Digester mass balance

2.1 Equipment list

Equipment List

The equipment list consists of equipment that does not contribute greatly to the capital cost of the
plant on its own. This includes all the auxiliary equipment. Pumps are included in this list
because a single pump is relatively cheap and its contribution to the capital cost of the plant is
low. However, it should be noted that the total cost of all the pumps required in the plant is very
significant and has a greater contribution to the capital cost. The equipment is listed below. The
first table contains equipment that is shown on the plant flow diagram and the second table
contains equipment that is not shown on the plant flow diagram. Equipment listing was carried
out under the following headings;
 Code – This is the equipment identification code as indicated on the plant flow diagram.
 Equipment – the name of the equipment is listed here.
 Type / Description – the type of that piece of equipment is named or a brief description
of the function performed by the equipment is given. For example, two common types of
heat exchangers are shell and tube, and plate heat exchangers.

Basic Equipment List

Basic equipment refers to the main equipment in each section of the plant. This is the equipment
that largely determines the capital cost of the plant. The sections included here are:

 Digestion process

Code Equipment Type/Descriptio Material Size/Capacity

n
ABC-001 Cools biogas
from AD-001
ABC-002 Air-blown Cools biogas 68.22 kg/hr of
Copper
coolers from AD-002 biogas
ABC-003 Cools biogas
from AD-003
AD-001 Anaerobic Digester number Stainless Steel Volume –
3
Digesters one 304L insulated 119.44 m

Page | 1
AD-002 Digester number with mineral Mass of Feed -
two wool 77,134.28 kg/
AD-003 Digester number batch.
three Batch time – 10
days
HX-001 Helical coil heat
exchanger for
AD-001 328 kg/hr hot
HX-002 Helical Coil Helical coil heat water at 95 °C
Stainless steel
Heat Exchangers exchanger for Thermal
316L
(HCHE) AD-002 Conductance of
HX-003 Helical coil heat 205.07 W/K
exchanger for
AD-003
HX-004 Heat Exchanger Auxiliary heat Carbon Steel
exchanger for
utilising heat
-
from hydrolysis
process
condensate
P-001 Screw SCI pump for Stainless Steel
Centrifugal AD-001 feeding impeller and
Impeller (SCI) and digester casing
Pump mixing
P-002 SCI pump for Stainless Steel Feeding rate -
AD-002 feeding impeller and 12,855.71 kg/hr.
and digester casing Mixing rate – 16
mixing 893.7 kg/hr
P-003 SCI pump for Stainless Steel
AD-003 feeding impeller and
and digester casing
mixing
P-004 Centrifugal For pump hot Carbon Steel
pumps water to heat
-
exchangers and
boiler
P-005 For boosting Carbon Steel Flowrate – 984
pressure in the kg/hr hot water
heat exchanger at 95 °C
loop
SR-001 Solar heater For providing
hot water to the
heat exchangers
and boiler
T-001 Expansion tank For removing Carbon Steel Volume – 60
vapour from the Litres

Page | 2
 hot water
T-002 Temporary gas For normalising Polyester Yarn Volume - 120 m3
holder concentration with PVC
and flow rate of Coating
biogas to the
scrubber.
Code Equipment Description Material of Size
construction
R-01 Reactor For acid Stainless Steel V=310m3
hydrolysis to (SS304L)
fermentable
sugars
T-01 Mixer tank Slurry Carbon steel V=80m3
preparation
HE-01 Heat exchanger External coil-
cooling of
reactor
HE-02 Heat exchanger Shell and tube Carbon steel U= 190.6
type –hydrolysis W/mºC
product stream A= 500m2
cooling to
digester
T-02 Acid storage Stores one Stainless Steel V=16m3
tank month 98% acid (SS304L)
demand
T-03 Dilution tank Dilutes98% acid Stainless Steel V=415m3
to 2%acid (SS304L)
P-01 Centrifugal Pumps 98% acid Stainless steel Q=1.8m3/h
pump from storage SS 316
tank into the
dilution tank
P-2 Centrifugal Pumps dilute Stainless steel Q=0.8m3/h
pump acid to reactor SS316
P-3 Centrifugal Pumps MSW Stainless steel Q=015.7m3/h
pump slurry from SS316
preparation tank

Page | 3
 to reactor
P-4 Centrifugal Pumps Stainless steel Q=12.3m3/h
pump hydrolysis SS316
products to
digester

Page | 4
2.2 Process description
Anaerobic digestion proceeds through a series of parallel and sequential processes by varieties of
consortia. In a well-balanced anaerobic digestion process, all products of a previous metabolic
stage are converted into the next one without significant build-up of intermediary products. The
overall result is a nearly complete conversion of the anaerobic biodegradable organic material
into end products like methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, and ammonia. When
considering the particulate substrate like solid waste, hydrolysis is the rate-limiting step since the
accessibility of hydrolytic microorganisms to the solid matter and hydrolysis of complex
polymeric components are not at an optimum level (Delgenes et al, 2002).The rate of hydrolysis
is a function of factor s such as pH, temperature, composition and particle size of the substrate.

