Msc: Sustainable Engineering : Chemical and Process Engineering
Factors Affecting AD
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a complex process where organic matter is broken down through multiple stages. Different microorganisms play a role in each stage, and these microorganisms may require specific environmental conditions to thrive, making them unique to each particular stage of the breakdown process.(Kumar et al., 2024)
Table 1: Factors affecting AD
The anaerobic digestion process was designed to operate within the thermophilic range due to several advantages. This temperature range facilitates faster biogas production and significantly reduces the concentration of pathogenic organisms. Additionally, the literature supports the thermophilic range as ideal for efficient anaerobic digestion.
The feedstock utilized was wet due to the inclusion of a co-substrate, necessitating a homogenization step as the distillery waste was in liquid form. A continuous process was chosen for its simplicity in both construction and simulation, as well as the consistent availability of the feedstock.