Application of a simplified ADM1 for full-scale anaerobic co-digestion of cattle slurry and grass silage: assessment of input variability

Highlights

● Simplified ADM1 can predict biogas production from a full-scale biogas plant.

● Default parameters allowed for an accurate process simulation.

● Measurement variability did not affect simulated biogas and methane flow.

● Degradability of carbohydrates had a remarkable effect on gas yields.

Abstract

Mathematical modeling of anaerobic digestion is a powerful tool to predict gas yields and optimize the process. The Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) is a widely implemented model for this purpose. However, modeling full-scale biogas plants is challenging due to the extensive substrate and parameter characterization required. This study describes the modification of the ADM1 through a simplification of individual process phases, characteristic components and required parameters. Consequently, the ability of the simplified model to simulate the co-digestion of grass silage and cattle slurry was evaluated using data from a full-scale biogas plant. The impacts of substrate composition (crude carbohydrate, protein and lipid concentration) and variability of carbohydrate degradability on simulation results were assessed to identify the most influential parameters. Results indicated that the simplified version was able to depict biogas and biomethane production with average model efficiencies, according to the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) coefficient, of 0.70 and 0.67, respectively, and was comparable to the original ADM1 (average model efficiencies of 0.71 and 0.63, respectively). The variability of crude carbohydrate, protein and lipid concentration did not significantly impact biogas and biomethane output for the data sets explored. In contrast, carbohydrate degradability seemed to explain much more of the variability in the biogas and methane production. Thus, the application of simplified models provides a reliable basis for the process simulation and optimization of full-scale agricultural biogas plants.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

ADM1 / Agricultural feedstocks / Biogas technology / Input variability / Parameter estimation

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Acknowledgements

This research was financed by the Teagasc Walsh Scholarship Programme (Ireland) (Ref: 2021010). The input of Dr. Ciara Beausang and Dr. J J Lenehan in the study concept and design is acknowledged.

Conflict of Interests

The author Xinmin Zhan is the Editors of Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-024-1810-9 and is accessible for authorized users.

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