provide approximately 0.45 cubic metre (about 15.9 cubic feet) of methane per day when digested. The United Nations Development Programme recognizes small-scale home and farm anaerobic digesters as one of the most useful decentralized sources of energy. Small home-based systems allow households to use human, animal, and agricultural wastes to produce their own energy.

Whatever the ultimate use of biogas, it reduces the consumption of nonrenewable methane sources. Biogas also has less environmental impact because its production does not require drilling. Carbon-neutral biogas contributes less to global warming than does methane extracted from the ground, as it releases carbon into the atmosphere that would have been released when the original organic matter naturally decomposed.