[Digestion] full scale digesters for aquatic weeds

[Davide Poggio]

Dear All,

I am working at a rural electrification project in India where anaerobic
digestion will partly contribute to the energy supply. The community has
proposed the use of aquatic weeds (water hyacinth, salvinia etc.) as one
feedstock for AD, as they are already collected for the maintenance of
canals and ponds. The desired biogas production is around 50 m3/day

The literature is full of informations about lab scale experiments with
aquatic weeds; however I could not find many examples of successful full
scale digesters operated with this feedstock. I am mostly interested in the
reactor design and pretreatment solutions that have been adopted to address
the characteristics of this feedstock (tendency to float, low solids
content, etc). For example, it is reported that using aquatic weeds in
unmixed rural digesters can lead to outlet blockages or scum formation:
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/91988078/Energy-from-Anaerobic-Digestion-of-Phytomass-An-Enduring-but
http://eprints.iisc.ernet.in/2387/1/evolving.pdf

Can anyone share successes or problems with this feedstock? suggested
pretreatment methods (chopping, grinding, silaging, drying...)? any attempt
with leaching bed/solid phase systems?

many thanks
davide


- -- ---

Davide Poggio



PhD Candidate

Energy Technology and Innovation Initiative (ETII)

Third Floor Open Space - Energy Building

Faculty of Engineering

The University of Leeds

Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK

T: +44 (0)7936325660
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