TY - JOUR
T1 - Anaerobic digestion of macroalgae: methane potentials, pre-treatment, inhibition and co-digestion
AU - Bangsø Nielsen, Henrik
AU - Heiske, Stefan
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - In the present study we tested four macroalgae species – harvested in Denmark – for their suitability
of bioconversion to methane. In batch experiments (53 WC) methane yields varied from 132 ml g
volatile solids1 (VS) for Gracillaria vermiculophylla, 152 ml g VS1 for Ulva lactuca, 166 ml g VS1 for
Chaetomorpha linum and 340 ml g VS1 for Saccharina latissima following 34 days of incubation.
With an organic content of 21.1% (1.5–2.8 times higher than the other algae) S. latissima seems very
suitable for anaerobic digestion. However, the methane yields of U. lactuca, G. vermiculophylla and
C. linum could be increased with 68%, 11% and 17%, respectively, by pretreatment with maceration.
U. lactuca is often observed during ‘green tides’ in Europe and has a high cultivation potential at
Nordic conditions. Therefore, U. lactuca was selected for further investigation and co-digested with
cattle manure in a lab-scale continuously stirred tank reactor. A 48% increase in methane production
rate of the reactor was observed when the concentration of U. lactuca in the feedstock was 40% (VS
basis). Increasing the concentration to 50% had no further effect on the methane production, which
limits the application of this algae at Danish centralized biogas plant.
AB - In the present study we tested four macroalgae species – harvested in Denmark – for their suitability
of bioconversion to methane. In batch experiments (53 WC) methane yields varied from 132 ml g
volatile solids1 (VS) for Gracillaria vermiculophylla, 152 ml g VS1 for Ulva lactuca, 166 ml g VS1 for
Chaetomorpha linum and 340 ml g VS1 for Saccharina latissima following 34 days of incubation.
With an organic content of 21.1% (1.5–2.8 times higher than the other algae) S. latissima seems very
suitable for anaerobic digestion. However, the methane yields of U. lactuca, G. vermiculophylla and
C. linum could be increased with 68%, 11% and 17%, respectively, by pretreatment with maceration.
U. lactuca is often observed during ‘green tides’ in Europe and has a high cultivation potential at
Nordic conditions. Therefore, U. lactuca was selected for further investigation and co-digested with
cattle manure in a lab-scale continuously stirred tank reactor. A 48% increase in methane production
rate of the reactor was observed when the concentration of U. lactuca in the feedstock was 40% (VS
basis). Increasing the concentration to 50% had no further effect on the methane production, which
limits the application of this algae at Danish centralized biogas plant.
U2 - 10.2166/wst.2011.654
DO - 10.2166/wst.2011.654
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0273-1223
VL - 64
SP - 1736
EP - 1742
JO - Water Science and Technology
JF - Water Science and Technology
IS - 8
ER -