The kinetics of microbial growth govern the oxidation, utilization, of substrate and the
production of biomass, which contributes to the total suspended solids concentration in a
biological reactor (Metcalf and Eddy, 2003). Biomass solids in a bioreactor are commonly
measured as total suspended solids (TSS) and volatile suspended solids (VSS). The coefficient
values (K, Ks, Y, and Kd) used to predict the rate of substrate utilization and biomass growth can
vary as a function of wastewater source, microbial population, and temperature (Metcalf and
Eddy, 2003).

The advantage of the batch digester is its simplicity. The parasitic energy demand is low. The
solids content is high so a relatively small amount of thermal energy input is required. The
processing required is also low, leading to a low electrical parasitic demand. The benefit of the
system is exemplified when treating waste such as OFMSW. Contaminants are not of issue for
the system; if, for example, a piece of metal is in the feedstock this will not encroach on any
moving part (Nwabanne et al, 2009). The system typically employs existing agricultural or
construction equipment to insert and remove the feedstock. Vertical garage door systems are
often employed in these systems. The main disadvantage of the system is that it may not
maximize the methane production per unit of feedstock.

2.3 Process operation

The three digesters are going to be operated in parallel with difference in start-up times of four
days. This is going to allow for an approximately continuous supply of gas to the gas storage
tank and downstream processes. Smaller digesters also mean efficient heat transfer within the

Page | 5
digester, proper mixing of digester contents to prevent dead zones and settling of particulates,
smaller loading and offloading times as well as ease of cleaning and maintenance. These three
digesters also allow for flexibility in terms of operation. They can be easily converted to
continuous multistage reactors where they will be operated in series of they can be set up as
sequencing batch reactors with solids and liquid recycle.

Each digester will have only one pump for loading, feeding and circulation of digester contents.
This minimizes the initial capital cost and the operating and maintenance cost that are associated
with pumping equipment.

2.4 Mass balance

The Monod model was used to model the substrate utilization and the dynamics of biomass
within the digester.

The steady state mass balance for the digester is given by the Monod Kinetic Model (Mullai et
al, 2011)

dX Q. X O Q . X E
= − + μ . X−K d . X
dt V V

dS Q . SO Q . S E μ . X
= − −
dt V V Y XS

μmax . S
μ=
KS+S

Where:

Q – mass flow rate for the feed into the digester

V – digester volume
X – biomass concentration, Xo is the initial concentration and XE is the final concentration
S – substrate concentration, SO is the initial concentration and SE is the final concentration
µ – specific growth rate

Since Q for a batch reactor is zero, and the volume is constant, the above equations reduce to

dX μ max SX
= −K d X
dt K s+ S

Page | 6
dS −μ max SX
=
dt Y xs ( K s + S )

Parameters:

µmax – maximum specific growth rate (per unit time)

Ks – half saturation constant (mass per unit volume)
Kd – endogenous decay coefficient (per unit time)
Yxs – biomass yield from substrate.

Variables:

X – biomass concentration
S – substrate concentration

2.4.1 Characteristics of the feed*

The table below show the proximate characteristics of the MSW for Kwekwe. For a detailed
analysis of the composition of the waste see Appendix A

Table 2.1: Characteristics of MSW.

Item quantity units

Waste - MSW 1'347'762.00 Kg/month
OFMSW 40 %
Volatile solids (Inerts) 90 %
Moisture 30 %
Bulk density 467 Kg/m3

2.4.2 Assumptions.
1. All cellulose and lignin material is non-biodegradable.
2. 1 kg of solids gives 1 kg of COD.
3. Composition of the gas is 60 v/v %
4. Negligible moisture content
5. The gas produced obeys the Ideal Gas Law

2.4.3 Basis.
1 day with 25% Solids i.e. 1:3 Solids to Water ratio by mass.

Page | 7
Initial conditions

So = 5 328.15 mg/L

For food to microorganism (F/M) ratio of 10:

Xo = 532.815 mg/L

Kinetic parameters

µmax = 0.2918 day-1

Ks = 5.405 mg/L
Kd = 0.1008 day-1
Yxs = 0.7048

This data was used to determine the batch time for the initial conditions above using Polymath ®.
The table below shows the modelled substrate and biomass concentrations as functions of time.

Table 1.2: Concentration profiles for Substrate and biomass according to Monod Kinetic Model.

