Anaerobic digestion is widely used as an important source of renewable energy. With the increasing number and capacity of biogas plants also, adequate treatment technologies for whole digestate – the residue from anaerobic digestion – are gaining attention. In this study the state of the art of digestate processing is analysed, and currently used treatment schemes and the various technological processes involved are evaluated. The study combines data and experiences from existing large-scale digestate processing facilities in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Italy, as well as know-how from technology providers and relevant research projects. However, the field of digestate processing is still quite new and little detailed information about the performance of different technologies at industrial scale is available. Digestate processing is gaining importance since digestate utilisation can become an important bottleneck when increasing biogas production. In addition, the production of renewable fertiliser from digestate is increasingly of interest to replace fossil fertilisers. This study is the first profound attempt to establish an assessment of the state-of-the-art technologies in use.
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Research Article|
May 01 2013
Assessment of the state of the art of technologies for the processing of digestate residue from anaerobic digesters
W. Fuchs;
W. Fuchs
1Department for Agrobiotechnology (IFA Tulln), Institute for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Konrad Lorenz Str. 20, A-3430 Tulln, Austria
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B. Drosg
1Department for Agrobiotechnology (IFA Tulln), Institute for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Konrad Lorenz Str. 20, A-3430 Tulln, Austria
E-mail: bernhard.drosg@boku.ac.at
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Water Sci Technol (2013) 67 (9): 1984–1993.
Article history
Received:
July 26 2012
Accepted:
January 02 2013
Citation
W. Fuchs, B. Drosg; Assessment of the state of the art of technologies for the processing of digestate residue from anaerobic digesters. Water Sci Technol 1 May 2013; 67 (9): 1984–1993. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2013.075
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