| dc.description.abstract | Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a renowned technology for the conversion of waste into bio-energy. It can harness energy from the waste and mitigate the impacts related to environmental problems. Despite the high ability of AD, the problems related to low methane yield, VFA accumulation, and process instability often occurs. The addition of biochar to enhance the production of methane in AD was investigated in this thesis.
Biochar is a carbon rich material obtained from the pyrolysis of different organic waste feedstocks. This thesis aims to investigate the potential of biochar derived from different feedstock to enhance the production of methane in the anaerobic digestion process. A biochemical methane potential (BMP) test was carried out with the use of automatic methane potential test system (AMPTS II) under mesophilic condition, to determine the methane potential of the samples that contains biochar.
In this study, the effect of three types of biochar obtained from garden waste, digested sewage sludge and waste on the anaerobic digestion was investigated. All the biochar samples showed higher methane yield as compared to the control sample. The results obtained from the study showed that methane production could be considerably enhanced by 24% with the use of biochar. The maximum cumulative methane yield of 401 Nml g-1VS-1 was obtained from the waste timber (WT) biochar sample pyrolyzed at 600oC with high electrical conductivity and specific surface area. The further laboratory analysis revealed that the VFA concentration in the biochar samples was relatively low as compared to the control sample indicating the higher degradation of VFA yielding more methane.
Overall, the biochars had the positive effect on the production of methane improving the efficiency of AD. Biochar potential to mitigate the challenges faced during AD emphasizes its potential role in the sustainable waste management and renewable energy solutions. | |
