Enhancing Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste: Investigating the Effects of Additives on Biogas Production and System Stability

Kerklaan, Quint (2025) Enhancing Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste: Investigating the Effects of Additives on Biogas Production and System Stability. Research Project, Industrial Engineering and Management.

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Abstract

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a process where organic materials are converted into biogas, it offers a sustainable solution for waste management and renewable energy production. However, the efficiency is often limited by system instability and low gas yields. This study investigates the effects of two additives, ANDY 1 and ANDY 2, on the stability and performance of AD using food waste as a substrate. Multiple experiments were conducted using small reactor setups, where gas production, pH variations, and VFA concentrations were monitored. The results demonstrated that the addition of ANDY 2 led to a significant increase in biogas production, exceeding the control by over 200%. The pH and VFA measurements also indicated that the ANDY 2 additive had the potential to improve the stability of the system. The second set of experiments, in which only the ANDY 2 additive was used, aimed to identify the specific stage of digestion improved by the additive. It also determined whether the feed rate could be increased without causing system acidification. The results demonstrated that ANDY 2 enhanced the methanogenesis step. Furthermore, the ANDY 2 additive allowed for a higher feed rate than the control before acidification occurred. Additionally, these experiments validated previous findings, having nearly double the gas production compared to the control, further validating the results of the initial experiments. The findings of this study highlight the potential of ANDY 2 as a promis

Item Type:	Thesis (Research Project)
Supervisor name:	Euverink, G.J.W.
Degree programme:	Industrial Engineering and Management
Thesis type:	Research Project
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	25 Mar 2025 09:02
Last Modified:	25 Mar 2025 09:02
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/34923

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