Application of Anaerobic Digestion in Waste Treatment and Valorization

A special issue of Fermentation (ISSN 2311-5637). This special issue belongs to the section "Industrial Fermentation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 9824

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Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, Pretoria, South Africa
Interests: membrane technology and catalysis; renewable energy, bio-based economy, and sustainable environment; water purification/wastewater treatment; nanotechnology and composite materials; process modeling and simulation
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Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Lead City University, Ibadan, Nigeria
Interests: chemistry; energy; fuels; environmental sciences and ecology; mechanics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), responsible resource production and consumption in a way that preserves the ecological footprint coupled with the challenge to meet the needs of the growing population while minimizing the pressure on the planet will be the great challenge of scientists. Sadly, as a result of unsustainable processes to create products and services, unintended byproducts of these processes have caused significant damage to human lives and the ecosystem. However, recently, research efforts have been directed at eliminating or minimizing the negative ecological footprints of unsustainable processes by closing the material cycles and creating value-added commodities from the waste products of these processes. Premised on this perspective, research activities in this area have become a topic of interest for many researchers in recent times, especially in the specific areas of waste valorization, cleaner production, life cycle thinking, and green production/consumption. Subsequently, the concept of anaerobic digestion, which involves the breaking down of organic material by microorganisms in an oxygen-free environment, has been proposed as a better method for waste treatment and minimization as opposed to disposal via sea discharge or landfill, dewatering, and thermal treatment such as incineration, pyrolysis, and gasification. Against this background, this Special Issue comprises current/ongoing research activities on the application of anaerobic digestion in the treatment and valorization of waste materials into value-added commodities.

Prof. Dr. Michael O. Daramola
Dr. Kehinde Olayinka Oderinde
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • anaerobic digestion
  • fermentation
  • waste treatment
  • waste valorization
  • value-added commodities
  • circular economy
  • bioprocessing

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 3540 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Methane Production through Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Sewage Sludge: A Modified ADM1 Model Approach
by Khuthadzo E. Mudzanani, Terence T. Phadi, Sunny E. Iyuke and Michael O. Daramola
Fermentation 2023, 9(9), 833; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9090833 - 13 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1786
Abstract
The International Water Association’s (IWA) established Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) was created to serve as a backup for experimental findings regarding the actual anaerobic digestion process. The previous model idea was adjusted and used to simulate an anaerobic digestion process in [...] Read more.
The International Water Association’s (IWA) established Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) was created to serve as a backup for experimental findings regarding the actual anaerobic digestion process. The previous model idea was adjusted and used to simulate an anaerobic digestion process in this study. Testing procedures, such as benchmark tests and balance checks, were performed in order to verify the accuracy of the implementation. These measures worked in tandem to ensure that the model was implemented flawlessly and without inconsistencies. The primary objective of this article is to construct a method that is based on the ADM1 for evaluating co-digestion and predicting the performance of the digestion process or methane yield based on the analyzed substrates’ physicochemical properties. Additional equations and simulations have been added to the standard model to create tools for evaluating the feasibility of anaerobic co-digestion. The study’s two most intriguing aspects are the optimal mixture and parameter dependence. The adjusted ADM1 is accurate in predicting the measured values of effluent COD, pH, methane, and produced biogas flows with a reasonable degree of accuracy, according to the validation results. This research shows how to use ADM1 in a wastewater treatment plant and other settings where anaerobic digestion is of interest. Full article
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12 pages, 720 KiB  
Article
Anaerobic Fermentation of Slaughterhouse Waste—Codigestion with Wheat Straw to Determine Methane Biochemical Potential and Kinetic Analysis
by Orlando Meneses Quelal and David Pilamunga Hurtado
Fermentation 2023, 9(8), 726; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9080726 - 2 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1372
Abstract
Slaughterhouse solid waste is one of the sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) today. Crop residue decomposition or incineration has a great impact on global warming. Therefore, it is urgent to study the possibility of better environmentally friendly approaches to solid waste management and [...] Read more.
Slaughterhouse solid waste is one of the sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) today. Crop residue decomposition or incineration has a great impact on global warming. Therefore, it is urgent to study the possibility of better environmentally friendly approaches to solid waste management and its safe disposal. The digestion of this type of solid waste in a decomposing process from organic content allows the recovery of valuable resources (such as biogas) and the use of the digestate in various fertilizer industries. In this study, two substrates were studied to determine their biomethane (BMP) potential in anaerobic digestion. The substrates were fermented and digested anaerobically and biogas production was measured. Methane yield of the slaughterhouse substrates had a lower methane yield between 232.2 and 250.8 mL/gVS and 53.6 to 57.9% biodegradability. Harvest substrates produce between 167.1 and 274.9 mL/gVS with a biodegradability of 39.1 to 64.3%. Co-digestion of both substrates at a ratio of IS 1:2 (RR:WS 3:1) generated a higher yield 289.1 ml/gVS and 66.9%. biodegradability of A kinetic analysis was carried out using Gompertz models, transfer and logistic function for methane production biodegradation. Full article
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Review

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35 pages, 496 KiB  
Review
Anaerobic Digestion of Lignocellulosic Biomass: Substrate Characteristics (Challenge) and Innovation
by Christy E. Manyi-Loh and Ryk Lues
Fermentation 2023, 9(8), 755; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9080755 - 13 Aug 2023
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 5790
Abstract
Modern society is characterised by its outstanding capacity to generate waste. Lignocellulosic biomass is most abundant in nature and is biorenewable and contains energy sources formed via biological photosynthesis from the available atmospheric carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight. It is composed of cellulose, [...] Read more.
Modern society is characterised by its outstanding capacity to generate waste. Lignocellulosic biomass is most abundant in nature and is biorenewable and contains energy sources formed via biological photosynthesis from the available atmospheric carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight. It is composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, constituting a complex polymer. The traditional disposal of these types of waste is associated with several environmental and public health effects; however, they could be harnessed to produce several value-added products and clean energy. Moreover, the increase in population and industrialisation have caused current energy resources to be continuously exploited, resulting in the depletion of global fuel reservoirs. The overexploitation of resources has caused negative environmental effects such as climate change, exacerbating global greenhouse gas emissions. In the quest to meet the world’s future energy needs and adequate management of these types of waste, the anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass has remained the focus, attracting great interest as a sustainable alternative to fossil carbon resources. However, substrate characteristics offer recalcitrance to the process, which negatively impacts the methane yield. Nevertheless, the biodigestibility of these substrates can be enhanced through chemical, physical, and biological pretreatment methods, leading to improvement in biogas yields. Furthermore, the co-digestion of these substrates with other types and adding specific nutrients as trace elements or inoculum will help to adjust substrate characteristics to a level appropriate for efficient anaerobic digestion and increased biogas yield. Full article
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