Anaerobic Co-digestion of the Energy Crop Sida hermaphrodita and Microalgae Biomass for Enhanced Biogas Production

Abstract

This study presents the results of anaerobic co-digestion of perennial crop Sida hermaphrodita and microalgae biomass under semi-continuous conditions. The aim of this study was to compare biogas potential from the silage of Sida mixed in different ratios with microalgal species of Chlorella sp. and Scenedesmus sp. The results showed that the co-digestion process improved biogas/methane production to the level of 594.52/351.88 mL/g volatile solids. The best results were achieved when microalgae biomass constituted 40 and 60% of the substrate, and C/N ratio ranged from 14.69 to 20.61. The composition of digestates was also determined.