T S X
0 5328.15 532.815 Initial conditions
0.83911 5127.619 625.2759
8
1.07911 5064.113 654.5571
8
1.31911 4997.633 685.2088
8
1.55911 4928.042 717.2952
8
2.03911 4778.934 786.0431
8
2.27911 4699.106 822.8483
8
2.51911 4615.541 861.3756
8
2.75911 4528.066 901.7055
8
3.23911 4340.645 988.1134
8
3.47911 4240.307 1034.372
8
3.71911 4135.276 1082.793
8
3.95911 4025.331 1133.478

Page | 8
8
4.43911 3789.777 1242.068
8
4.67911 3663.677 1300.198
8
4.91911 3531.682 1361.043
8
5.15911 3393.518 1424.73
8
5.63911 3097.526 1561.16
8
5.87911 2939.086 1634.185
8
6.11911 2773.252 1710.613
8
6.35911 2599.683 1790.601
8
6.83911 2227.91 1961.909
8
7.07911 2028.952 2053.572
8
7.31911 1820.756 2149.476
8
7.55911 1602.916 2249.805
8
8.03911 1136.662 2464.451
8
8.27911 887.4665 2579.088
8
8.51911 627.1713 2698.713
8
8.75911 355.9334 2823.099
8
9.01855 55.38783 2959.302 Final conditions
6
9.30078 2.01E-13 2914.347
3
9.60014 7.5E-14 2827.717
6
9.93271 1.88E-13 2734.495
8
10.2089 -2E-14 2659.399
7
10.5043 -9.3E-15 2581.38
7
10.8116 -1.4E-14 2502.644
Page | 9
 7

This data shows that the batch time for >0.9 conversion is approximately 9 days. Taking into
account the modelling errors, the batch time for the process is chosen to be 10 days.

This gives the following final concentrations.

Sf = 55.39 mg/L
Xf = 2 959.30 mg/L

2.4.4 Balance on Feed.

The mass requirements for each batch is given as the mass of waste to be treated plus the mass of
inoculum.
M batch =M Dry Waste per batch + M Biomass per batch + M Water
Mass of dry waste to be treated per month is 377 373.36 kg. The mass required in one batch is:
M Dry Waste × t batch
M Dry Waste per batch = kg
nbatch × 30 days
377 373.36 ×10
M Dry Waste per batch = kg
6.67 ×30
M Dry Waste per batch =18859.24 kg
90% of the dry waste is composed of volatile solids, therefore, the mass of volatile solids is:
mVS=90 % ×m Dry Waste kg
m VS =0.9 ×18 859.24 kg
mVS=16 973.31 kg
The mass of inerts is found from the difference between the total solids and the volatile solids.
m Inerts =mTS −m VS kg
mInerts =18 859.24−16 973.31 kg
m Inerts =1 885.92 kg

The biomass required is 10% of the volatile solids according the F/M ratio of 10.
M Dry Waste ×t batch ×%VS
M Biomass per batch = kg
nbatch ×30 days × F /M

Page | 10
 377 373.36 × 10× 0.9
M Biomass per batch = kg
6.67 × 30 ×10
M Biomass per batch =1 697.33 kg
Mass of water is the sum of moisture contained in the feed plus the water added to make the
solids concentration 25% by mass.
M Water =mWater added +m Moisture
The average moisture content for the waste from Kwekwe is 30 w/w%. Therefore, the mass of
moisture is 3/7 of the dry waste.
3
m Moisture = × m Dry Waste
7
3
m Moisture = × 18 859.24 kg
7
m Moisture =8082.53 kg
The water required to make 25% solids concentration by mass found by making m Water added the
subject of the formula from the equation below.
mDry Waste
0.25=
m Dry Waste +mMoisture +mWater added
m Water added =3 × m Dry waste−m Moisture kg
mWater added =3 × 18859.24−8 082.53 kg
m Water added =48 495.18 kg
Therefore,
mWater =48 495.18−8 082.53 kg
m Water =56 577.72 kg

M batch =18 859.24+1 697.33+56 577.72kg

M batch =77 134.28 kg
Density calculations:
The assumed density of water is 1 000 kg/m3 and that of wet waste is 467 kg/m3.
The average density of the feed is given by the following equation, assuming that the waste
displaces a particular volume that is directly proportional to its weight.

Page | 11
 m wet waste + mWater added kg
ρ feed=
m wet waste m Water added m3
+
ρwet waste ρWater
Where:
ρfeed = feed density
ρwet waste = bulk density of the waste
ρwater = density of water.
26 941.77+ 48 495.18 kg
ρ feed=
26 941.77 48 495.18 m3
+
467 1000
kg
ρ feed=710.42
m3
The total volume of the feed is given by:
mbatch 3
V batch = m
ρ feed
77134.28 3
V batch = m
710.42
V batch =108.58 m 3
V batch =108 580 Litres
Allowing for a safe working volume of 10% above the total volume gives a digester volume of
119.44 m3. The extra volume makes up the head space required to prevent sucking digester
contents during gas production and to prevent a lot moisture from leaving with the gas.

