Trace Element Supplementation As A Management Tool For Anaerobic Digester Operation

This guide is intended for use by industry stakeholders, decision-makers and digester operators in navigating the topic of trace element (TE) supplementation as a management tool for anaerobic digester operation. The subject is the application of TE, and supplementation regimes in anaerobic waste-conversion biotechnologies, such as biogas digesters. TE is a term used to include a wide range of micronutrients essential for the microbial community underpinning AD. TE mostly includes elements from the metal groups (e.g. cobalt, nickel, zinc and tungsten) but also other elemental groups, such as metalloids (e.g. selenium). TE are dosed to anaerobic digesters to boost biological activity and to increase biogas production rates. Little is understood about the concentrations and dosing strategies best suited to sustained supplementation and stable performance in anaerobic biotechnologies. A range of companies offer proprietary blends of trace elements for supplementation of anaerobic digesters. Very little joined-up information is available on the concentrations of individual TE best suited to improved digester performance. Moreover, typically no attention whatsoever is paid to the bioavailability of TE dosed to digesters i.e. despite high concentrations, TE may not be available for uptake by the microorganisms underpinning the digestion process. Based on extensive engagement with a range of stakeholders throughout the course of the recent EU COST Action on ‘The ecological roles of trace metals in anaerobic biotechnologies’, and particularly on feedback from industrial partners, it is clear that such a guide is needed by industry stakeholders, decision-makers and operators of anaerobic digesters.

This guide is intended for use by industry stakeholders, decision-makers and digester operators in navigating the topic of trace element (TE) supplementation as a management tool for anaerobic digester operation. The subject is the application of TE, and supplementation regimes in anaerobic waste-conversion biotechnologies, such as biogas digesters. TE is a term used to include a wide range of micronutrients essential for the microbial community underpinning AD. TE mostly includes elements from the metal groups (e.g. cobalt, nickel, zinc and tungsten) but also other elemental groups, such as metalloids (e.g. selenium). TE are dosed to anaerobic digesters to boost biological activity and to increase biogas production rates. Little is understood about the concentrations and dosing strategies best suited to sustained supplementation and stable performance in anaerobic biotechnologies. A range of companies offer proprietary blends of trace elements for supplementation of anaerobic digesters. Very little joined-up information is available on the concentrations of individual TE best suited to improved digester performance. Moreover, typically no attention whatsoever is paid to the bioavailability of TE dosed to digesters i.e. despite high concentrations, TE may not be available for uptake by the microorganisms underpinning the digestion process. Based on extensive engagement with a range of stakeholders throughout the course of the recent EU COST Action on 'The ecological roles of trace metals in anaerobic biotechnologies', and particularly on feedback from industrial partners, it is clear that such a guide is needed by industry stakeholders, decision-makers and operators of anaerobic digesters.

The use of trace elements to promote biogas production features prominently on the agenda for many biogas-producing companies. However, the application of the technique is often characterized by trial-and-error methodology due to the ambiguous and scarce basic knowledge on the impact of trace elements in anaerobic biotechnologies under different process conditions. This book describes and defines the broad landscape in the research area of trace elements in anaerobic biotechnologies, from the level of advanced chemistry and single microbial cells, through to engineering and bioreactor technology and to the fate of trace elements in the environment. The book results from the EU COST Action on ‘The ecological roles of trace metals in anaerobic biotechnologies’. Trace elements in anaerobic biotechnologies is a critical, exceptionally complex and technical challenge. The challenging chemistry underpinning the availability of trace elements for biological uptake is very poorly understood, despite the importance of trace elements for successful anaerobic operations across the bioeconomy. This book discusses and places a common understanding of this challenge, with a strong focus on technological tools and solutions. The group of contributors brings together chemists with engineers, biologists, environmental scientists and mathematical modellers, as well as industry representatives, to show an up-to-date vision of the fate of trace elements on anaerobic biotechnologies.

