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. 2020 Jun 2;31:105797. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.105797

Datasets on chemical composition and anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), digested sewage sludge (inoculum) and ashes from incineration or gasification

Gregor Sailer a,1, Johanna Eichermüller a,1, Jens Poetsch a, Sebastian Paczkowski a, Stefan Pelz a,, Hans Oechsner b, Joachim Müller c
PMCID: PMC7298421  PMID: 32566703

Abstract

This article contains data on the chemical composition and anaerobic digestion of different residue streams including OFMSW, digested sewage sludge, low-carbon (LC) ashes from incineration subdivided into LC coarse and LC fly ash as well as high-carbon (HC) ashes from gasification subdivided into HC reactor and HC fly ash. All materials were collected in accordance to standard procedures in southern Germany. The data presented in this article include (1) dry matter (2) organic dry matter (3) elemental analysis (4) trace elements and (5) cumulative biogas and CH4 yields. Researchers and waste management companies on lab-/pilot-/industrial-scale can rely on the presented data for classification and comparison of biogenic waste streams. For further discussion, please refer to the scientific article entitled “Optimizing anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) by using biomass ashes as additives” [1].

Keywords: OFMSW, Sewage sludge, Wood ashes, Waste characterization, Energy potentials, Trace elements


Specifications table

Subject Environmental Engineering
Specific subject area Waste characterization, optimizing anaerobic digestion and potentials of biomass ashes, creation of synergies by combined utilization of residue streams
Type of data 15 tables
How data were acquired Datasets for OFMSW, digested sewage sludge, low-carbon (LC) and high-carbon (HC) ashes were acquired using typical physico-chemical analyzes and instruments:
Fresh mass (FM) and dry matter (DM) through oven drying (UNP 700, Memmert, Schwabach, Germany)
Organic dry matter (oDM) through muffle furnace (AAF 1100, Carbolite, Neuhausen, Germany)
C, H, N through elemental analysis (vario MACRO cube, elementar, Langenselbold, Germany)
Trace elements (TE) through inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) (Spectro Blue, ASX-260 auto sampler, SPECTRO Analytical Instruments, Kleve, Germany)
Biogas and CH4 yields through batch-digesters (own construction, [1])
CH4 concentrations were measured by a portable biogas monitor (BIOGAS 5000, Geotech, Coventry, UK)
Data format Raw, processed (mean values)
Parameters for data collection After collection in 2018/2019 and processing (drying, sorting, sieving, crushing), each sample was stored airtight as DM until further experiments were carried out (from February to June 2019). All analyzes were performed with 3–6 repetitions. All digestion experiments were conducted at 35 °C considering temperatures within the digesters and ambient conditions. Biogas and CH4 yield data were expressed on standard conditions (1013 hPa, 0 °C, dry gas).
Description of data collection Extensive waste characterization with the aim to create synergy effects in the treatment (combined treatment) of residue streams origin from different processes. The following data, inter alia, include: FM, DM, oDM and in total 37 elements (C, H, N, O, Al, Ag, As, B, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr, Ti, Tl, V, Zn, Ga, In, Si, P, S). Through batch tests in triplicate (series 1) and duplicate (series 2), the anaerobic digestion behavior and the impact of wood ashes in nine different configurations (mixing ratios) was measured.
Data source location All materials were collected in the state of Baden-Württemberg (southern Germany)
Data accessibility Data are available in this article
Related research article Sailer, G.; Eichermüller, J.; Poetsch, J.; Paczkowski, S.; Pelz, S.; Oechsner, H.; Müller, J., 2020, Optimizing anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) by using biomass ashes as additives, Waste Management 109 (2020), 136–148, doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2020.04.047.

Value of the data

  • This data article provides a large characterization of six highly relevant waste types (OFMSW, digested sewage sludge as well as wood ashes from incineration and gasification) and demonstrates the impact of wood ashes on the anaerobic digestion of OFMSW.

