Producing pipeline-quality biomethane via anaerobic digestion of sludge amended with corn stover biochar with in-situ CO2 removal

Yanwen Shen, Jessica L. Linville, Meltem Urgun-Demirtas, Robin P. Schoene and Seth W. Snyder

Applied Energy, 2015, vol. 158, issue C, 300-309

Abstract: This study presents a novel process for producing pipeline-quality biomethane by anaerobic digestion (AD) of sludge with in-situ biogas cleanup and upgrading using corn stover biochar. The biochar has high surface area (105m2/g), high ash content (45.2% dry weight) and high concentrations of potassium, calcium and magnesium (14.2% K2O, 3.9% CaO and 4.2% MgO of the ash content, respectively). The biochar-amended digesters produced near pipeline-quality biomethane (>90% CH4 and <5ppb H2S), facilitated CO2 removal by up to 86.3%, boosted average CH4 content in biogas by up to 42.4% compared to the control digester, close to fungibility of natural gas. The biochar addition enhanced the methane yield, biomethanation rate constant and maximum methane production rate by up to 7.0%, 8.1% and 27.6%, respectively. The biochar addition also increased alkalinity and mitigated ammonia inhibition, providing sustainable process stability for thermophilic sludge AD. The biochar-amended digestate is enriched with nutrients such as potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus, and therefore has great potential for soil applications.

Keywords: Biomethane; Sewage sludge; Anaerobic digestion; CO2 removal; Biochar (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (41)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.08.016

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