Assessment of the Anaerobic Digestion of Crude Glycerol, Stillage, and Swine Wastewater Mixtures

Abstract

Increasing energy demand and decreasing availability of fossil fuels along with growing concerns regarding environmental issues have boosted the production of biofuels, including biogas. In the present study, we aimed to produce biogas using mixtures of crude glycerol, stillage, and swine wastewater as substrates in order to evaluate their effect on wastewater treatment efficiency and gas yield. The optimal mix of these substrates was determined and the kinetics of biogas production was analyzed. The most desirable results in terms of methane production and removal of organic matter from the wastewater were obtained when using concentrations of 5% glycerol and stillage.