title: Improved anaerobic digestion performance and biogas production from poultry litter after lowering its nitrogen content.
abstract: Poultry litter (PL) was pre-treated in order to reduce its nitrogen content and to increase the C/N ratio. The pre-treatment consisted of a first anaerobiosis phase of about 60days in order to accumulate ammonia nitrogen, followed by an ammonia stripping phase by heating the substrate at 80°C for 24h. The digestion was performed with PL and pre-treated PL (TPL) after ammonia stripping as mono-substrate under four total solids loads, i.e. 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. The TPL after ammonia stripping displayed lower ammonia (62-73%) and VFA (41-65%) concentrations compared to digesters with raw PL, while bio-methane yield increased about 8-124%. Bio-methane yields in the series with TPL after ammonia stripping were about 193, 196, 215 and 147 [Formula: see text] /kgCOD, based on the COD added, for 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% TS load, respectively. The results indicate that lowering nitrogen content using the suggested process improves bio-methane yields significantly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Engineering, Institute of Soil and Water Resources, Hellenic Agricultural Organization-Demeter, Leoforos Dimokratias 61, 13561 Athens, Greece; Department of Natural Resources Management and Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece. Electronic address: markoug@aua.gr.
authors.forename: Giorgos
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Markou
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000032:analysis*; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D000818:Animals; D056804:Biofuels; D019149:Bioreactors; D008372:Manure / Q000032:analysis*; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism; D011200:Poultry; D062611:Solid Waste / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D008372:Manure; D062611:Solid Waste; D000641:Ammonia; D008697:Methane
keywords: Ammonia inhibition; Anaerobic digestion; Biogas; C/N ratio; Poultry litter