2.4.5 Balance on Products

2.4.5.1 Digestate:
Inerts do not participate in any reaction so their mass remains the same.
Substrate:
The reactions in the digester do not go to completion. According to the Monod Kinetic Model
used in this document, the final substrate concentration after 10 days is approximately 55.39
mg/L.day.
The mass of substrate corresponding to this concentration is:
m final substrate =[ S˙ ] × V batch ×t batch

Page | 12
 55.39
m final substrate = ×108 580 ×10 kg
1000 000
m final substrate =60.14 kg
Biomass:
The final biomass concentration, according to the Model, at the end of 10 days is approximately
2 959.30 mg/L.day.
This gives a final biomass mass of:
m final biomass =[ X˙ ] ×V batch × t batch
2 959.30
m final biomass = ×108 580 ×10 kg
1000 000
mfinal biomass =3 213.08 kg

2.4.5.2 Biogas.
Table 1.: Methane yields for different substrates ( Xian et al, 2012)
Majoring macronutrient Neves et al Cho and Park Xian et al
group
Carbohydrate rich 0.37 0.29 0.37-0.42
Protein rich 0.39 0.48 0.41-0.54
Lipids rich 0.43 - 0.36-0.46
Cellulose rich 0.36 0.36 0.50-0.58

Since the major components of the degradable portion of MSW mainly paper, food waste and
garden waste which are rich in cellulose, protein and carbohydrates, the methane yield is taken to
be
Methane yield = 0.54 m3/kg VSadded
Volume of methane produced = Methane yield x volatile solids added.
V Methane =0.54 ×16 973.31m 3
V Methane =9 165.59 m3
Total volume of the gas is given by:
V Methane
V Total =
Methane composition
9 165.59 m3
V Total =
0.6

Page | 13
V Total =15 275.98 m 3
Using the ideal gas law, the mass of the gas produced is given by:
p . V . Mr
M total =
R.T
Where:
P = 101 325 Pascal
T = 308.15 K
R = 8.314 Pa.m3/mol.K
Mr = 0.6x16 + 0.39x44 + 0.1x34 g/mol
= 0.0271 kg/mol
101325 ×15 275.98 ×0.0271
M total = kg
8.314 × 308.15
M total=16 372.8 kg
Mass fractions of the gases are; methane – 0.35; carbon dioxide – 0.63; and hydrogen sulphide –
0.01.
Mass of methane is given by:
M Methane = M Total × x Methane
M Methane=16372.8 × 0.35 kg
M Methane=5799.96 kg
Mass of carbon dioxide is given as the fraction of the total mass of the gas.
M Carbondioxide =M Total × xCarbon dioxide
M Carbondioxide =16 372.8 ×0.63 kg
M Carbondioxide =10 367.42 kg
Mass of hydrogen sulphide is given by:
M Hydrogen sulphide =M Total −m Carbondioxide −m Methane kg
M Hydrogen sulphide =16 372.8−10 367.42−5 799.96 kg
M Hydrogen sulphide =205.42 kg
Water:
Water is used in the reactions that produce methane and carbon dioxide while some is used up by
the growing microorganisms. The remaining water is found by difference between the total feed
and the sum of biomass and substrate left, inerts and the gas produced.

Page | 14
m final without water=mGas +m final substrate +m final biomass + minerts kg
mfinal without water=16372.8+ 60.14+3 213.08+1 885.92 kg
m final without water=21531.94 kg
The mass of water remaining at the end of 10 days is:
mwater remaining =m feed −mfinal without water kg
m water remaining =77 134.28−21531.94 kg
mwater remaining =55 602.35 kg

The mass balance for a 119.44 m3 reactor

Component Feed Products
Volatile Solids 16 973.31 60.14
Inerts 1 885.92 1 885.92
Water 56 577.72 55 602.35
Biomass 1 697.33 3 213.08
Biogas 0 16 372.80
Total 77 134.28 77 134.28

Page | 15
 Feed Gas
Component Mass (kg) Component Mass (kg)
Volatile solids 16'973.31 Methane 5'799.96
Inerts 1'885.92 Carbon dioxide 10'367.42
Biomass 1'697.33 Hydrogen Sulphide 205.42
Water 56'577.72 Total 16'372.80
Total 77'134.28

Digester
Volume = 119.44m3 Digestate
Component Mass (kg)
Residence time = 10 Volatile Solids 60.14
Inerts 1'885.92
days Biomass 3'213.08
Water 55'602.35
Total 60'761.49

Page | 16
2.5 Energy balance
Approximate nutrient composition of waste (wet)

Macronutrient Composition (%) Mass flow

(kg/hr.)
Carbohydrates 32.125 36.06
Proteins 7.900 8.87
Fats 22.075 24.78
Fibre 1.050 1.18
Inerts 7.000 7.86

Assumptions.

