Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE: ANAEROBIC FERMENTATION TO PRODUCE 1310GAS
FIELD
100011 This specification relates to a process or apparatus for
anaerobic fermentation or digestion of a biomass to produce a biogas.
BACKGROUND
10002] A biogas may be produced through the anaerobic digestion or
fermentation of a material containing biomass. The feedstock is typically a
waste product, such as manure or sewage. The biogas is typically comprised
of 50-75% methane and 25-50% carbon dioxide. Other gases, such as
nitrogen, hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide or oxygen may be also present but
collectively are unlikely to account for more than 10% of the biogas. Of these
other gases, nitrogen is likely to be the largest component. The biogas can
be burned directly with oxygen and so is usable as a fuel. The methane
within the biogas can also be concentrate to provide a replacement for natural
gas.
[0003] Biogas can be produced in an anaerobic digester. The digestion
process involves microorganisms, primarily bacteria, which break down or
convert the input materials to produce the biogas and an effluent. The
process involves a series of bacteria types and processes, primarily
hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis and methanogenesis. The effluent,
which may be called digestate, contains residual solid and liquid products.
Besides producing useful biogas, the solid component of digestate is reduced
in volume and mass compared to the feedstock. Some of the products within
the digestate are useful, for example as a fertilizer, but others are waste
products or require further processing to produce useful products.
Accordingly, the digestate must be separated, and some of its separated
components further processed, to produce useful products or safely dispose
of it.
(0004] The principal component of the digester is a sealed tank, which
contains the feed undergoing digestion and the active bacteria. Depending on
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the species of methanogenic bacteria used, the reactor may be operated at
mesophilic (20-45C, preferably 37-41C) or thermophilic (50-70C, preferably
50-52C) temperatures. The tank may be filled in batches or operated with
continuous (including semi-continuous or periodic) feed, digestate and gas
removal. The digester may operate in a high solids mode, with a total
suspended solids (TSS) concentration of up to 20%, or in a low solids mode
with TSS of 15% or less, more often 10% or less. Continuous reactor designs
include continuously stirred-tank reactors (CSTR), upflow anaerobic sludge
blanket (UASB), expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) and internal
circulation reactors (IC), in single or multiple stages. Operation in low
solids
mode requires a larger reactor but has some advantages. For example, less
energy is required to mix the contents of a low solids mode digester due to
reduced viscosity. Further, the effluent from a low solids mode digester may
be handled using ordinary pumps whereas high solids mode digestion
produces a thick sludge effluent that is difficult to handle.
[0005] The composition of the feedstock is important to the biogas
generation process. Anaerobic digesters were originally designed primarily
for use with cattle manure and sewage. Other feedstock may have a different
composition of biodegradable material. In general, simple carbohydrates are
easiest to digest whereas large molecules are more difficult to digest. The
carbon to nitrogen ratio of the feedstock is also relevant, with a C:N ratio
of
20-30:1 being preferred. The moisture content or solids concentration may
also vary between feedstocks.
INTRODUCTION
[0006] This section is intended to introduce the reader to the more
detailed disclosure that follows, and not to limit or define any claimed or
disclosed invention. One or more inventions may reside in any combination
or sub-combination of apparatus elements or process steps described in this
document.
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[0007] A process and apparatus will be described herein which
improves, or at least provides a useful alternative to, the anaerobic
digestion
of organic wastes to produce a biogas. Although they may also be useful in
other applications, the process and apparatus described herein may be used
with liquid or liquefied wastes having low solids content, for example with a
total solids (TS) concentration of 6% or less, or 4% or less. For example,
waste water from a slaughter house or food processing plant may have a TS
concentration of 1-2%. Pig manure may have a TS concentration of 2-3%.
Despite the low solids content of the feedstock, a digester is operated at a
higher feed solids concentration, though still in low solids mode, for example
with a feed TS concentration of 8-12% or 8-10%.
