Anaerobic process
AssigneeBlaygow Limited
InventorsJohn Morris Ross, Cornelius Martin Lynch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to processes and equipment for treatment of a feedstock by anaerobic organisms to produce a methane containing biogas that can be used as a source of energy. The invention is particularly concerned with producing methane from a waste plant material such as produced by fermentation processes used in the alcoholic beverages industry, such as from brewing/distilling processes which employ grain material for fermentation.
Claims15
A process for the anaerobic digestion of a substantially aqueous solution or an aqueous and oil two phase system containing organic material to produce a liquid output wherein the COD is reduced by more than 70% from the input COD, comprising:
- providing a feed of a substantially aqueous solution or aqueous and oil two phase system that has a COD concentration of 40 to 130 kg/m3 to an enclosed tank or lagoon containing a sludge bed of methanogenic microorganisms via an upward flow;
- subjecting the substantially aqueous solution, or aqueous and oil two phase system to methanogenesis to produce methane by digestion of the organic material in the enclosed tank or lagoon, wherein the liquid output from the enclosed tank or lagoon is not recycled in the process;
- producing a liquid output from the enclosed tank or lagoon with a COD reduced by more than 70% from the input COD;
- monitoring the content of at least one micronutrient in the feed and in the liquid output;
- and,
- adding the at least one micronutrient when the difference in micronutrient level between the feed and the liquid output is less than expected based on the amount of methane produced and the expected growth of the methanogenic microorganisms.
A process for the anaerobic digestion of a substantially aqueous solution or an aqueous and oil two phase system containing organic material to produce a liquid output wherein the COD is reduced by more than 70% from the input COD, consisting essentially of:
- providing a feed of a substantially aqueous solution or aqueous and oil two phase system that has a COD concentration of 40 to 130 kg/m3 to an enclosed tank or lagoon containing a sludge bed of methanogenic microorganisms via an upward flow;
- subjecting the substantially aqueous solution, or aqueous and oil two phase system to methanogenesis to produce methane by digestion of the organic material in the enclosed tank or lagoon, wherein the liquid output from the enclosed tank or lagoon is not recycled in the process;
- producing a liquid output from the enclosed tank or lagoon with a COD reduced by more than 70% from the input COD;
- monitoring the content of at least one micronutrient in the feed and in the liquid output;
- and
- adding the at least one micronutrient when the difference in micronutrient level between the feed and the liquid output is less than expected based on the amount of methane produced and the expected growth of the methanogenic microorganisms.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.