1 Steady state operation

2 Isothermal operation
3 Isobaric operation
4 Model nutrients:-
a. Carbohydrates are represented by: C6H12O6
b. Proteins are represented by C3H7NO2
c. Lipids are represented by C16H12O6
5 Digestion of carbohydrates releases heat while that of proteins and lipids consume
heat
6 Negligible heat generation during neutralization of acids.
7 Reference temperature is room temperature (25°C)
8 The digester is a perfect cylinder
9 The digester contents are not changing their density
10 Negligible water loss through the exit gas

The overall energy balance is given by:

Q ¿ +Q gen +Q heat=Q out + Q loss +Q cons+ Q acc

Where:

Qin - heat input with feed and from heat exchanger

Qgen - heat generated by exothermic reactions occuring in the reactor

Page | 17
Qacc - heat accumulated inside the reactor

Qheat - heat supplied by the heat exchanger

Qout - heat leaving with the products

Qloss - heat lost through the reactor walls due to temperature difference

Qcons - heat consumed by endothermic reactions and bringing the reactants to the reactor
temperature.

For a batch reactor:

Qin-feed = 0

Qacc = 0

The energy balance for a batch reactor

Qin-hx + Qgen = Qcons +Qloss + Qgas

Q ¿−hx +Q gen =Q gas +Q loss +Q cons

Where Qin-hx is the heat input from the heat exchanger required to maintain the temperature at
35°C.

2.5.1 Energy leaving the reactor.

From the equation above, there are three sources by which energy leaves the system which is our
batch reactor.

1. With the gas leaving the reactor during the batch process.
2. Heat losses through the reactor walls due to temperature differences between the reactor
contents and the environment.
3. Through consumption by chemical reactions within the reactor and by use for bringing
the digester contents to the operating temperature.

2.5.1.1 Heat loss through the gas.

Heat lost through the gas is given by:

Q gas= ṁ gas ×C p−gas × T gas

Page | 18
Where:

mgas - average rate of gas production (kg/hr)

Cp-biogas - heat capacity of gas

Tgas - exit temperature of the gas.

The heat capacity of the biogas is given as the weighted mean of the heat capacities of the gases
contained in the biogas (Lindorfer H. et al, 2004).

C p−biogas=v methane .C p−CH 4 + v carbon dioxide .C p−CO2 + v hydrogen sulphide . C p−H 2 S

Where vgas is the volume fraction of the gas in the biogas.

Heat capacities for gases are temperature dependent and are given by the following polynomial
equation (McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2014):

C p−gas = A+ B ×T + C ×T 2+ D× T 3

Where A, B, C and D are parameters which differ with the gas and T is the gas temperature in
Kelvins. The table below shows the values of the parameters in the equation above for Methane,
Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen Sulphide.

Gas A B C D T (K)
CH4 19.25 0.05213 1.197E-05 -1.132E-08 308.15
CO2 19.8 0.07344 -5.6E-05 1.7115E-08 308.15
H2S 31.94 0.001436 2.432E-05 -1.176E-08 308.15

Cp-CH4 = 36.11925538 J/mol.K

Cp-CO2 = 37.61187617 J/mol.K

Cp-H2S = 34.34773633 J/mol.K

Cp-biogas = 36.6836623 J/mol.K

The average rate of gas production for a single batch is 68.22 kg/hr and its temperature is 35°C.
Therefore, the energy leaving with the exiting gas stream is:

Page | 19
 36.68 kJ
Q gas=68.22 × × ( 35+273.15 )
27.1 hr

kJ
Q gas=28 456.22
hr

2.5.1.2 Heat loss through the wall.

The heat loss through the wall is given by the equation:

Q loss=U × A ×∆ T

Where:

U – overall heat transfer coefficient for the digester wall

A – surface area of heat transfer

ΔT – temperature difference between the digester contents and the environment.

For a 12” (30.48cm) thick concrete wall with a density of 1 281.44 kg/m 3 the overall heat
transfer coefficient is 5.9 W/m2.K (The Engineering ToolBox, 2014). Assuming that the digester
is a perfect cylinder with height 5 meters and diameter of 2.63 meters, its surface area is
126.0256 m2. The temperature difference between the digester contents and the environment is
10 Kelvins.

U = 5.9 W/m2.K = 21.24 kJ/hr.m2.K

A = 126.0256 m2

ΔT = 10 K.

