Solid Biomass Anaerobic Digester with Removable Roof
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methanation processes face challenges in efficiently processing solid biomass due to the presence of undesirable elements and high energy expenditure, leading to equipment damage, reduced biogas production, and increased maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A methanization digester design with a removable roof for direct introduction and evacuation of solid biomass, eliminating the need for pre-treatment and agitation, and utilizing a percolation method with liquid digestate to promote intimate contact between bacteria and biomass, reducing energy consumption and equipment wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If solid biomass is introduced directly into the digester without pre-treatment, then equipment complexity and maintenance costs are reduced, but the presence of undesirable elements may cause equipment damage
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes solid biomass from the liquid phase environment and processes it in a dedicated solid-phase digester. This extraction of solid biomass from the conventional liquid slurry system eliminates the need for pre-treatment equipment while protecting liquid-phase equipment from damage by undesirable elements in the solid biomass.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the digestion process into separate solid-phase and liquid-phase digesters. Solid biomass is processed in a dedicated solid-phase digester, while liquid digestate is processed separately. This segmentation allows direct introduction of solid biomass without pre-treatment while protecting the overall system from equipment damage.
2Productivity
If continuous agitation is used to promote contact between bacteria and biomass, then biogas production is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces mechanical agitation systems with a percolation-based system where liquid digestate naturally percolates through the solid biomass matrix. This substitution eliminates high-energy mechanical mixing while maintaining effective contact between bacteria in the liquid digestate and the solid biomass through capillary action and gravity-driven flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses hydraulic percolation of liquid digestate through the solid biomass to achieve mixing and contact. The liquid phase flows through the solid matrix driven by gravity and pressure gradients, providing continuous contact between microorganisms and substrate without requiring mechanical energy input for agitation.
3Productivity
If solid biomass is ground and mixed with liquid before digestion, then contact between bacteria and biomass is improved, but energy expenditure and equipment wear increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts solid biomass from the conventional liquid slurry preparation process and processes it separately in a solid-phase digester. This eliminates the need for grinding and mixing operations that consume energy and cause equipment wear, while the liquid digestate is recirculated to provide bacterial contact through percolation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of converting solid biomass to a liquid slurry form through grinding and mixing, the invention inverts the approach by maintaining biomass in its solid form and allowing liquid digestate to percolate through it. This reversal eliminates pre-treatment energy requirements while achieving effective contact through the percolation mechanism.
4Reliability
If pre-treatment and sorting of solid biomass is performed, then equipment damage from undesirable elements is reduced, but processing time and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts solid biomass from the conventional pre-treatment and sorting process by implementing a dedicated solid-phase digestion system. This extraction eliminates time-consuming pre-treatment operations while protecting equipment through the separation of solid and liquid processing streams.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary separation of solid and liquid phases before digestion, placing solid biomass in a dedicated solid-phase digester. This preliminary action protects equipment from undesirable elements in solid biomass while eliminating the need for time-consuming sorting operations that would be required in a mixed liquid-slurry system.
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
This approach valorizes solid biomass more efficiently, minimizing energy and personnel costs, reducing equipment damage, and optimizing biogas production by eliminating the need for pre-treatment and agitation, while ensuring effective contact between bacteria and biomass.
Implementation Method 1
The solid organic matter is percolated with liquid digestate, so as to promote intimate contact between the bacteria and the solid organic matter
Implementation Method 2
Anaerobic digestion (also called methanization) is a natural biological process which involves the degradation of organic matter by several types of microorganisms, particularly bacteria, under controlled conditions and in the absence of oxygen
Implementation Method 3
Such a process leads, on the one hand, to the production of biogas, which corresponds to a gaseous mixture composed mainly of methane and carbon dioxide
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an anaerobic digester (7) for producing biogas (25), comprising a tank (8) that can contain solid biomass (23) and having, in the upper part thereof, at least one region (9) for the admission of the solid biomass (23) and the evacuation of the residual digested solid biomass (19), over which a roof (10) can open and close, and at least one region (9') for the evacuation of the biogas (25). The invention also relates to a method for producing biogas and to an anaerobic digestion facility using a main digestion unit (1) particularly for supplying at least one anaerobic digester (7) containing solid biomass (23) with liquid digestate (5), and for receiving and storing the biogas produced by the at least one anaerobic digester (7).