Thermo- and mesophilic anaerobic digestion of wheat straw by the upflow anaerobic solid-state (UASS) process.

In this experimental work, the feasibility of wheat straw as a feedstock for biogas production is investigated using the newly developed upflow anaerobic solid-state (UASS) process. With the analytical emphasis placed on methane and metabolite production, both mesophilic and thermophilic 39 L UASS reactors were operated for 218 days at an organic loading rate of 2.5 g(VS)L(-1)d(-1) using wheat straw as sole substrate. For improved methanization of soluble metabolites, each UASS reactor was connected to an individual 30 L anaerobic filter (AF). During steady state thermophilic straw digestion was found to have a 36% higher methane yield (0.165 L g(VS)(-1)) whereas the hydrolysis rate constant increased by 106% (0.066 d(-1)).