Anaerobic Digestion Process - A Computational Tool to Estimate the Digester Volume and Biogas.

Abstract The anaerobic digestion process results in the formation of biogas, which serves as a renewable source of energy. Different types of feedstocks produce varying amounts of biogas. Many models have been programmed for the estimation of the volume of biogas produced during anaerobic digestion. This study develops a computational tool for the estimation of the volume of the anaerobic digester and the volume of the biogas produced. The computational tool utilizes three inputs, namely Retention time, daily feed, and type of feedstock, for the estimation. The estimation of biogas of this tool was compared to the model from the design procedures as provided in the literature. An overall gap of 10% (in the prediction of the biogas production) was shaved off from two of the three reported values of the case studies. The estimation of the volume of the digester (for the same case studies) was observed to be within ±10% of the reported values. These outputs can be critical for the evaluation of an anaerobic digestion plant as early as in the planning phase.