How Anaerobic Digestion Works

Anaerobic digestion is a process carried out in many industries, particularly the agricultural and waste treatment industries. It allows for the process of organic waste materials like livestock manure, crop residues, and food waste into useful resources rather than pollutants.

OMEX Environmental has developed a range of products to improve & maintain the efficiency and output of anaerobic digestion.

Nutromex® TEA supplies all the key nutrients to optimise microbial growth within anaerobic digestion systems, ensuring the efficient breakdown of agricultural and organic waste and maximising methane production.

Enzyme Solutions like Axiase & Viscomex accelerate the breakdown of the insoluble organic matter to improve the viscosity of the substrate within the digester. It further enhances substrate conversion, reducing waste volume and improving biogas yields.

Products like Active Fe and Nutromex® TEA can optimise energy generation from agricultural waste, and can also minimise hydrogen sulphide levels, preventing corrosion, improving the life of components, and maintaining equipment efficiency.

Biogas Yield

Trace element additives, like Nutromex® TEA, supply essential nutrients needed within the anaerobic digestion process for maintaining microbial activity and improving stability.

Without these supplements, the enzymatic systems will fail to function effectively, which leads to a decline in the efficiency of the digestion process and a build-up of volatile fatty acids. A resultant imbalance in the pH and finally digester failure can then occur.

Hydrogen sulphide is commonly produced within the biogas process. Reduced H2S levels with the correct supplements improve the life span of filters, sensors and other equipment but most importantly it allows sites to continue to export and generate income.

Using Omex’s Active Fe range helps control and maintain the hydrogen sulphide at a lower level.

Digestate

A more efficient process, helped by Nutromex TEA, improves the quality of the digestate by lowering VFAs and the residual methane potential. This, in turn, leads to reduced odour emissions.

The availability of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium within the digestate is also improved.

This nutrient-rich digestate can be employed with OMEX’s fertiliser ranges to produce ideal conditions for crops.

To help with the performance process and for anaerobic plants to operate effectively they require a variety of nutrients for the micro-organisms to grow and function properly. See OMEX range of trace element additives.