Anaerobic Digestion of Aqueous Pyrolysis Condensate

Lignocellulosic material can be subjected to pyrolysis to yield pyrolysis liquid, biochar, and gas. The pyrolysis liquid resulting from the condensation of vapours can be separated into a rich organic condensate and an acidic “aqueous pyrolysis condensate” (APC) which may be considered a waste. The target of this research is subjecting APC to anaerobic digestion to produce biogas that can be energy purposed, and to reduce the organic load of APC to acceptable levels for possible disposal. From this study, it was found that without any treatment, the inoculum requires 50 to 60 days of adaptation period to reduce the amount of inhibitors in APC and produce methane, along with 30 % of COD reduction. The addition of nutrient and biochar resulted in higher methane production from APC. This research showed the feasibility of anaerobically digesting APC to produce methane and reduce COD