  • This data will be useful for other researchers in the field of bio- and thermo-chemical biomass conversion (comparison, data basis). Managers of biogenic waste streams, biogas plant operators can rely on the data for optimization and identification of waste treatment concepts.

  • Researchers and developers in the fields of treatment, recycling and disposal of bio-waste (lab-, pilot-, and industrial-scale) can rely on the presented data for classification and comparison of data and replication/variation of the conducted experiments.

  • In general, data on the characteristics and bio-chemical treatment of German OFMSW and ashes from wood gasification processes are lacking. Datasets are relevant for the determination of practical application and synergy possibilities of OFMSW, sewage sludge and biomass ashes.

1. Data description

This Data in Brief article provides the raw data for chemical composition and anaerobic digestion of OFMSW together with digested sewage sludge and low-carbon (LC) ashes from incineration as well as high-carbon (HC) ashes from gasification. All data are presented within this article.

Table 1 defines acronyms and additional information for all materials. Tables 2 and 3 present all raw data and weighted mean values for fresh mass (FM) [g], dry matter (DM) [% FM] and organic dry matter (oDM) [% DM] contents. Table 4 shows measured raw data and mean values for C, H and N [% DM]. Based on C, H and N, stoichiometric biogas and CH4 yields can be calculated according to [2, 3]. Values for S can be obtained by using the data from the inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES, Table 8). O [% DM] is defined as 100% subtracted by the contents [% DM] of C, H, N, S and ash. By including oDM data of Table 3, O can be calculated. Single and mean values for 33 trace elements (TE) (Al, Ag, As, B, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr, Ti, Tl, V, Zn, Ga, In, Si, P, S) measured by ICP-OES are presented in Table 5-8.

Table 1.

Acronyms for each material and annotations.

Material Annotation Acronym
OFMSW Separately collected; coarse impurities (stones, metals, plastics) were manually removed before further processing and analytics OFMSW
Sewage sludge
(digested)
Used as inoculum for digestion experiments. Treatment of wastewater and storage of sewage sludge at a mesophilic temperature of 37 °C at the sewage plant SEWS
HC fly ash From a full-scale wood gasification plant (fixed bed, 150 kWel, 300 kWth) HC-FA
HC reactor ash From a full-scale wood gasification plant (fixed-bed, 150 kWel, 300 kWth) HC-RA
LC fly ash From a full-scale heating plant (50 MW, grate firing) using landscape management material and forest residues (50:50) LC-FA
LC coarse ash From a full-scale heating plant (50 MW, grate firing) using landscape management material and forest residues (50:50) LC—CA

Table 2.

Raw data and mean values for DM contents and total amount of FM in each material.

Material Annotation FM
[g]
DM
[% FM]
OFMSW Mainly food waste 1450 21.93
OFMSW Mixture 1397 37.01
OFMSW Mixture 2833 34.27
OFMSW Mixture 1968 34.15
OFMSW Mixture 2897 35.59
Weighted mean 10,545 33.28
SEWS Digestion experiments, test series 1 43.13 3.96
SEWS Digestion experiments, test series 1 49.30 3.99
SEWS Digestion experiments, test series 1 47.03 3.98
Weighted mean 139.46 3.98
SEWS Digestion experiments, test series 2 20.98 3.26
SEWS Digestion experiments, test series 2 20.68 3.26
SEWS Digestion experiments, test series 2 27.12 3.26
Weighted mean 68.78 3.26
HC-FA 311.33 22.59
HC-RA 285.47 24.46
LC-FA Samples were provided as DM
LC—CA Samples were provided as DM

Table 3.

Raw data and mean values for oDM contents in each material.

