Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026
07:34
Evaluation of Integrated Anaerobic Digestion and Hydrothermal Carbonization for Bioenergy Production
Published on: June 15, 2014
27.0K
Enhancing Duck Manure Anaerobic Digestion with Hydrochar: Exploring Green Material Potential via Bidirectional AD-HTC
Li Ren1, Xinyan Zhang1, Xiaohui Xu2
1Shandong Key Laboratory of Green Thermal Power and Carbon Reduction, School of Nuclear Science, Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 4, 2026
Summary
Adding hydrochar from agricultural waste to duck manure anaerobic digestion significantly boosts methane production. This study found an optimal hydrochar dosage that enhances microbial activity and improves biogas yield.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Biotechnology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Efficient resource utilization of duck manure and agricultural/forestry wastes (AFW) is crucial for environmental protection and sustainable development.
- Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a key process for waste valorization and biogas production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of hydrochar derived from AFW on the anaerobic digestion of duck manure.
- To determine the optimal hydrochar addition ratio for maximizing methane yield.
- To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of hydrochar's effects on microbial communities and metabolic pathways.
Main Methods:
- Laboratory batch tests were conducted using duck manure as substrate with four different hydrochar dosage levels.
- The experiment ran for 32 days at 37 ± 0.5 °C with three parallel samples per group.
- Metagenomic and metabolomic analyses were employed to understand microbial community dynamics and metabolic pathways.
Main Results:
- Hydrochar significantly improved methane yield, with a maximum increase of 27.13% at an optimal dosage of 10.91 g·L⁻¹.
- Hydrochar amendment enhanced the abundance of key bacterial phyla (Firmicutes, Bacteroidota, Chloroflexota, Halobacteriota) and the archaeal genus Methanosarcina.
- Functional gene analysis revealed significant increases in genes related to hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis, and methanogenesis.
Conclusions:
- Hydrochar derived from agricultural/forestry wastes is an effective additive for enhancing anaerobic digestion of duck manure.
- The optimal hydrochar dosage improves methane yield by promoting beneficial microbial communities and metabolic functions.
- This study provides insights into the mechanisms by which hydrochar influences the anaerobic digestion process, supporting sustainable waste management strategies.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Microbial Bioremediation of Hydrocarbons
150
Bioremediation is an environmentally sustainable process that employs living organisms—primarily microorganisms—to degrade or neutralize pollutants from contaminated environments. In oil spills and hydrocarbon pollution, bioremediation involves the use of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria to transform toxic compounds into less harmful substances. This approach leverages natural microbial metabolic processes and is considered both cost-effective and ecologically favorable compared to...
150
01:26Microbes and Methanogenesis
91
Methanogenesis is a critical microbial process in anaerobic ecosystems responsible for the biological production of methane, a potent greenhouse gas and valuable biofuel. This metabolic pathway is primarily facilitated by methanogenic archaea, which thrive in anoxic environments such as wetlands, sediments, and animal gastrointestinal tracts. The absence of oxygen in these habitats prevents aerobic respiration, thereby favoring alternative biochemical pathways for organic matter degradation.In...
91