Comparative study of mechanical, hydrothermal, chemical and enzymatic treatments of digested biofibers to improve biogas production

Organic waste such as manure is an important resource for biogas production. The biodegradability of manures is however limited because of the recalcitrant nature of the biofibers it contains. To increase the biogas potential of the biofibers in digested manure, we investigated physical treatment (milling), chemical treatment (CaO), biological treatment (enzymatic and partial aerobic microbial conversion), steam treatment with catalyst (H3PO4 or NaOH) and combination of biological and steam treatments (biofibers steam-treated with catalyst were treated with laccase enzyme). We obtained the highest methane yield increase through the chemical treatment that resulted in 66% higher methane production compared to untreated biofibers. The combination of steam treatment with NaOH and subsequent enzymatic treatment increased the methane yield by 34%. To choose the optimal treatment, the energy requirements relative to the energy gain as extra biogas production have to be taken into account, as well as the costs of chemicals or enzymes.