Material Annotation oDM
[% DM]
OFMSW 75.89
OFMSW 76.83
OFMSW 78.70
OFMSW 79.77
OFMSW 78.21
Mean 77.88
SEWS Digestion experiments, test series 1 64.23
SEWS Digestion experiments, test series 1 64.02
SEWS Digestion experiments, test series 1 64.03
Mean 64.09
SEWS Digestion experiments, test series 2 63.13
SEWS Digestion experiments, test series 2 63.00
SEWS Digestion experiments, test series 2 63.03
Mean 63.07
HC-FA 73.60
HC-FA 73.30
HC-FA 73.65
Mean 73.51
HC-RA 75.85
HC-RA 77.50
HC-RA Measured value (52.72) defined as outlier and discarded
Mean 76.68
LC-FA 0.03
LC-FA 0.05
LC-FA Measured value (−0.07) not plausible and discarded
Mean 0.04
LC—CA 0.91
LC—CA 0.89
LC—CA 0.71
Mean 0.84

Table 4.

Raw data and mean values for C, H and N in all materials. For determination of stoichiometric CH4 yields, S can be calculated by using data from ICP-OES (Table 8). O is defined as 100% DM - XC, H, N, S, Ash [% DM]. SEWS represented a composite sample of SEWS (test series 1) and SEWS (test series 2).

Material C
[% DM]
H
[% DM]
N
[% DM]
OFMSW 42.17 5.64 2.21
OFMSW 40.58 5.46 2.59
OFMSW 35.32 4.72 1.71
OFMSW 39.90 5.34 2.00
Mean 39.49 5.29 2.13
SEWS 29.83 4.36 4.02
SEWS 29.60 4.40 3.37
SEWS 29.84 4.43 3.74
SEWS 29.45 4.40 3.81
Mean 29.68 4.40 3.83
HC-FA 68.90 0.75 1.16
HC-FA 70.68 0.77 0.74
HC-FA 70.12 0.77 0.32
HC-FA 68.78 0.75 0.51
Mean 69.62 0.76 0.68
HC-RA 73.71 0.72 0.62
HC-RA 73.47 0.76 0.65
HC-RA 73.56 0.77 0.55
HC-RA 73.29 0.76 0.60
Mean 73.51 0.75 0.61
LC-FA 2.76 0.23 0.14
LC-FA 2.22 0.24 0.16
LC-FA 1.87 0.22 0.15
LC-FA 2.54 0.23 0.10
Mean 2.35 0.23 0.14
LC—CA 1.32 0.29 0.11
LC—CA 1.26 0.40 0.18
LC—CA 1.13 3.23 (discarded) 0.18
LC—CA 1.15 0.23 0.74 (discarded)
Mean 1.22 0.31 0.16

Table 8.

Raw data and mean values for TE measured by ICP-OES. Values marked with * were at detection limit. All values relate to mg/kg DM.

Material Zn Ga In Si P S
OFMSW 96.07 12.40 13.31 5870.12 3350.59 2237.54
OFMSW 88.10 11.72 13.03 7395.75 7129.32 2006.61
OFMSW 98.57 10.34 10.50 5553.36 3145.71 2157.90
OFMSW 85.74 8.74 5.60* 6007.33 2792.38 2040.56
Mean 92.12 10.80 10.61 6206.64 4104.50 2110.65
SEWS 1297.14 29.46 5.98* 6353.54 35,411.09 12,630.98
SEWS 1338.11 29.29 6.13* 5922.67 37,039.94 13,091.43
SEWS 1273.69 30.51 6.18* 6265.19 36,345.70 12,613.85
SEWS 1247.60 30.67 6.03* 6855.68 35,414.26 12,676.11
Mean 1289.13 29.98 6.08 6349.27 36,052.75 12,753.09
HC-FA 1241.42 15.92* 124.67 2052.66 4837.87 866.12
HC-FA 623.01 16.46* 118.18 1917.38 4523.87 740.36
HC-FA 953.67 17.44 115.77 1945.30 4348.78 842.82
HC-FA 566.93 13.44* 101.85 1414.09 3419.58 592.78
Mean 846.26 15.81 115.12 1832.36 4282.52 760.52
HC-RA 154.29 12.02* 46.29 1571.49 2866.85 643.16
HC-RA 486.48 33.37* 125.68 4150.12 7745.66 1816.87
HC-RA 157.97 15.53* 60.22 2028.29 3827.37 872.06
HC-RA 230.93 14.25* 8.05* discarded 4308.79 1182.94
Mean 257.42 18.79 60.06 1941.03 4687.17 1128.76
LC-FA 1908.58 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
LC-FA 1927.25 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
LC-FA 1781.62 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
LC-FA 1910.48 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
LC-FA 2156.99 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
LC-FA 1968.30 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
Mean 1942.20 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
LC—CA 291.53 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
LC—CA 305.28 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
LC—CA 270.44 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
LC—CA 450.46 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
LC—CA 343.65 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
LC—CA 317.20 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
Mean 329.76 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Table 5.

