Anaerobic digestion is one of the principal methods used by the water industry to treat primary sewage sludge. It is a preferred process in that it produces methane as a usable by-product, reduces sludge volumes, and creates a digested sludge that is both readily dewaterable and relatively inoffensive in nature.
Efficient breakdown of sludge relies on different groups of microorganisms, all of which operate in conjunction, but within a defined range of parameters, e.g. pH, temperature, feed rate, nutrients and trace elements. Periodically however digestion failures may occur or, what is more common, the fermenter goes into a state of constant unstable performance. This can be due to the presence of inhibitory substances such as, organic solvents or detergents, or simply from overfeeding. The result is a failure, in part, by some of the anaerobic environment and an accumulation of volatile fatty acids or a difficulty in breaking down organic dry matter. Digester failure may require the digester to be reseeded in more extreme cases, but more often it can cause a temporary maintenance shutdown.
To avoid scenarios like the above and keep the performance of the anaerobic fermenter at a continuously stable state, where the fermenter will perform at an optimum level, OMEX Environmental Ltd. offer a range of non-hazardous, user- and environmentally-friendly blends of trace element supplements under the brand name Nutromex® TEA.
The application of these bioavailable micronutrients augment the effect of biogas production from organic dry matter via a series of biochemical reactions and conversions within the fermenter. With the use of these trace element supplements, the system performs in an optimum way, ensuring stability in the rates of conversion of volatile fatty acids and other intermediates during the process.
For any further information on the Nutromex® TEA range, the solutions we can offer for anaerobic digestion processes as well as this article, please visit our website
www.omex.com or contact us on environmental@omex.com
