Effects of biochar parent material and microbial pre-loading in biochar-amended high-solids anaerobic digestion

Mathu Indren; Cristian H Birzer; Stephen P Kidd; Tony Hall; Paul R Medwell

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2019.122457

Effects of biochar parent material and microbial pre-loading in biochar-amended high-solids anaerobic digestion

Bioresour Technol. 2020 Feb:298:122457. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.122457. Epub 2019 Nov 27.

Authors

Mathu Indren¹, Cristian H Birzer², Stephen P Kidd³, Tony Hall⁴, Paul R Medwell²

Affiliations

¹ School of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia; Humanitarian and Development Solutions Initiative, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia. Electronic address: mathu.indren@adelaide.edu.au.
² School of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia; Humanitarian and Development Solutions Initiative, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.
³ School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia; Humanitarian and Development Solutions Initiative, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.
⁴ Faculty of Sciences, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.

PMID: 31862677
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.122457

Abstract

This study characterises the effect of biochar (pyrolysed biomass) produced from wood pellets, wheat straw and sheep manure on high-solids anaerobic digestion (HSAD) of poultry litter. Also, pre-loading biochar with microorganisms before addition to HSADs was investigated. The addition of wood pellet biochar provides a 32% increase to the methane yield compared with control digesters. The addition of biochar produced from either wheat straw or sheep manure has detrimental effects on digester performance compared with controls. The addition of wood pellet biochar pre-loaded by placing it in a high-solids digester for 90 days provides a 69% increase in the total methane yield, 44% increase in the peak daily methane yield and a 33% reduction in the lag time compared with controls. This study highlighted a need for careful selection of parent material for biochar production and, for the first time, the opportunities to re-use wood pellet biochar for further improvements.

Keywords: Anaerobic digestion; Biochar; Biogas; Gasifier; Poultry litter.

MeSH terms

Anaerobiosis
Animals
Charcoal*
Manure*
Methane
Sheep

Substances

Manure
biochar
Charcoal
Methane