Raw data and mean values for TE measured by ICP-OES. Values marked with * were at detection limit. All values relate to mg/kg DM.

Material Al Ag As B Ba Be Bi Ca Cd
OFMSW 6084.76 0.21 2.39 2.12* 88.40 0.02* 0.66 28,270.76 discarded
OFMSW 7345.80 0.02* 2.32 2.13* 86.59 0.02* 1.20 43,638.44 0.41
OFMSW 6247.57 0.14 4.79 2.17* 88.11 0.02* 0.02* 25,320.14 0.20
OFMSW 5546.85 0.32 1.86 2.00* 74.20 0.02* 0.02* 21,512.88 0.15
Mean 6306.25 0.17 2.84 2.11 84.32 0.02 0.47 29,685.55 0.25
SEWS 19,789.67 1.01 4.17 2.14* 627.72 0.02* 3.54 47,342.26 1.45
SEWS 20,125.29 0.98 4.17 2.19* 654.66 0.02* 3.66 49,099.45 1.49
SEWS 19,310.18 1.22 4.20 2.21* 621.15 0.02* 2.90 47,217.84 1.38
SEWS 18,884.97 1.10 4.18 2.16* 612.33 0.02* 3.20 46,743.74 1.33
Mean 19,527.53 1.08 4.18 2.18 628.97 0.02 3.32 47,600.82 1.41
HC-FA 697.63 1.66 0.06* 6.63* 633.73 0.06* 0.06* 103,964.50 2.90
HC-FA 649.94 2.39 0.06* 6.85* 624.24 0.06* 0.06* 101,162.79 2.63
HC-FA 648.65 2.96 0.06* 7.21* 597.88 0.06* 0.06* 98,455.60 2.32
HC-FA 499.20 1.70 0.05* 5.59* 482.97 0.05* 0.05* 76,773.23 1.80
Mean 623.86 2.18 0.06 6.57 584.70 0.06 0.06 95,089.03 2.41
HC-RA 434.32 1.36 0.04* 5.00* 289.90 0.04* 0.04* 60,277.03 0.04*
HC-RA 1151.61 2.17 0.12* 13.90* 771.71 0.12* 0.12* 159,925.56 0.12*
HC-RA 567.03 0.14 0.06* 6.47* 378.00 0.06* 0.06* 76,501.15 0.06*
HC-RA 476.91 0.05* 0.05* 5.93* 346.72 0.05* 0.05* 103,125.00 0.05*
Mean 657.47 0.93 0.07 7.82 446.58 0.07 0.07 99,957.19 0.07
LC-FA 24,309.57 0.03* 25.05 269.97 1617.49 0.03* 0.03* 237,062.71 8.48
LC-FA 25,144.84 0.03* 25.10 272.78 1500.66 0.03* 0.03* 231,580.69 8.86
LC-FA 24,971.34 0.03* 23.65 260.11 1459.82 0.03* 0.03* 218,610.01 8.14
LC-FA 25,322.28 0.03* 21.32 276.43 1917.11 0.03* 0.03* 186,472.15 7.76
LC-FA 25,943.27 0.03* 22.33 278.56 1936.68 0.03* 0.03* 194,854.88 8.64
LC-FA 26,290.62 0.03* 20.77 266.02 1918.43 0.03* 0.03* 186,690.89 7.79
Mean 25,330.32 0.03 23.04 270.64 1725.03 0.03 0.03 209,211.89 8.28
LC—CA 24,186.22 0.03* 6.06 93.90 732.70 0.03* 0.03* 140,936.06 0.10
LC—CA 24,115.81 0.03* 6.30 85.70 695.54 0.03* 0.03* 143,766.40 0.10
LC—CA 23,873.10 0.03* 6.69 83.32 711.93 0.03* 0.03* 145,748.19 0.10
LC—CA 24,370.87 0.03* 6.44 72.32 866.25 0.03* 0.03* 171,796.57 0.07
LC—CA 24,219.55 0.03* 6.95 75.44 843.98 0.03* 0.03* 162,442.40 0.10
LC—CA 24,871.74 0.03* discarded 75.88 784.27 0.03* 0.03* 160,509.14 0.07
Mean 24,272.88 0.03 6.49 81.10 772.44 0.03 0.03 154,199.79 0.09

