Biogas Production from Anaerobic Codigestion of Microalgae and Septic Sludge
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 142, Issue 10
Abstract
Microalgae have been well recognized as one of the clean and renewable biomass energy resources. Codigestion using different cosubstrates has been shown to improve the anaerobic digestibility of microalgae and increase the biogas yield and methane content. This study investigated the effectiveness of using septic sludge as a cosubstrate to anaerobically digest microalgae. After 30 days of co digestion at 35°C, the codigestion group (25% algae, 50% algae, and 75% algae) had an average biogas production of , an amount that more than tripled the biogas production from the 100% algae group. The addition of septic sludge to the microalgae resulted in more favorable initial carbon to nitrogen ratios (C/N) (11:1 to 27:1), improved digestibility of algal biomass, and decreased hydrogen concentrations, which were directly related to the increased quantity and quality of methane produced. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of using septic sludge as a cosubstrate to anaerobically digest microalgae Chlorella sp. and enhance the biogas production.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the funding support from the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML). The authors thank Professor Mark Hines and Dr. Lin Zhang from the Biological Sciences Department and Professor David Ryan from the Chemistry Department at UML for their assistance in the biogas and TOC analyses. The authors would also like to thank the staff at the Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility for assistance in obtaining septic sludge and clarifier supernatant.
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 142 • Issue 10 • October 2016
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 9, 2015
Accepted: Feb 9, 2016
Published online: Apr 26, 2016
Discussion open until: Sep 26, 2016
Published in print: Oct 1, 2016
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