Advances in Biofeedstocks and Biofuels PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES FOR SOLIDS AND GASEOUS BIOFUELS This latest volume in the series, “Advances in Biofeedstocks and Biofuels,” offers the most up-to-date and comprehensive coverage available for the production technologies for solid and gaseous biofuels. Biofuel production is one of the most extensively studied recent fields of innovation that can provide the world an alternative energy source. Biomass-based fuel production, or renewable fuels, are becoming increasingly important as a remedy for the increasing greenhouse effect, depleting oil reserves, and rising oil prices. Therefore, research on the production of various biofuels is gaining very much importance among scientists and researchers all over the globe. The book, Production Technologies for Solid and Gaseous Biofuels, is the fourth volume of the book series entitled “Advances in Biofeedstocks and Biofuels.” The first volume, Biofeedstocks and Their Processing, covered the aspects of biofeedstocks and their suitability as an alternative energy source. The second volume, Production Technologies for Biofuels, covered all the latest technologies in biofuels production. The third volume, Liquid Biofuel Production, focused on the latest technologies involved in the production of liquid biofuels, such as bioethanol, biodiesel, biobutanol, and others. This fourth volume, Production Technologies for Solid and Gaseous Biofuels, covers all of the latest technologies in the field of solid biofuels, like biochar, briquettes from biomass, as well as gaseous biofuels like biogas, biohydrogen, and more. Various aspects of utilization of waste biomass for the production of solid and gaseous biofuels are also discussed. This book presents the state of the art in solid and gaseous biofuel production, a must have for any engineer or scientist working in this field.

Advanced Organic Waste Management: Sustainable Practices and Approaches provides an integrated holistic approach to the challenges associated with organic waste management, particularly related to sustainability, lifecycle assessment, emerging regulations, and novel approaches for resource and energy recovery. In addition to traditional techniques, such as anaerobic digestion, composting, innovative and emerging techniques of waste recycling like hydrothermal carbonization and vermicomposting are included. The book combines the fundamentals and practices of sustainable organic waste management with successful case studies from developed and developing countries, highlighting practical applications and challenges. Sections cover global organic waste generation, encompassing sources and types, composition and characteristics, focus on technical aspects related to various resource recovery techniques like composting and vermicomposting, cover various waste-to-energy technologies, illustrate various environmental management tools for organic waste, present innovative organic waste management practices and strategies complemented by detailed case studies, introduce the circular bioeconomy approach, and more. Presents the fundamentals and practices of sustainable, organic waste management, with emerging regulations and up-to-date analysis on environmental management tools such as lifecycle assessment in a comprehensive manner Offers the latest information on novel concepts and strategies for organic waste management, particularly zero waste and the circular bioeconomy Includes the latest research findings and future perspectives of innovative and emerging techniques of waste recycling, such as hydrothermal carbonization and vermicomposting

Recent advances in technology to recover bioenergy from various feedstocks make them suitable alternatives to fossil fuel. This book contains several scientific discussions regarding microbes involved in biogas production, the anaerobic digestion process, their operation, and application for sustainable development. The book provides in-depth information about anaerobic digestion for researchers and graduate students. The editor sincerely thanks all the contributors, whose efforts have brought this book to fruition.

Waste Biorefinery: Integrating Biorefineries for Waste Valorisation provides the various options available for several renewable waste streams. The book includes scientific and technical information pertaining to the most advanced and innovative processing technologies used for the conversion of biogenic waste to biofuels, energy products and biochemicals. In addition, the book reports on recent developments and new achievements in the field of biochemical and thermo-chemical methods and the necessities and potential generated by different kinds of biomass in presumably more decentralized biorefineries. The book presents an assortment of case-studies from developing and developed countries pertaining to the use of sustainable technologies for energy recovery from different waste matrices. Advantages and limitations of different technologies are also discussed by considering the local energy demands, government policies, environmental impacts, and education in bioenergy. Provides information on the most advanced and innovative processes for biomass conversion Covers information on biochemical and thermo-chemical processes and products development on the principles of biorefinery Includes information on the integration of processes and technologies for the production of biofuels, energy products and biochemicals Demonstrates the application of various processes with proven case studies

Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering: Sustainable Food Waste Management: Resource Recovery and Treatment covers the latest methods of food waste management and resource recovery from a sustainability perspective and is suitable for universities, municipalities, and companies working in the field. This book provides a comprehensive account of food waste chemistry, the latest techniques for food waste treatment and recycling, sustainability assessment (social, economic, environmental), and challenges in food waste management. The book explores recycling to value-added products using sustainable concepts and methodologies, and is useful as a course or reference book for biochemical engineering, environmental sustainability, and waste management. Covers recycling to value-added products using sustainable concepts and methodologies Provides an exhaustive description of general treatment options and their evaluation guidelines in terms of cost, energy consumption, and waste generation, enabling readers to understand the principles behind various recovery and treatment schemes Describes existing and emerging food waste recycling technologies, products obtained, and process efficiencies Offers a thorough account of critical factors and challenges in food waste valorization, such as handling of new emerging contaminants, end-product purity, and life-cycle assessment