Table 911 present data for the first digestion experiment subdivided into the experimental set-up (Table 9), measured CH4 concentrations (Table 10) and cumulative gas yields for each time step and digester (Table 11). Table 1215 show data for the second digestion experiment subdivided into the experimental set-up (Table 12), measured CH4 concentrations (Table 13) and cumulative gas yields for each time step and digester (Tables 14 and 15).

Table 9.

Experimental set-up in test series 1 (operating temperature 35 °C, reactors stirred 60 s/h). oDM delivered by LC—CA and LC-FA (Table 3) was neglected.

Digester Variant Inoculum Additional feedstock
[g DM]
Retention time
[d]
Total DMDigester
[g]
Total oDMDigester
[g]
1 SEWS (blank) 2 L SEWS 40 79.56 + 0 50.99 + 0
2 SEWS (blank) 2 L SEWS 40 79.56 + 0 50.99 + 0
3 SEWS (blank) 2 L SEWS 40 79.56 + 0 50.99 + 0
4 SEWS + LC—CA 2 L SEWS 16.72 (LC—CA) 40 79.56 + 16.72 50.99 + 0
5 SEWS + LC—CA 2 L SEWS 15.12 (LC—CA) 40 79.56 + 15.12 50.99 + 0
6 SEWS + LC—CA 2 L SEWS 16.43 (LC—CA) 40 79.56 + 16.43 50.99 + 0
7 SEWS + LC-FA 2 L SEWS 14.04 (LC-FA) 40 79.56 + 14.04 50.99 + 0
8 SEWS + LC-FA 2 L SEWS 13.93 (LC-FA) 40 79.56 + 13.93 50.99 + 0
9 SEWS + LC-FA 2 L SEWS 14.59 (LC-FA) 40 79.56 + 14.59 50.99 + 0

Table 11.

Biogas (Bg) and CH4 yields (cumulative value) for each time-step and digester (D1-D9) in test series 1. All values related to mL/g oDM for standard conditions (1013 hPa, 0 °C, dry gas).

