Renewable Energy, Vol.114, 428-436, 2017
Process intensification with inline pre and post processing mechanism for valorization of poultry litter through high rate biomethanation technology: A full scale experience
High rate biomethanation technology based on anaerobic gas lift reactor (AGR) for the treatment of poultry litter (PL) has been demonstrated to generate biogas and digestate. The plant was installed and operated continuously for 95 weeks (September 2012 to June 2014) under ambient temperature conditions (in the range of 24-31 degrees C) for the treatment of 1000 kg of PL per day containing 254 kg of total solids and 220 kg of volatile solids. Biogas (68 m(3)/day) produced in the plant was successfully converted to electrical power (89 kWh/day) that was utilized to operate water pumps in the agricultural fields. The digestate (105 kg/day) was effectively employed in the nearby fields as an organic fertilizer. The plant was operated by establishing an intensified process mechanism incorporating inline pre and post processing unit assembly along with ammonia inhibition control mechanism. It is understood from the full scale experience of this plant that, decentralized off grid power generation from PL could be a remunerative option to poultry farmers. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords:Poultry litter;Biogas;Electrical power;Process intensification;Anaerobic gas lift reactor;Full scale