Summary of the Conventional Anaerobic Digestion and Co-Digestion Processes

Posted: August 26th, 2021

Summary of the Conventional Anaerobic Digestion and Co-Digestion Processes

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Summary of the Conventional Anaerobic Digestion and Co-Digestion Processes

Concepts of Anaerobic Digestion and Co-Digestion Processes

With the lucrative proposal to construct a leading anaerobic digester plant in the Yaphank Facility, the American Organic Energy would increase its capacity to process food waste by 180,000 tons yearly. The proposal project, coupled with the presently existing Long Island Compost, would play a vital role in raising the number of tons of food waste to be converted into clean energy, electricity, nutrients-rich water, and fertilizer in the New York Metropolitan area. The project is deemed best in influencing the environment positively as it would cut down on the greenhouse gas emissions that are normally associated with landfill kind of waste disposal.

The levels of gas emissions must reduce by 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Instead, the project is set to generate 2 megawatts of clean electricity in combination with 1.9 million gallons of diesel extraction from natural gas. Therefore, I regard the anaerobic digestion process as a somewhat useful, old technology – dating back in the 19^th century – as means of creating adefinite life cycle, which endlessly feeds on its recycling process. Hence, the entire world would benefit in many aspects. However, this would be based on the number at which various municipalities, public, and private companies have adopted this safer method of recycling food waste.

How Anaerobic Co-Digestion Works

The anaerobic digestion happens due to bacterial hydrolysis, a process that involves the breaking down of insoluble organic polymers. This furthersa fermentation process ofconverting amino acids into gaseous substances like ammonia, hydrogen,carbon dioxide, and methane gases. Imperatively, I consider anaerobic co-digestion a better process since it involves a combination of waste activated sludge together with other waste streams coming fromwastewater treatment plants (Hallaji, Kuroshkarim, & Moussavi, 2019). Moreover, theanaerobic co-digestion aids inincreasingthe production of methane useful as a renewable type of energy. With increased levels of methane, there is a guaranteed reduction in the levels of greenhouse gas emissionsapplicable at landfills (Hallaji, Kuroshkarim, & Moussavi, 2019).Notably, the level of usability of biogas depends solely on its quality, implying that there would begreater use of its energy value with high quality. Hence, it is prudent that biogas contains limited levels of contaminants, such as water vapor and carbon dioxide. However, the biogas output of low quality can be useful in operating less-efficient types of machinery’ internal combustion engines. Therefore, I consider the conversion of biogas into liquefied natural gas a better way of producing a clean form of energy.

The move by several U.S. agencies to consider the feasibility of constructing a high capacity digester plant is remarkable and commendablesince this adds milestones to the earlier pronouncement byEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA). The offices of Research and Development (ORD), Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER), Air and Radiation (OAR), Office of Water (O.W.), which form strategic and technical teams under the leadership of EPA, would facilitate the boldest move. Therefore, the U.S. would record high capacity for handling food waste effectively (AOE).

The Benefits of Anaerobic Digesters to the Environment

Climate Change

The process of anaerobic digestion helps reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions are widely attributed to global warming as they seize and combustmethane gases. Besides, the digesters prevent the ascension of methane gasthat could trapadditional sunlight and heat into the atmosphere.In my view, the application of anaerobic digestion compliments the climate change as it creates renewable energy, therefore limiting the dependence on environmental-polluting kind of fossil fuels (AOE). With the diversion of decaying organic materialsaway from landfills dug-holes, the digesters serve effectively in lowering the production and release of methane gas into the air.

Clean Water

The full application of anaerobic digestion process aids in preservingwater bodies against sewage and wastepolluting substances. In the biogas system, many toxic substances are combusted, thus keeping the aquatic environment safe from contaminants. I agree that the anaerobic digestion process improves the quality of water as it preserves the useful nutrients (AOE).

Sustainable Development

The use of an anaerobic digestion system is aimed at influencingsustainable communities efficiently because the process offers an alternative means of renewable energy instead offossil fuels that usually harm the environment. More so, I suppose that the use of the biogas system providesthe much-required revenuesthat would make it possible for local consumers to produce organic as opposed to other chemically produced fertilizers (AOE). 

Reduction of Pollutants

The construction of a large digester plant means that the relevant department in charge of waste management would incur lower costs that were initially associated with the hauling of landfills. Nonetheless, the non-use of digesters does not prevent run-off of nutrients – containing toxic gases – that fill water bodies, leading to water pollution.Consequently, digesters are critical in agricultural practices because there is a production of organic by-products that replace the use of pesticides, thus improving water retention in soils (AOE).

American Organic Energy

The American Organic Energy, via the effort of the EPA, has initiated a 50 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2030. I see the use of an anaerobic co-digestion process as a more aggressive approach to promoting environmental sustainability in New York City (Rabii, Dahman, &Elbeshbishy, 2019). Therefore, I suppose that that anaerobic co-digestion process is superior to the conventionalanaerobic digestion one due to enhanced advantages of bio-energy production(Rabii, Dahman, &Elbeshbishy, 2019). More so, it is commendable that the use of co-substrates hascompelled pundits to research on co-digestion technology. The objective isto comprehend the effects of multi substrates on the entire performance of a digester, thus widening the knowledge application.

References

American Organic Energy (AOE). Anaerobic digester: The process explained. Long Island Compost. https://www.usbiopower.com/organic-energy/anaerobic-digester

Hallaji, M.S., Kuroshkarim, M., & Moussavi, P.S. (2019). Enhancing methane production using anaerobic co-digestion of waste activated sludge with combined fruit waste and cheese. BMC Biotechnology, 19:19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12896-019-0513-y

Rabii, A., Dahman, Y.S., &Elbeshbishy, E. (2019). A Review of anaerobic co-digestion with a focus on the microbial populations and the effect of multi-stage digester configuration. Journal of MDPI Energies, 12: 1106-1131.