The Effects of Temperature on the Anaerobic Digestion of Agricultural Wastes

This study investigated the temperature effects on anaerobic digestion. The differences between the mesophilic operation temperatures of 35C and 42C were observed. Four different agricultural waste substrates and a control were individually loaded into small bottles, and individually analyzed at the two temperatures in triplicate. Gas production volume was measured daily and the gas composition was analyzed via gas chromatography every day for the first week and then every other day thereafter. Experimental data showed that temperature did not have a consistent effect on production of biogas, and that substrate properties were more crucial to process output than temperature. Further experimentation could help elucidate a clearer relationship between temperature and biogas production