Therefore, the heat loss through the wall is:

kJ
Q loss=21.24 ×126.0256 ×10
hr

kJ
Q loss=26 767.84
hr

Page | 20
2.5.2 Energy consumption within the reactor
2.5.2.1 Heat consumed by chemical reactions.
The degradation of proteins and fats under anaerobic conditions consumes energy in the form of
heat (Lindorfer H. et al, 2004). The reactions occurring in the reactor are as follows:

Proteins:-
+ ¿¿
+¿ →3 C H 4 ( g)+ 3C O2 ( g)+2 N H 4( aq) ¿
2 C3 H 7 N O 2 (aq ) +2 H 2 O ( l) 2 H

kJ
∆ H orxn =+ 198.5
mol

Fats:-

2 C16 H 12 O6 (aq )+14 H 2 O (l ) → 22C H 4 ( g) +9 C O 2 ( g)

kJ
∆ H orxn =+ 544.5
mol

The mass flow rate of proteins in the feed is 8.87 kg/hr. This gives an energy consumption rate
of;

kg kJ 1000 mol
Q cons− proteins =8.87 × 198.5 ×
hr mol 2× 90 kg

kJ
Q cons− proteins =9 779.80
hr

The mass flow rate of fats in the feed is 24.78 kg/hr. This gives an energy consumption rate of;

kg kJ 1 000 mol
Q cons−fats =24.78 ×544.5 ×
hr mol 2×300 kg

kJ
Q cons−fats =22 488.59
hr

The total energy consumed by reaction is

kJ
Q cons=Q cons−fats+ Q cons− proteins
hr

Page | 21
 kJ
Q cons=22 488.59+ 9 799.80
hr

kJ
Q cons−rxn=32 268.39
hr

2.5.2.2 Heat required to heat the feed.

Some heat is used up to bring the feed to the required digester temperature. This amount of heat
can be quantified based on the assumption that all the feed is going to come to the digester
temperature within a day. This is reasonable because there is time required for the bacteria to
acclimatise to their new environment. If the digester contents were to be heated rapidly to bring
them to the desired temperature then some of the bacteria will not survive the rapidly changing
environment thus reducing the number of viable microbial population for substrate utilisation.

Total mass of feed per batch is 77 134.28 kg while the time required to raise the feed temperature
from 25°C to 35°C is one day. Thus, the heat added to the feed is:

Q cons−feed =ṁ feed × C p −feed × ∆T

Where:

Mfeed = 77 134.28/24 kg/hr = 3 213.93 kg/hr.

Cp-feed = Cp-water = 4.184 kJ/kg.K

ΔT = 35-25 K = 10 K

kJ
Q cons−feed =3 213.93 × 4.184 ×10
hr

kJ
Q cons−feed =134 470.77
hr

2.5.3 Heat generated by chemical reactions.

The degradation of carbohydrates by anaerobic digestion release heat according to Lindorfer H.
et al, (2004) by the following reaction:

C 6 H 12 O6 → 3C H 4 ( g) +3 C O2 (g )

Page | 22
 kJ
∆ H orxn =−138.5
mol

The heat generated by this reaction for a mass flow rate of carbohydrates of 36.06 kg/hr is given
by:

kg kJ 1 000mol
Q gen−carbohyd. =36.06 × 138.5 ×
hr mol 180 kg

kJ
Q gen−carbohyd. =27 748.23
hr

2.5.4 Heat deficit.

The total energy balance for the system shows that there is one variable left which is the heat
input. This heat input into the system is the heat from the heat exchanger.

Q ¿−hx=Q gas +Qloss +Q cons−feed +Q cons−rxn−Q gen−rxn

kJ
Q ¿−hx=28 456.22+ 26 767.84+134 470.77+32268.39−27 748.24
hr

kJ
Q ¿−hx=194 214.99
hr

This is the maximum energy requirement of the reactor per hour. This maximum is required on
the first day of the process when the reactor contents are being heated to 35°C. once this
temperature has been reached the heat requirements of the digester reduce by 134 470 kJ/hr. the
remaining heat is required to replace the heat lost through the digester walls, that being taken
away by the gas and the energy being consumed by the reactions occurring in the digester during
the batch process. After day one of plant start up the heat required to be supplied by the heat
exchanger is 59 744.21 kJ/kg

Page | 23
 Feed Gas
Mass 3'213.93 kg/hr Mass 68.22 kg/hr
Initial temperature 298.50 K Temperature 308.15 K
Final temperature 308.15 K Heat capacity 1.35 kJ/kg.K
Heat capacity 4.18 kJ/kg.K Heat energy 28'456.22 kJ/hr
Heat energy 13'447.08 kJ/hr

Heat consumed Heat loses

Exothermic reactions (27'748.23) kJ/hr Digester U 5.90 W/m^2.K
Endothermic reaxtions 32'268.39 kJ/hr A 126.03 m^2
Heat energy 4'520.16 kJ/hr Volume = 119.44m3 Inside temperature 308.15 K
Outside temperature 298.15 K
Residence time = 10 Heat energy 26'767.84 kJ/hr

days

Heat exchager
Heat input 73'191.30 kJ/hr

Page | 24
References
Nwabanne, J. T., Onukwuli, O. D., and Ifeakandu, C.M.(2009), “Biokinetics of Anaerobic
Digestion of Municipal Waste”, International Journal of Environment Research, Vol. 3, Iss. 4,
Autumn 2009, pp. 511-516. ISSN: 1735-6865

Xian, F. L,, and Jaya N, G H, (2012), “Influence of Food Waste Composition and Volumetric
Water Dilution on Methane Generation Kinetics”, International Journal of Environmental
Protection, Vol. 2 Iss. 9, Sept. 2012, pp. 22-29.

