Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
3.1 Overview of feedstock suitability for different treatment
technologies.
material as a feedstock for biogas production can be carried out (Fig. 3.1).
Feedstocks with considerable water content and a low amount of inorganic
matter or bulky/fibrous material are ideal for anaerobic digestion. In
contrast, if the amount of inorganic matter or bulky/fibrous material
increases and water content is rather low, aerobic composting is generally
preferred. If the inorganic matter or bulky/fibrous material is even higher,
combustion (for energy recovery) or landfilling (for inorganic wastes) is
preferable. In addition, for feedstocks with a very high water content,
aerobic wastewater treatment is generally applied. This overview is a very
simplified approach and more detailed substrate evaluation follows later in
this chapter.
3.2.2 Feedstock production and process data
Process data of a possible feedstock should be available if anaerobic
digestion is to be integrated into an existing process such as high-strength
wastewater treatment or if an industrial by-product is to be digested. These
data could include quantity, water content, composition and temperature.
However, the available information can be very limited in many cases since
the available feedstocks are often of little value (e.g. waste products).
Nevertheless, continuous process data can often be better than some simple
samples because these data also account for changes in feedstock
composition (e.g. after changes in the process or after a cleaning procedure).
In the case of many organic wastes there can also be a lot of information
available because many waste products have to be analysed and declared
before being transported or sold.
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