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Design of stage-separated anaerobic digestion: Principles, applications, and prospects

Author

Listed:
  • Tang, Shuai
  • Wang, Zixin
  • Lu, Haifeng
  • Si, Buchun
  • Wang, Chaoyuan
  • Jiang, Weizhong

Abstract

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a predominant technology for treating biowaste and producing clean energy in the field of renewable and sustainable development. Conventional single stage AD is limited by its low energy recovery efficiency, unstable operational performances, and vulnerability to operational conditions. Stage-separated AD was proposed as a promising strategy and increased biomethane production by 5.8%–65.5% and energy recovery by 9.8%–65.5%, respectively. However, the limited information and understanding of stage separation posed technical challenges in the design and applications of stage-separated AD. Thermodynamic and kinetic analysis in the present study suggests that the principles of stage-separated AD are the separation of biochemical reactions and functional microbes. On this basis, inoculum preselection, pH gradient, organic loading regulation, and temperature control were adopted to accelerate the stage separation. Stage-separated AD systems could adopt physically separated or integrated reactor designs. Integrated systems exhibited advantages in operational simplicity, reduced footprint (ca. 30%), and automated stage separation, compared to physically separated AD configurations. Moreover, the pilot and full-scale stage-separated AD setups have emerged, bridging the transition from research to commercial implementation. However, addressing the complexity of feedstock and practical application scenarios remains a big challenge. This study proposed a strategy that takes full account of feedstock characteristics, reactor/compartment configurations, and operational modes for the design of stage-separated AD systems. The comprehensive review in this study identifies promising directions for the design and operation of stage-separated AD, and helps to further unlock its potential for efficient renewable energy (biomethane and biohydrogen) production and biowaste valorization.

Suggested Citation

  • Tang, Shuai & Wang, Zixin & Lu, Haifeng & Si, Buchun & Wang, Chaoyuan & Jiang, Weizhong, 2023. "Design of stage-separated anaerobic digestion: Principles, applications, and prospects," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:187:y:2023:i:c:s1364032123005592
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2023.113702
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