[0008] The apparatus and process uses one or more separation stages
downstream of the digester to separate active bacteria and undigested
organics from the digestate, and return separated matter to the digester.
Multiple sequential separation stages may be provided with the retained
particle size decreasing in the downstream direction. Preferably, one of the
stages comprises a membrane filtration unit. Optionally, a feed thickening
apparatus and step may be provided upstream of the digester.
[0009] The optionally thickened feed and one or more recycle streams
are inputs to the digester. The combined input solids concentration, meaning
the solids concentration of a mixture of the inputs or a volumetric flow rate
weighted average of the solids concentrations of the individual inputs, is
within
a range desired or pre-selected for operation of the digester. A recycle
stream, particularly a recycle stream from a membrane filtration unit, may
have a solids concentration below the desired digester operation range. A
second recycle stream or upstream thickening or both may be used to raise
the combined input solids concentration to within the desired digester
operation range.
[0010] The process and apparatus can provide useful advantages. =
Without limitation, low solids feeds may be digested more efficiently at a
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higher, but not overly high, controlled solids concentration in the digester.
Bacteria and undigested biomass may be retained in the digester for a longer
effective residence time, without increasing the hydraulic residence time of
the
digester tank. The effluent is separated into two or more streams, which may
reduce post-processing requirements before the effluent can be reused or
safely disposed.
DRAWINGS
[0011] Figure us a flow sheet of a digestion process.
[0012] Figure 2 is a mass balance of an example of a digestion
process.
DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS
[0013] Figure 1 shows a plant 10 for treating a feed liquid 12
containing
organic matter. The feed liquid 12 may have a low solids content, for example
a total solids (TS) concentration of 6% or less. Solids content may also be
measured by other parameters, for example as total suspended solids (TSS)
concentration, with suitable adjustment of the numerical values. The feed
liquid 12 may be a waste stream, such as waste water from a slaughter house
or food processing plant or pig manure. The feed liquid 12 may be pre-
separated to remove contaminants such as plastic, glass or metals or un-
digestible solids.
[0014] The feed liquid 12 optionally flows into a first thickener 14.
The
first thickener 14 is a solid ¨ liquid separation device such as a clarifier,
sedimentation basin, flotation device or filter, or a combination of one or
more
of these or other devices. The first thickener 14 produces a first thickener
effluent 16. The first thickener effluent 16 is primarily water, with a TS
concentration typically of 2% or less, that may be treated for example as
municipal waste water. The first thickener 14 also produces, as a retained
portion, a thickened feed liquid 18. The thickened feed liquid 18 may have a
IS concentration of, for example, 10% or more. The TS concentration of the
thickened feed liquid 18 may be higher than a minimum pre-determined or
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design TS feed concentration for digestion, and possible at or above the
upper limit of a desired digester operation range.
[0015] The thickened feed liquid 18 flows into a digester 20. The
digester 20 comprises one or more tanks, in series or parallel or both, with
mixing or other apparatus as is known for use in batch or continuous
processes in the field of anaerobic digestion. For example, the digester 20
may be a sealed tank with an internal mechanical mixer. A suitable digester
20 is available from UTS Biogastechnik BmbH as sold under the Helios trade-
mark. The digester 20 contains microorganisms, primarily bacteria, to digest
the thickened feed liquid 18. The digester 20 may be seeded with the
microorganisms, or the microorganisms may be carried into the digester 20 as
a component of the thickened feed liquid. The microorganisms convert solids
in the thickened feed liquid 18 into, among other things, a biogas 22 which is
collected and removed from the digester 20.
[0016] The digester 20 also produces a digestate 24. Due to the action
of the microorganisms in the digester 20, the digestate 24 has a reduced TS
concentration relative to the thickened feed liquid 18, for example 3-4%.