McGraw-Hill Higher Education, (2014), “Physical Properties Table: Appendix B”,

www.highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0072849606/315014/physical_properties_table.pdf

McGraw-Hill Higher Education, (2014), “Physical Properties Table: Appendix B”,

www.highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0072849606/315014/physical_properties_table.pdf

Delgenes, J. P. ,Penaud, V. and Moletta, R.,(2002). Pretreatments for the Enhancement of

Anaerobic Digestion of Solid Wastes, Water Intelligence Online ©IWA, INRA – Laboratoire de
Biotechnologie de l' Environnement .Avenue de sEtangs,1110C Narbonne,France.

Metcalf and Eddy. (2003). Wastewater engineering; treatment and reuse. 4th ed. Tata McGraw
Hill, India , 580-583.
Lindorfer, H., Kirchmayr, R. and Braun, R., (2004), “Self-heating of anaerobic digesters using
energy crops”, BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna
Department for Agrobiotechnology, IFA-Tulln, Institute for Environmental Biotechnology

Mullai, P., Huu-Hao, N.G.O., and Sabarathinam, P., (2011), “Substrate Removal Kinetics of an
Anaerobic Hybrid Reactor Treating Pharmaceutical Wastewater”, Journal of Water
Sustainability, Vol. 1, Iss. 3, December 2011, pp. 301-312.

Page | 25
Appendix
A1 Determination of Kinetic parameters using Matlab®.
The following data from experiments carried out on MSW was used to determine the kinetic
parameters used in the Monod Kinetic Model for substrate utilization coupled with biomass
production.

Table A1: Results from AD Batch experiments carried out by Nwabanne et al, (2009)

Time (days) Substrate (mg/L) Biomass (mg/L) Temperature (°C) pH

0 831.82 57.69 - -
5 591.79 205.76 32.4 6.74
10 141.68 371.61 34.0 7.50
15 47.68 265.41 34.7 6.65
20 23.71 230.45 34.4 6.62
25 9.77 122.18 35.0 6.64
30 4.01 15.41 36.5 6.60
35 2.12 3.82 36.4 6.20

The following is the method and the materials according to Nwabanne, (2009);

Biodegradable municipal solid waste was collected from a refuse dump. The waste was sorted to
remove the undesirable and non-degradable components in the sample. The waste sample was
shredded to increase the surface area available to microbes in the digester and hence increase the
speed of digestion (Hang,1993).The waste sample consisted of yam peels (6kg), plantain peels
(3kg), vegetables (1.9kg), pineapple peels (4kg) and cow dung (10.1kg).According to Peavey et
al,(1985) ,there are three basic steps in anaerobic digestion where methane is to be produced
from solid wastes: (1)Preparation of organic fraction of the solid wastes for anaerobic digestion
and it usually includes receiving, sorting, separation, and size reduction, (2) addition of moisture
and nutrients, blending and pH adjustment and anaerobic digestion in reactor, and (3) capture,
storage, and, if necessary, separation of the gas components evolved during the digestion
process. The shredded waste sample (25kg) was diluted with 751itres of water to form slurry in
the ratio of 1:3 and charged into a digester with a capacity of 117 litres. The temperature of the
digester and the atmospheric temperature were recorded using a clinical thermometer. After this
initial measurement, the digester was made airtight with adhesive. The slurry was stirred to

Page |A1
ensure the formation of a homogenous mixture. Digestion lasted for a period of 35 days. The
biogas produced was measured daily be means of downward displacement of water by the biogas
in an inverted measuring cylinder. The substrate and biomass concentrations were determined in
terms of the chemical oxygen demand (COD), and the mixed liquor volatile suspended solids
(MLVSS) respectively, the percentage total solids (TS) of the mixture was determined by oven
drying method and pH was measured with a digital pH meter. These measurements were
repeated every 5 days.

A1.1 The Matlab® Code.

The Monod Kinetic Model for substrate utilization coupled with biomass generation was used to
determine the kinetic parameters. The system of differential equations is shown below:

dX μ max SX
= −K d X … … … … … … … … … … … … … … .. A 1
dt K s+ S

dS −μ max SX
= ……………………………………… A 2
dt Y xs ( K s + S )

Parameters:

µmax – maximum specific growth rate (per unit time)

Ks – half saturation constant (mass per unit volume)
Kd – endogenous decay coefficient (per unit time)
Yxs – biomass yield from substrate.
Variables:

X – biomass concentration
S – substrate concentration.

