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Shinde R, Hackula A, O'Shea R, Barth S, Murphy JD, Wall DM. Demand-driven biogas production from Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactors to balance the power grid. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2023:129364. [PMID: 37336452 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Future energy systems necessitate dispatchable renewable energy to balance electrical grids with high shares of intermittent renewables. Biogas from anaerobic digestion (AD) can generate electricity on-demand. High-rate methanogenic reactors, such as the Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB), can react quicker to variations in feeding as compared to traditional AD systems. In this study, experimental trials validated the feasibility of operating the UASB in a demand-driven manner. The UASB was operated with leachate produced from a hydrolysis reactor treating grass silage. The UASB demonstrated a high degree of flexibility in responding to variable feeding regimes. The intra-day biogas production rate could be increased by up to 123% under 4 hours in demand-driven operation, without significant deterioration in performance. A model based on kinetic analysis was developed to help align demand-driven operation with the grid. The findings suggest significant opportunities for UASBs to provide positive and negative balance to the electricity grid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajas Shinde
- SFI MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, T23 XE10, Ireland; Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Architecture, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, T12 K8AF, Ireland; Crops, Environment and Land Use Program, Crop Science Department, Teagasc, Oak Park, Carlow, R93XE12 Co. Carlow, Ireland
| | - Anga Hackula
- SFI MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, T23 XE10, Ireland; Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Architecture, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, T12 K8AF, Ireland
| | - Richard O'Shea
- SFI MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, T23 XE10, Ireland; Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Architecture, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, T12 K8AF, Ireland
| | - Susanne Barth
- Crops, Environment and Land Use Program, Crop Science Department, Teagasc, Oak Park, Carlow, R93XE12 Co. Carlow, Ireland
| | - Jerry D Murphy
- SFI MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, T23 XE10, Ireland; Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Architecture, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, T12 K8AF, Ireland
| | - David M Wall
- SFI MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, T23 XE10, Ireland; Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Architecture, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, T12 K8AF, Ireland.
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Theaker H, Jensen H, Walker M, Pourkashanian M. Effect of a variable organic loading rate on process kinetics and volatile solids destruction in synthetic food waste-fed anaerobic digesters. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2021; 134:149-158. [PMID: 34419702 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2021.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
With the increasing installation of weather-dependent renewable sources such as solar and wind power, the ability to produce electricity on demand to balance any shortfall in supply is becoming more important. Anaerobic digestion is a low-carbon energy source with the potential to be flexible to meet this need. An investigation was conducted into the response of two laboratory-scale anaerobic digesters at loading rate of 2.5 gVS L-1 day-1 over five months using a synthetic food waste as a substrate. One digester was consistently fed at the same rate, whereas the other digester was fed with periods of varying organic loading rate, from 0.1 to 7 gVS L-1 day-1, using a feed pattern derived from a record of restaurant food waste. The digester that had been fed at a variable rate showed a pronounced increase in biogas production after feed events and a 9.6% higher VS breakdown than the steady-feed digester (81% compared to 74%), with no effect on digester stability, volatile fatty acid concentration, overall biogas output or biogas quality. These findings support and encourage the use of variable-rate feeding to balance the electricity demand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Theaker
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK.
| | - Henriette Jensen
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK.
| | - Mark Walker
- Department of Engineering, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, UK.
| | - Mohamed Pourkashanian
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Sheffield, The Ella Armitage Building, 40 Leavygreave Road, Sheffield S3 7RD, UK.