Optionally, the digestate 24 can pass through a separator 26 as a first of a
plurality of downstream separation stages. The separator 26 provides a
coarse separation, for example as produced by a static screen, vibrating
screen, screw press or similar equipment. A portion of the separated solids
28 from the separator 26 may be returned to the digester, but preferably the
separated solids 28 are removed from the plant 10. The separated solids 28
are likely to have high concentrations of materials that are difficult for
anaerobic bacteria to digest but may be further processed to produce useful
products such as fertilizer or building materials.
[0017] Separator effluent
30 flows to a second thickener 32. The
second thickener 32 has a smaller separation size than the separator 26. For
example, the second thickener 32 may be a filter with a screen or mesh
having an opening size in the range of about 10-200 microns For example,
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the second thickener 32 may be a drum filter, disc filter or similar
equipment.
The second thickener 32 produces a sludge 34 with an elevated solids
content, for example a TS concentration of 10% or more. The TS
concentration of the sludge 34 may be higher than a minimum pre-determined
or design TS feed concentration for digestion, and possible at or above the
upper limit of a desired digester operation range. A significant portion, for
example 50% or more up to 100%, of the sludge 34 is preferably recycled to
the digester 20
[0018) The second thickener 32 also produces a filtrate 36
with a
reduced solids concentration, for example with a TS concentration of about
2%. The filtrate 36 flows to a membrane filtration unit 38. The membrane
filtration unit 38 may have a pore size in the microfiltration range or
smaller.
The membrane filtration unit 38 may include one or more pressure fed cross
flow filtration modules with tubular or hollow fiber membranes. To prevent
oxygenation of the filtrate 36, the membranes may be cleaned by
backpulsing, relaxation, temporary increases in flow velocity or bubbling with
a gas not containing significant amounts of oxygen. Alternatively, the
membrane filtration unit may include one or more immersed suction driven
membrane modules of flat sheet or hollow fiber membranes. In this case,
cleaning may be performed scouring bubbles of a gas not containing
significant amounts of oxygen. The gas may comprise one or more inert
gases, or gases produced by anaerobic digestion such as biogas or any of its
components such as methane, carbon dioxide, or nitrogen. For example,
waste gases left after enriching the biogas 22, primarily carbon dioxide, may
be used for bubble scouring in the membrane filtration unit 38. Preferably,
the
membrane modules are operated in a sealed tank with gases used for
scouring bubbles captured in a head space of the tank and recycled to the
aerators, in a manner similar to the gas recycle in European Patent EP 0 605
826 81 or US Patent Application Publication No. US 2002/0170863.
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[0019] The membrane filtration unit 38 produces a retentate 40 with an
elevated solids content and a permeate 42 with a reduced solids content. The
permeate 40 may have a TS concentration of about 1% and may be suitable,
optionally with further treatment, even for discharge into the environment or
into a water reclamation process. The solids content of the retentate 40 may
be less than a desired digester operation range. A significant portion, for
example 50% or more up to 100%, of the retentate 40 is preferably recycled
to the digester 20.
[0020] The recycle of retentate 40 and sludge 34 to the digester 20
increases the organic and sludge load of the digester 20. Recycle of the
retentate 40 is particularly desirable since it drastically reduces the loss
of
useful, live microorganisms. The recycle of sludge 34 increases the solids
content of the combined inputs (feed and recycle) to the digester 20. It is
not
desirable to increase the solids content of the combined inputs to the
digester
beyond a pre-determined or design feed solids concentration for digestion.
However, significant or full recycle of the retentate 40 tends to dilute the
combined inputs to the digester 20. Recycling the sludge 34 and use of the
thickener 14, or both, may be used to counter dilution by recycled retentate
40
and provide a combined input solids concentration within the desired digester
operation range. The combined input solids concentration, measured as TS
concentration, may be in the range of 8-12% or 8-10%.
EXAMPLES
[0021] Figure 2 shows a design example of an anaerobic digestion
process with pre-separation, pre-thickening, digestion, screening separation,
filtration and membrane ultrafiltration. Flow rates and concentrations before
and after these steps are shown in the Figure.
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