Date of Award
2016
Document Type
Open Access Master's Report
Degree Name
Master of Science in Environmental Engineering (MS)
Administrative Home Department
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advisor 1
Jennifer Becker
Committee Member 1
John Gershenson
Committee Member 2
Audrey Mayer
Abstract
Evaluations of the anaerobic treatment of sugarcane stillage and dairy manure in a low cost tubular digester were performed in small scale batch experiments and using mathematical simulations. A local sensitivity analysis of the model was performed, and key input parameters were adjusted until the predicted COD removal was consistent with data obtained using two full-scale digesters. Simulations were performed to evaluate COD removal and biogas production for nine different mixtures of stillage and manure at four different temperatures ranging from 15˚C to 30˚C. Digestion of stillage alone was not effective, but when codigested with 20% or more manure, COD removals of >80% and substantial biogas production were predicted. COD removal and biogas production increased with temperature. The batch experiments and model simulations suggest that codigestion of stillage and manure in a tubular anaerobic digester may reduce the environmental impacts of stillage disposal while producing valuable biogas and organic fertilizer.
Recommended Citation
Weiss, Brad J., "EVALUATING THE ANAEROBIC CODIGESTION POTENTIAL OF STILLAGE AND DAIRY MANURE IN A TUBULAR DIGESTER", Open Access Master's Report, Michigan Technological University, 2016.