The literal meaning of Anaerobic Digestion is ‘in the absence of Oxygen’. It is a process through which bacteria break down organic matter, such as manure and food waste, to produce biogas and biofertiliser. This happens in a sealed, oxygen free tank called an Anaerobic Digester.
As this organic matter is broken down by the bacteria the organic matter is converted to generate biogas. The biogas that is produced is made mostly of methane, the primary component of natural gas. Recovered biogas can be an energy source for electricity, heating or transportation fuel. The other two outputs from the Anaerobic Digestion process are Biomethane and Digestate.
Biomethane is a result of the purification of biogas, again used as fuel to serve end users and Digestate which is the material remaining at the end of the process which can then be spread onto the land as fertiliser.
Additives for Anaerobic Digestion
In order to help with the performance of the Anaerobic Digestion 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’s range of trace element additives to see how they can optimise the Anaerobic Digestion performance and output.