title: Critical comparison of different model structures for the applied simulation of the anaerobic digestion of agricultural energy crops.
abstract: Different model structures were compared to simulate the characteristic process variables of the anaerobic digestion of maize, sugar beet and grain silage. Depending on the type and number of the required components, it can be shown that in comparison to the complex Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) different simplified model structures can describe the gas production rate, ammonia nitrogen and acetate concentration or pH value equally well. Since the reduction of the predominantly fast kinetics of the methanogenesis, acetogenesis or acidogenesis will only have little effect on the simulation of the specific gas production, it can be proven that the hydrolysis is the rate-limiting step during the uninhibited anaerobic digestion of complex particulate substrates. However, the stoichiometric comparison reveals that the model protein gelatine is not suitable for a representative characterization of agricultural energy crops.
authors.affiliation: DBFZ - Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum gemeinnützige GmbH, Department Biochemical Conversion, Torgauer Straße 116, 04347 Leipzig, Germany; Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Chair of Waste Management, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, 18059 Rostock, Germany. Electronic address: soeren.weinrich@dbfz.de.
authors.forename: Sören
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weinrich
authors.affiliation: DBFZ - Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum gemeinnützige GmbH, Department Biochemical Conversion, Torgauer Straße 116, 04347 Leipzig, Germany; Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Chair of Waste Management, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, 18059 Rostock, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nelles
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D003198:Computer Simulation; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000737:chemistry*; D004736:Energy-Generating Resources; D007700:Kinetics; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000379:methods*
keywords: ADM1; Anaerobic digestion; Kinetics; Model comparison; Simulation