The Matlab® code is as follows:

The first code is for fitting parameters to a system of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs)

function paramfitKinetics

% main program for fitting parameters of an ODE model to data

% the model and the error function are defined in the file SfunKinetics.m

clearvars -global
global tdata xdata x0

%% data for the model

Page | 2
% time - value of 1st variable (Biomass) - value of 2nd variable (Substrate)

tdata(1) = 0.0; xdata(1,1) = 57.69; xdata(1,2) = 831.82;

tdata(2) = 5; xdata(2,1) = 205.758; xdata(2,2) = 591.79;
tdata(3) = 10; xdata(3,1) = 371.61; xdata(3,2) = 141.68;
tdata(4) = 15; xdata(4,1) = 265.41; xdata(4,2) = 47.68;
tdata(5) = 20; xdata(5,1) = 230.45; xdata(5,2) = 23.71;
tdata(6) = 25; xdata(6,1) = 122.177; xdata(6,2) = 9.77;
tdata(7) = 30; xdata(7,1) = 15.41; xdata(7,2) = 4.01;
tdata(8) = 35; xdata(8,1) = 3.82; xdata(8,2) = 2.12;

%% initial conditions

x0(1) = 57.69;
x0(2) = 831.82;

%% initial guess of parameter values

b(1) = 0.053;% Umax

b(2) = 21.23;% Ks
b(3)=0.038; % Kd
b(4)=0.367;% Yxs

%% minimization step

[bmin, Smin] = fminsearch(@SfunKinetics,b);

disp('Estimated parameters b(i):');

disp(bmin)
disp('Smallest value of the error S:');
disp(Smin)

end

The second code holds the ODEs and the error function for fitting the parameters to the curve.

function S = SfunKinetics(b)
% computation of an error function for an ODE model
% INPUT: b - vector of parameters

global tdata xdata x0

%% ODE model
% (nested function, uses parameters b(1),b(2),b(3) and b(4) of the main
function)
function dx = f(t,x)
dx = zeros(2,1);
dx(1) = (b(1)*x(1)*x(2)/(b(2)+x(2)))-b(3)*x(1);
dx(2) = -b(1)*x(1)*x(2)/(b(4)*(b(2)+x(2)));
end

Page | 3
%% numerical integration set up

tspan = 0:0.1:max(tdata);
[tsol,xsol] = ode23s(@f,tspan,x0);

%% plot result of the integration

figure(1)
for i = 1:2
subplot(1,2,i)
plot(tdata,xdata(:,i),'o','MarkerSize',10);
hold on
plot(tsol,xsol(:,i));
hold off
ylabel(['x(' num2str(i) ')']);
end
drawnow

%% the string below finds the predicted values of x(tdata)

xpred = interp1(tsol,xsol,tdata);

%% the following string computes total error

S = 0;
for i = 1:length(tdata)
S = S + sum((xpred(i,:)-xdata(i,:)).^2);
end

end

The plots below show the simulated data versus the actual experimental data for the following
kinetic data from the simulation;

µmax – 0.2918 (per day)

Ks – 5.405 (mg/L)
Kd – 0.1008 (per day)
Yxs – 0.7048.

Xo – 57.69 mg/L
So – 831.82 mg/L

Page | 4
 Substrate vs Time
Model Actual
900
800
700
Substrate (mg/L)

600
500
400
300
200
100
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
-100
time (days)

Fig. A1: Concentration profile of substrate in batch experiments for AD of MSW.

Biomass vs time
500
450
400
350
Biomas (mg/L)

300
250
200
150
100
50
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
time (days)

Model Actual

Fig. A2: Biomass concentration as a function of time during AD of MSW.

A2 Determination of batch time (tbatch) for the AD of MSW.

This was done using Polymath with the following string:

d(X) / d(t) = (Umax*S*X/(Ks+S))-Kd*X # biomass accumulation

X(0) = 532.815
d(S) / d(t) = -Umax*S*X/(Yxs*(Ks+S)) # substrate accumulation (negative)
S(0) =5328.15
Umax=0.2918 #kinetic parameters from Matlab
Ks=5.405
Kd=0.1008

Page | 5
Yxs=0.7048
t(0) = 0 # initial time
t(f) = 35 # final time

Fig. A3: Biomass and Substrate against time used to estimate the batch time.

References
Nwabanne, J. T., Onukwuli, O. D., and Ifeakandu, C.M.(2009), “Biokinetics of Anaerobic
Digestion of Municipal Waste”, International Journal of Environment Research, Vol. 3, Iss. 4,
Autumn 2009, pp. 511-516. ISSN: 1735-6865

Hang, R. T. (1993), “The practical handbook of composting engineering”, Lewis Publishers, pp.
10.

Page | 6