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Douglas,<br>
</font><br>
On 1/4/2012 7:15 AM, Douglas Renk wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:1325690132.28779.YahooMailNeo@web120202.mail.ne1.yahoo.com"
type="cite">
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255,
255); font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;
font-size: 12pt;">
<div style="RIGHT: auto"><span style="RIGHT: auto">Has anyone
demonstrated the effect of introducing marine anaerobes
highly toleratant of sodium into glycerin
by-product enhanced digesters? Sodium may still be of
concern for land application, but perhaps the digester could
remain stable. I recall some studies about 20 years ago with
Chynoweth at IGT for inoculum suited for sea kelp digestion.
</span></div>
<div style="RIGHT: auto"><span style="RIGHT: auto"></span> </div>
<div style="RIGHT: auto"><span style="RIGHT: auto">Any
experience with this may greatly help our biogas industry
with co-digestion of biodiesel glycerin<var
id="yui-ie-cursor"></var>. I find the industry resistant
to move away from sodium hydroxide catalyst.</span></div>
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</blockquote>
<br>
In a study about the digestion of (apparently salty) Korean food
wastes ("Effect of particle size and sodium ion concentration on
anaerobic thermophilic food waste digestion" Water Sci Technol.
2000;41(3):67-73), Kim et al found that <br>
<br>
<blockquote>...methane gas production [was] affected by various
sodium ion concentrations. The reaction was not affected until 5
g/L of sodium ion was added into the test reactor. The volume of
methane gas produced from the test reactors decreased gradually
according to the sodium ion concentrations applied when more than
5 g/L of sodium ion. In case of 20 g/L of sodium ion, the methane
gas production was reduced to about 50% of theoretical gas volume.<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
Of course, as you imply, a good deal depends on the population in
the digester, but given that glycerin is so easily acidified, that
it is more easily produces stable digestion when other materials are
added to the digester, and that it must in any case be fed slowly,
it seems unlikely that the first problem one would encounter would
be sodium ion concentration. In other words the circumstances that
lead to stable digestion would tend likewise to reduce sodium
concentration in the digester, except perhaps if it is fed kelp or a
similar high-sodium co-digestate. As far as Wayne's question about
ag use of sodium-"enriched" effluent, that I would think would
depend primarily on the circumstances. Sodium would be a problem
particularly in drier climates and soils.<br>
<br>
<br>
d. <br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
<div style="font:Georgia" ;=""><span style="font-size:110%;">David
William House<br>
</span>
<div style="padding-left:3em;font-size:80%;">"The Complete
Biogas Handbook" <code><a href="www.completebiogas.com">www.completebiogas.com</a></code><br>
<em>Vahid Biogas</em>, an alternative energy consultancy <code><a
href="www.vahidbiogas.com">www.vahidbiogas.com</a><br>
<br>
</code></div>
<code>
<div style="padding-left:2em;">"Make no search for water.
But find thirst,<br>
And water from the very ground will burst."
<div style="padding-left:2em;font-size:80%;">(Rumi, a
Persian mystic poet, quoted in <em>Delight of Hearts</em>,
p. 77) <br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://bahai.us/">http://bahai.us/</a></div>
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