Anaerobic Digestion Biogas Yield via Cellulolytic Bacteria Consortium
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for anaerobic digestion of food waste result in insufficient treatment efficiency, low methane content, and long hydraulic retention time, due to inefficient microbial activity and degradation of organic matter, particularly in centralized sorting facilities.
Innovation Solution
A composition and method using a biological agent comprising Cellulolytic bacteria and enzymes, including Pseudomonas koreensis, Pseudomonas veronii, Pseudomonas moraviensis, Bacillus wiedmannii, Stenotrophomonas tumulicola, and Bacillus licheniformis, along with biostimulants like Brassica oleracea plant extracts and concentrated humus, to enhance microbial activity and biogas production in anaerobic digesters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional methods are used for anaerobic digestion of food waste, then the process is simpler to operate, but treatment efficiency is insufficient and only 50-60% of organic matter is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a microbial consortium as an intermediary agent to enhance the anaerobic digestion process. This consortium comprises specific groups of microorganisms (hydrolytic bacteria, acidogenic bacteria, acetogenic bacteria, and methanogenic archaea) that work synergistically to improve degradation efficiency. The microbial consortium acts as a catalyst that accelerates organic matter breakdown without requiring fundamental changes to the digester infrastructure, thus improving treatment efficiency while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes several operational parameters including temperature (maintaining 35-38°C for mesophilic conditions), pH levels (maintaining 6.8-7.2), organic loading rates, and hydraulic retention time. These parameter adjustments create optimal conditions for the microbial consortium to function effectively, enabling complete degradation of organic matter (超过90%) while managing process complexity through controlled operational changes.
2Productivity
If the digestion process is accelerated to improve productivity, then biogas production increases, but hydraulic retention time becomes insufficient for complete degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a pre-acclimatization step where the microbial consortium is prepared and activated before being introduced to the food waste substrate. This preliminary action ensures that the microorganisms are in optimal condition to immediately begin高效 degradation when contact with the substrate occurs, maximizing biogas production within the available hydraulic retention time without requiring extended digestion periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite microbial consortium comprising four distinct functional groups of microorganisms working together. This composite biological system divides the degradation process into specialized stages (hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis, and methanogenesis), allowing each group to optimize its function within the limited retention time. The synergistic interaction of these diverse microorganisms enables complete organic matter degradation and high biogas production rates within shortened hydraulic retention periods.
3Reliability
If microbial activity is enhanced to increase methane yield, then biogas quality improves, but the cost of microbial consortium preparation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a self-sustaining microbial consortium that reproduces and maintains itself within the digester system. The microorganisms utilize the organic substrates present in the food waste to grow and propagate, eliminating the need for continuous external supplementation of the consortium. This self-service mechanism reduces operational costs while maintaining consistent biogas quality, as the system automatically replenishes its microbial population through internal growth and reproduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The microbial consortium is designed to handle diverse food waste compositions and generate multiple beneficial outputs including biogas, stabilized digestate, and pathogen reduction. This multi-functional capability allows a single microbial preparation to address multiple treatment objectives, reducing the need for separate specialized treatments and thereby lowering overall operational costs while ensuring reliable biogas quality across varying substrate conditions.
4Productivity
If organic loading rate is increased to improve productivity, then more biogas is produced, but inhibition of microbial activity occurs due to high organic loading
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment of organic loading rates based on real-time monitoring of microbial activity indicators such as biogas production rate, methane content, and volatile fatty acid accumulation. When inhibition signs appear, the loading rate is automatically reduced; when microbial activity is robust, the loading rate is increased. This dynamic control strategy allows the system to operate at optimal productivity levels while preventing microbial inhibition, maintaining both high biogas production and stable microbial activity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where biogas composition analysis (methane and carbon dioxide ratios) and volatile fatty acid measurements provide continuous information about microbial health and digestion efficiency. This feedback loop enables operators to adjust operational parameters including organic loading rate, mixing intensity, and pH control to maintain microbial activity within optimal ranges, preventing inhibition while maximizing biogas production volume.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly increases biogas yield by 20-25% and reduces hydraulic retention time, improving the overall efficiency of anaerobic digestion and allowing for higher organic loading rates, while maintaining a stable biogas quality.
Implementation Method 1
Biogas formation process is a complex microbiological process requiring combined activity of several groups of microorganisms with different metabolic capacities and parameters. There is a sequence of microbial events that occur during the digestion process and the production of methane, which are hydrolysis, acid forming, and methanogenesis.
Implementation Method 2
Anaerobic digestion is controlled biological digestion process which allows produce biogas (approx. 60% methane and 40% carbon dioxide) for energy generation.
Implementation Method 3
Biogas formation process is a complex microbiological process requiring combined activity of several groups of microorganisms with different metabolic capacities and parameters. There is a sequence of microbial events that occur during the digestion process and the production of methane, which are hydrolysis, acid forming, and methanogenesis.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to food waste processing and production of biogas. The proposed composition comprises a biological agent comprising Cellulolytic bacteria and enzymes. According to the preferred embodiment the composition further comprises none, one or two biostimulants. The biological agent comprising Cellulolytic bacteria consists of cultures Pseudomonas koreensis, Pseudomonas veroni, Pseudomonas moraviensis, Bacillus wiedmannii, Stenotrophomonas tumulicola and Bacillus licheniformis in ratio 1-2:1-2:1-2:1-2:1-2:1-2. The preferable concentration of the Cellulolytic bacteria and enzymes is 1-2 x 107 KVV/mL. According to one embodiment the biostimulant is derived from Brassica oleracea species plant extracts. According to another embodiment the biostimulant is concentrated humus extract. According to yet another embodiment, both biostimulants: the one derived from Brassica oleracea species plant extracts and humus extract are used.