Time
[d]
D-1 D-2 D-3 D-4 D-5 D-6 D-7 D-8 D-9
Bg CH4 Bg CH4 Bg CH4 Bg CH4 Bg CH4 Bg CH4 Bg CH4 Bg CH4 Bg CH4
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0.11 3 2 4 2 3 2 4 3 4 3 5 3 3 2 3 2 3 2
0.22 5 3 5 3 5 3 7 4 7 5 7 5 4 3 4 3 4 3
0.74 21 14 21 14 23 15 24 16 26 17 26 17 16 12 19 13 16 12
1.03 27 17 27 18 31 20 31 20 33 22 33 21 23 17 25 18 22 16
1.29 32 20 34 22 36 23 37 25 39 25 41 27 27 19 30 21 25 18
1.77 43 28 46 30 45 29 48 32 48 32 53 34 34 24 37 27 33 24
2.11 50 33 53 34 53 34 55 36 54 35 61 39 41 29 43 31 39 28
2.80 61 40 66 43 63 41 67 44 64 42 73 48 46 33 51 37 46 33
3.00 65 42 72 47 69 45 71 47 68 45 79 51 51 36 54 39 49 35
3.93 74 48 84 55 79 51 82 54 77 50 89 58 55 40 60 43 55 40
4.97 82 53 96 63 88 57 92 61 86 56 99 64 59 43 66 48 61 44
6.10 90 59 105 68 96 62 100 66 93 61 106 69 63 45 72 52 67 48
7.01 94 61 110 72 101 65 105 69 98 64 112 73 65 47 75 54 70 50
7.88 98 64 115 75 104 68 109 72 102 67 115 75 69 49 77 56 73 53
8.84 101 66 119 78 109 71 113 74 106 70 119 78 70 51 80 58 77 56
10.23 106 69 124 82 113 74 118 78 110 73 125 82 74 53 85 61 81 59
11.19 109 71 127 84 116 76 121 80 113 75 127 84 76 54 88 63 83 60
12.08 111 73 130 85 119 78 123 82 116 77 129 85 77 55 89 64 85 62
13.07 115 75 133 88 122 80 125 83 119 79 132 87 80 57 91 65 87 63
14.08 117 77 135 89 124 81 128 85 121 80 134 89 82 58 93 67 90 65
15.86 120 79 140 93 128 84 131 87 125 83 138 91 85 61 96 69 92 67
17.95 125 82 144 95 131 86 135 89 128 85 141 93 89 63 99 71 96 70
20.94 128 84 150 100 135 89 139 92 133 88 145 96 92 66 103 74 100 72
26.96 136 90 158 105 141 93 146 97 140 93 150 99 97 69 109 79 106 77
34.98 144 95 166 110 145 95 152 102 148 98 154 102 101 72 116 83 113 82
39.86 148 98 169 112 149 98 156 104 150 100 156 104 102 73 119 86 116 84

Table 10.

Measured CH4 concentrations [%] and weighted mean values for each digester (D1-D9) in test series 1.

Time
[d]
D-1 D-2 D-3 D-4 D-5 D-6 D-7 D-8 D-9
CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6.10 64.83 65.37 64.76 65.85 65.62 65.06 71.92 71.87 72.08
39.86 67.94 68.00 67.96 68.09 68.27 69.65 70.61 72.26 73.29
Weighted mean 66.04 66.37 65.89 66.66 66.63 66.54 71.42 72.02 72.60

Table 12.

Experimental set-up in test series 2 (operating temperature 35 °C, reactors stirred 60 s/h). oDM contents delivered by ashes (Table 3) were neglected as they were either negligible (LC) or “not available for microorganisms” (HC).

Digester Variant Inoculum Additional feedstock
[g DM]
Retention time
[d]
Total DMDigester
[g]
Total oDMDigester
[g]
1 SEWS (blank) 1 L SEWS
+ 1 L tap water
42 32.60 + 0 20.56 + 0
2 SEWS (blank) 1 L SEWS
+ 1 L tap water
42 32.60 + 0 20.56 + 0
3 SEWS + OFMSW 1 L SEWS
+ 1 L tap water
9.82 (OFMSW) 42 32.60 + 9.82 20.56 + 7.66
4 SEWS + OFMSW 1 L SEWS
+ 1 L tap water
9.50 (OFMSW) 42 32.60 + 9.50 20.56 + 7.41
5 SEWS + OFMSW
+ LC—CA (1:1)
1 L SEWS
+ 1 L tap water
9.59 (OFMSW)
9.87 (LC—CA)
42 32.60 + 9.59 + 9.87 20,56 + 7.48 + 0
6 SEWS + OFMSW
+ LC—CA (1:1)
1 L SEWS
+ 1 L tap water
8.96 (OFMSW)
9.94 (LC—CA)
42 32.60 + 8.96 + 9.94 20.56 + 6.99 + 0
7 SEWS + OFMSW
+ LC—CA (1:3)
1 L SEWS
+ 1 L tap water
9.54 (OFMSW)
32.13 (LC—CA)
42 32.60 + 9.54 + 32.13 20.56 + 7.44 + 0
8 SEWS + OFMSW
+ LC—CA (1:3)
1 L SEWS
+ 1 L tap water
9.86 (OFMSW)
32.57 (LC—CA)
42 32.60 + 9.86 + 32.57 20.56 + 7.69 + 0
9 SEWS + OFMSW
+ LC—CA (1:10)
1 L SEWS
+ 1 L tap water
9.70 (OFMSW)
92.05 (LC—CA)
42 32.60 + 9.70 + 92.05 20.56 + 7.56 + 0
10 SEWS + OFMSW
+ LC—CA (1:10)
1 L SEWS
+ 1 L tap water
8.69 (OFMSW)
90.19 (LC—CA)
42 32.60 + 8.69 + 90.19 20.56 + 6.78 + 0
11 SEWS + OFMSW
+ HC-FA (1:1)
1 L SEWS
+ 1 L tap water
8.77 (OFMSW)
9.11 (HC-FA)
42 32.60 + 8.77 + 9.11 20.56 + 6.84 + 0
12 SEWS + OFMSW
+ HC-FA (1:1)
1 L SEWS
+ 1 L tap water
9.04 (OFMSW)
8.97 (HC-FA)
42 32.60 + 9.04 + 8.97 20.56 + 7.05 + 0

