Simple and rapid methods to evaluate methane potential and biomass yield for a range of mixed solid wastes

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Biotechnology
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Assessing solid waste for anaerobic digestion is crucial for bioenergy and biomass production.
• Traditional methods for determining methane potential and biomass yield can be time-consuming.
• Developing rapid evaluation techniques is essential for efficient waste management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate rapid techniques for evaluating the methane potential and biomass yield of solid wastes.
• To compare empirical estimations with experimental results for key parameters.
• To assess adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as a rapid indicator for biomass yield.

Main Methods:

• Solid wastes were analyzed for chemical composition to establish empirical formulae.
• Stoichiometric methane potential (SMP) and COD equivalent were estimated using empirical formulae.
• Biochemical methane potential (BMP) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) were determined experimentally.
• Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels were measured during anaerobic digestion to correlate with biomass yield (VSS).

Main Results:

• Empirical formulae provided good agreement with experimental values for COD and BMP.
• Estimated stoichiometric methane potential (SMP) accurately reflected experimental biochemical methane potential (BMP).
• Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) analysis effectively indicated biomass yield (mg VSS mg(-1) COD removed) within a range of 0.01-0.25, corroborating previous studies.

Conclusions:

• Empirical formula-based SMP and ATP measurements offer rapid alternatives to traditional BMP and VSS assessments.
• These rapid methods are valuable for evaluating the bioenergy and biomass potential of solid wastes for anaerobic digestion.
• The study demonstrates efficient techniques for optimizing solid waste utilization in bioenergy production.