ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Investigation of kinetics of anaerobic digestion of Canary grass

Anna Kacprzak, Liliana Krzystek, Katarzyna Paździor, and Stanisław Ledakowicz

Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Faculty of Process and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Lodz, Wolczanska 213, 90-924 Lodz, Poland

E-mail: anna.kacprzak@wipos.p.lodz.pl

Abstract: The most promising technology to generate energy is the production of biogas from agricultural feedstock. This technology allows obtaining high biogas yields per hectare. Biogas of high methane content can be produced from various kinds of energy crops, animal manure, and other organic waste. This paper presents results of both biochemical methane potential (BMP) assay of Canary grass (Phalaris canariensis) and its anaerobic co-digestion with cheese whey and glycerin fraction in a large laboratory scale as well as the kinetics of both co-digestion and digestion of Canary grass alone. The suggested mathematical description of the anaerobic co-digestion process gave satisfying conformity with the experimental data.

Keywords: biochemical methane potential – Canary grass – biogas

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.2478/s11696-012-0136-4

Chemical Papers 66 (6) 550–555 (2012)