Table 15.

Biogas (Bg) and CH4 yields (cumulative value) for each time-step and digester (D9-D12) in test series 2. All values related to mL/g oDM for standard conditions (1013 hPa, 0 °C, dry gas).

Time
[d]
D-9 D-10 D-11 D-12
Bg CH4 Bg CH4 Bg CH4 Bg CH4
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0.33 0 0 0 0 5 4 5 4
0.90 0 0 0 0 19 14 18 13
1.38 0 0 0 0 30 21 30 21
1.96 0 0 2 2 43 31 43 31
2.27 0 0 2 2 49 35 48 35
2.98 1 1 4 4 59 42 59 42
4.10 2 2 6 6 72 51 71 51
5.98 3 3 9 9 89 63 88 63
7.34 5 4 11 11 98 70 98 70
8.01 5 5 12 12 102 73 102 73
9.01 6 6 13 13 108 77 108 77
10.01 8 7 14 14 113 80 113 81
14.05 11 11 16 16 130 93 129 93
16.24 15 14 17 17 137 98 137 98
19.90 35 34 18 17 146 104 146 105
23.96 61 59 20 19 154 110 154 111
26.97 70 67 23 23 160 114 160 115
30.26 77 75 31 31 166 118 166 119
34.08 90 87 54 53 172 122 173 124
37.25 96 92 65 64 177 126 178 127
41.95 102 98 71 70 184 130 185 133

Table 13.

Measured CH4 concentrations [%] and weighted mean values for each digester (D1-D12) in test series 2.

Time
[d]
D-1 D-2 D-3 D-4 D-5 D-6 D-7 D-8 D-9 D-10 D-11 D-12
CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4 CH4
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
26.97 71.94 72.66 64.57 64.74 68.61 68.61 75.80 78.98 96.57 71.22 71.66
41.95 74.19 74.88 71.55 68.23 72.82 72.82 75.09 76.19 97.02 98.51 69.26 71.01
Weighted mean 72.25 72.98 65.08 65.03 68.98 68.98 75.75 78.72 96.71 98.51 70.96 71.57

Table 14.

Biogas (Bg) and CH4 yields (cumulative value) for each time-step and digester (D1-D8) in test series 2. All values related to mL/g oDM for standard conditions (1013 hPa, 0 °C, dry gas).

