Anaerobic digestion of whole stillage from a dry-grind corn-based ethanol plant was evaluated by batch and continuous-flow digesters under thermophilic and mesophilic conditions. At whole corn stillage concentrations of 6348 to 50,786 mg total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD)/L, at standard temperature (0 °C) and pressure (1 atm), preliminary biochemical methane potential assays produced 88±8 L (4...

Anaerobic digestion foaming has been encountered in several sewage treatment plants in the UK. Foaming has raised major concerns for the water companies due to significant impacts on process efficiency and operational costs. Several foaming causes have been identified over the past few years by researchers. However, the supporting experimental information is limited and in some cases absent. Th...

The fate of [C]17β-estradiol ([C]E2) was monitored for 42 d in triplicate 10-L anaerobic digesters. Total radioactive residues decreased rapidly in the liquid layer of the digesters and reached a steady-state value of 22 to 26% of the initial dose after 5 d. High-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses of the liquid layer of the anaerobic di...

a thermophilic anaerobic contact reactor for the treatment of potato-processing wastewaterswas designed as a continuous-flow, completely-mixed homogeneous system. the reactor was operated at ten different organic loading rates ranging from 0.84 g cod/l·d to 7.00 g cod/l·d for a duration of approximately 250 days. the fundamental way to maintain optimum operating conditions of anaerobic digestio...

Anaerobic digesters were first widely constructed in the United States during the 1970’s energy crisis. Within the anaerobic environment inside a digester, methanogenic microorganisms, utilize organic matter, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen to produce methane, resulting in the creation of renewable energy with decreases in greenhouse gas emissions, organic pollutants, pathogens, and odor (Martin, ...

This study investigated the microbial community in a full scale anaerobic baffled reactor and sequencing batch reactor system for oil-produced water treatment in summer and winter. The community structures of fungi and bacteria were analyzed through polymerase chain reaction–denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and Illumina high-throughput sequencing, respectively. Chemical oxygen demand eff...

Credit: Cornerstone Environmental Group Anaerobic digesters are a mature, proven technology. They take sludge, manure, and other organic waste materials and produce methane (natural gas) fuel. Nobody questions their technological capabilities. However, the question remains as to their economic benefits. In terms of dollars and cents, how much economic sense do anaerobic digesters make? What are...