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Related Concept Videos

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Maintaining optimal conditions within fermenters is essential for maximizing microbial productivity and ensuring process efficiency. This lesson focuses on key parameters—temperature, foam, pH, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and pressure—and their precise measurement and control strategies in fermentation systems.Temperature ControlTemperature regulation is critical due to the exothermic nature of many fermentation processes. In small laboratory fermenters, temperature is commonly...
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In aerobic fermentations, oxygen is vital for microbial growth and metabolite production. Since air comprises only about 20% oxygen and the gas is poorly soluble in water—just 9 ppm at 20°C—supplying sufficient oxygen becomes a critical challenge, especially in high-demand processes like yeast growth or citric acid production. Even a fully saturated broth may offer only a few seconds of oxygen availability.To address this, sterile or scrubbed air is introduced into the...
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Bioreactors are engineered vessels designed to cultivate microorganisms under controlled conditions for industrial bioprocessing. They maintain sterility and allow precise regulation of pH, temperature, oxygen, and nutrient levels to optimize microbial growth and metabolite production. Bioreactors range from small laboratory units of 1 liter to industrial systems holding up to 500,000 liters, though only about 75% of their volume is actively used for fermentation. The remaining headspace...
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Foam suppression in overloaded manure-based biogas reactors using antifoaming agents.

P G Kougias1, K Boe1, P Tsapekos1

  • 1Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby DK-2800, Denmark.

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|December 25, 2013
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Summary

Controlling foam in biogas production is crucial. Rapeseed oil effectively reduced foam and boosted methane yield, while octanoic acid worked at higher doses, unlike an inhibitory chemical antifoam.

Keywords:
Anaerobic digestionAntifoamsBiogasFoamingOrganic overload

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Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology and Bioengineering
  • Environmental Science
  • Chemical Engineering

Background:

  • Foaming is a significant operational challenge in biogas plants, impacting efficiency.
  • Effective foam control is essential for stable and productive biogas generation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the efficacy of different oils and tributylphosphate in mitigating foam in manure-based biogas reactors.
  • To assess the impact of these additives on biogas production and methane yield.
  • To determine optimal dosages for foam control agents.

Main Methods:

  • Testing rapeseed oil, oleic acid, octanoic acid, and tributylphosphate as foam control agents.
  • Evaluating additives in batch and continuous manure-based biogas reactors.
  • Applying compounds at dosages of 0.05%, 0.1%, and 0.5% (volume/volume of feed).

Main Results:

  • Rapeseed oil demonstrated high foam suppression efficiency at 0.05% and 0.1% dosages.
  • Octanoic acid was most effective at a 0.5% dosage for foam control.
  • Rapeseed oil addition led to an increase in methane yield.
  • Tributylphosphate, though an effective antifoam, inhibited the biogas process.

Conclusions:

  • Rapeseed oil is a promising, process-enhancing agent for foam control in biogas production.
  • Specific oils can be effective foam suppressants, with dosage being a critical factor.
  • Chemical antifoams like tributylphosphate may negatively impact biogas generation, necessitating careful selection of additives.