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Liu Y, Huang T, Peng D, Huang J, Maurer C, Kranert M. Optimizing the co-digestion supply chain of sewage sludge and food waste by the demand oriented biogas supplying mechanism. WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH : THE JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOLID WASTES AND PUBLIC CLEANSING ASSOCIATION, ISWA 2021; 39:302-313. [PMID: 32907511 PMCID: PMC7874384 DOI: 10.1177/0734242x20953491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Co-digestion of sewage sludge with food waste is a beneficial pathway for sewage plants to enhance their biogas yield. This paper employs hybrid programming with system dynamics simulation to optimize such a co-digestion system from the perspective of demand-oriented biogas supply chain, thus to improve the efficiency of the biogas utilization. The optimum operational parameters of the co-digestion system are derived from the simulation model. It is demonstrated that the demand-oriented biogas supply mechanism can be effectively driven under market-oriented incentive policy. For better compensation of the external cost to assist the operations of the co-digestion supply chain, it is suggested that the substrate collection and transportation subsidy should be combined with the renewables portfolio standard to be implemented as the optimum incentives. The limitations of the study are discussed to lay the foundation for future improvements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiyun Liu
- Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, China
| | - Tao Huang
- Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, China
| | - Daoping Peng
- Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, China
| | - Jingjing Huang
- University of Stuttgart, Institute for Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Solid Waste Management, Germany
| | - Claudia Maurer
- University of Stuttgart, Institute for Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Solid Waste Management, Germany
| | - Martin Kranert
- University of Stuttgart, Institute for Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Solid Waste Management, Germany
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Lafratta M, Thorpe RB, Ouki SK, Shana A, Germain E, Willcocks M, Lee J. Dynamic biogas production from anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge for on-demand electricity generation. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2020; 310:123415. [PMID: 32344240 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.123415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this work was to study the potentials and benefits of dynamic biogas production from Anaerobic Digestion (AD) of sewage sludge. The biogas production rate was aimed to match the flexible demand for electricity generation and so appropriate feeding regimes were calculated and tested in both pilot and demonstration scale. The results demonstrate that flexibilization capability exists for both conventional AD and advanced AD using Thermal Hydrolysis Process (THP) as pre-treatment. Whilst the former provides lower capability, flexible biogas production was achieved by the latter, as it provides a quick response. In all scenarios, the value of the biogas converted into electricity is higher than with a steady operational regime, increasing by 3.6% on average (up to 5.0%) in conventional and by 4.8% on average (up to 7.1%) with THP. The process has proven scalable up to 18 m3 digester capacity in operational conditions like those in full scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Lafratta
- Centre for Environment and Sustainability, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, United Kingdom; Research, Development and Innovation, Thames Water Utilities Ltd, Reading STW, Reading RG2 0RP, United Kingdom.
| | - Rex B Thorpe
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
| | - Sabeha K Ouki
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
| | - Achame Shana
- Operational Excellence, Thames Water Utilities Ltd, Clearwater Court, Vastern Road, Reading RG1 8DB, United Kingdom
| | - Eve Germain
- Research, Development and Innovation, Thames Water Utilities Ltd, Reading STW, Reading RG2 0RP, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Willcocks
- Energy and Carbon, Thames Water Utilities Ltd, Clearwater Court, Vastern Road, Reading RG1 8DB, United Kingdom
| | - Jacquetta Lee
- Centre for Environment and Sustainability, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
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Experiments and Modeling for Flexible Biogas Production by Co-Digestion of Food Waste and Sewage Sludge. ENERGIES 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/en13040818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This paper explores the feasibility of flexible biogas production by co-digestion of food waste and sewage sludge based on experiments and mathematical modeling. First, laboratory-scale experiments were carried out in variable operating conditions in terms of organic loading rate and feeding frequency to the digester. It is demonstrated that biogas production can achieve rapid responses to arbitrary feedings through co-digestion, and the stability of the anaerobic digestion process is not affected by the overloading of substrates. Compared with the conventional continuous mode, the required biogas storage capacity in flexible feeding mode can be significantly reduced. The optimum employed feeding organic loading rate (OLR) is identified, and how to adjust the feeding scheme for flexible biogas production is also discussed. Finally, a simplified prediction model for flexible biogas production is proposed and verified by experimental data, which could be conveniently used for demand-oriented control. It is expected that this research could give some theoretical basis for the enhancement of biogas utilization efficiency, thus expanding the applications of bio-energy.
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Abstract
Continuous cultures in chemostats have proven their value in microbiology, microbial ecology, systems biology and bioprocess engineering, among others. In these systems, microbial growth and ecosystem performance can be quantified under stable and defined environmental conditions. This is essential when linking microbial diversity to ecosystem function. Here, a new system to test this link in anaerobic, methanogenic microbial communities is introduced. Rigorously replicated experiments or a suitable experimental design typically require operating several chemostats in parallel. However, this is labor intensive, especially when measuring biogas production. Commercial solutions for multiplying reactors performing continuous anaerobic digestion exist but are expensive and use comparably large reactor volumes, requiring the preparation of substantial amounts of media. Here, a flexible system of Lab-scale Automated and Multiplexed Anaerobic Chemostat system (LAMACs) with a working volume of 200 mL is introduced. Sterile feeding, biomass wasting and pressure monitoring are automated. One module containing six reactors fits the typical dimensions of a lab bench. Thanks to automation, time required for reactor operation and maintenance are reduced compared to traditional lab-scale systems. Several modules can be used together, and so far the parallel operation of 30 reactors was demonstrated. The chemostats are autoclavable. Parameters like reactor volume, flow rates and operating temperature can be freely set. The robustness of the system was tested in a two-month long experiment in which three inocula in four replicates, i.e., twelve continuous digesters were monitored. Statistically significant differences in the biogas production between inocula were observed. In anaerobic digestion, biogas production and consequently pressure development in a closed environment is a proxy for ecosystem performance. The precision of the pressure measurement is thus crucial. The measured maximum and minimum rates of gas production could be determined at the same precision. The LAMACs is a tool that enables us to put in practice the often-demanded need for replication and rigorous testing in microbial ecology as well as bioprocess engineering.
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