Elsevier Publishes Anaerobic Digestion Research Authored by Prakash and Fellow Researchers
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In keeping with current research that is pushing beyond the perceived limits of how waste can be used as a resource, Assistant Professor Shaurya Prakash and his co-researchers are exploring the greater potential of anaerobic digestion for energy production. In common practice, such as the method used at Ohio State's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, located in Wooster, Ohio, an anaerobic digester system converts organic waste into biogas, and, subsequently, electricity. In other systems, the net result of anaerobic digestion might be ammonia for fertilizer or hydrogen for fuel.
By modeling an integrated Anaerobic Digestion Bioammonia to Hydrogen (ADBH) system, Prakash and his research team have concluded that the anaerobic digestion process designed to net methane from biogas, holds even greater capacity for increased energy output. Their integrated ADBH system tacks on an ammonia recovery and reforming mechanism that provides for the harvesting of additional biogas fuel, and consequently, a sizable increase in overall energy generation. They theorize that the construction of integrated ADBH systems could lead to increased harvesting of bio-ammonia and, ultimately, more usable fuel feedstocks. They were able to demonstrate an impressive energy gain of greater than 20 percent dual fuel recovery (hydrogen and methane) over a system generating only methane.
Contributing to the research were David M. Babson and Donna E. Fennell of Rutgers University, Department of Environmental Sciences, and Karen Bellman of The Ohio State University, Department of Mechanical Engineering. Their paper entitled, "Anaerobic digestion for methane generation and ammonia reforming for hydrogen production: A thermodynamic energy balance of a model system to demonstrate net energy feasibility" was recently posted online and appears on pages 493-505 of the September 2013 Biomass &Bioenergy, an Elsevier Ltd. international journal.
By modeling an integrated Anaerobic Digestion Bioammonia to Hydrogen (ADBH) system, Prakash and his research team have concluded that the anaerobic digestion process designed to net methane from biogas, holds even greater capacity for increased energy output. Their integrated ADBH system tacks on an ammonia recovery and reforming mechanism that provides for the harvesting of additional biogas fuel, and consequently, a sizable increase in overall energy generation. They theorize that the construction of integrated ADBH systems could lead to increased harvesting of bio-ammonia and, ultimately, more usable fuel feedstocks. They were able to demonstrate an impressive energy gain of greater than 20 percent dual fuel recovery (hydrogen and methane) over a system generating only methane.
Contributing to the research were David M. Babson and Donna E. Fennell of Rutgers University, Department of Environmental Sciences, and Karen Bellman of The Ohio State University, Department of Mechanical Engineering. Their paper entitled, "Anaerobic digestion for methane generation and ammonia reforming for hydrogen production: A thermodynamic energy balance of a model system to demonstrate net energy feasibility" was recently posted online and appears on pages 493-505 of the September 2013 Biomass &Bioenergy, an Elsevier Ltd. international journal.
Category: Faculty