Time
[d]
D-1 D-2 D-3 D-4 D-5 D-6 D-7 D-8
Bg CH4 Bg CH4 Bg CH4 Bg CH4 Bg CH4 Bg CH4 Bg CH4 Bg CH4
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0.33 5 3 5 4 7 4 8 5 7 5 6 4 5 4 3 3
0.90 14 10 14 10 28 18 28 18 28 19 25 17 20 15 14 11
1.38 19 13 19 14 44 28 44 28 44 30 40 27 31 23 23 18
1.96 23 16 24 17 60 39 62 40 62 42 55 38 44 33 36 28
2.27 25 18 25 18 67 43 71 46 69 47 62 42 49 37 42 33
2.98 30 21 31 22 79 51 84 55 82 56 74 51 60 45 55 43
4.10 36 26 37 27 94 61 100 65 99 68 89 61 73 56 69 55
5.98 46 33 46 33 113 73 118 77 119 82 108 74 92 70 87 69
7.34 52 37 52 38 124 80 129 83 130 89 118 81 103 78 98 78
8.01 54 39 54 39 129 83 134 87 135 92 122 84 108 82 103 82
9.01 58 42 58 42 135 87 139 90 141 96 128 88 114 86 109 86
10.01 62 44 61 45 140 91 145 94 146 100 133 92 120 91 115 91
14.05 73 52 72 52 153 99 159 103 162 111 148 101 135 102 129 102
16.24 77 56 77 56 159 103 165 107 168 116 154 106 141 107 135 106
19.90 85 61 84 61 166 107 173 112 176 121 161 110 148 112 142 112
23.96 92 66 92 67 173 111 181 117 184 126 168 115 154 117 148 117
26.97 97 70 96 70 176 114 185 120 189 130 171 117 159 120 152 120
30.26 101 73 100 73 180 116 190 123 193 133 175 120 162 123 156 123
34.08 105 76 105 76 183 119 194 126 197 136 178 122 166 126 160 126
37.25 108 78 108 79 186 121 197 128 201 138 181 124 168 127 163 128
41.95 113 81 113 82 190 124 202 131 207 143 184 127 172 131 168 132

2. Experimental design, materials and methods

Detailed descriptions for all experiments can be found in the original research paper [1].

2.1. Sampling

OFMSW (untreated) was collected at a full-scale thermophilic plug-flow biowaste fermentation plant in southern Germany according to standard procedures defined in the German biowaste ordinance [4] Digested sewage sludge as residue after anaerobic digestion of wastewater (used as inoculum for digestion experiments) was collected at the local municipal sewage treatment plant (Rottenburg-Kiebingen, Germany) following [5]. LC coarse and LC fly ash from a 50 MW heating plant in southern Germany with a grate fired furnace using a fuel mixture of 50:50 landscape management material and forest residues was provided within another project [6]. HC reactor (minor quantities) and fly ash (major proportion) from a full-scale fixed-bed wood gasifier (Konstanz-Mainau, Germany) fueled with untreated natural wood chips were provided by the plant operator (sampling according to standard procedures). Only HC fly ash was used for digestion experiments because this fraction showed a higher relevance from a disposal perspective. However, both ashes were characterized in order to gain insights in special wood ashes and to compare their TE profiles with OFMSW and sewage sludge. An overview of all materials is provided in Table 1.

2.2. DM, processing and oDM

DM (Table 2) was determined through drying at 105 °C in a drying oven for at least 24 h [7]. The fresh OFMSW sample was manually sorted into fractions to determine the DM content for food waste separately. Before further processing, impurities were removed and the remaining DM was re-combined as well as milled to particle sizes of approximately 1 mm with a cutting mill. The dry sewage sludge was manually crushed in a ceramic mortar (no prior sorting was required). From the dry LC coarse ash, impurities (metals) were removed by manual sorting and sieving with mesh sizes of 16 mm, 8 mm and 3.15 mm. The remaining DM was ground to a particle size of 1 mm by a jaw crusher followed by an orbital mono mill. The dry HC reactor ash was milled by an orbital mono mill to particle size of 1 mm without prior sorting. The particle sizes of HC and LC fly ashes already were below 1 m. Therefore, no further treatment was necessary. oDM (Table 3) was determined by using approximately 1 g of DM in a ceramic crucible by a muffle furnace [8].

2.3. C, H, N, S, O

Elemental analysis (C, H, N) was carried out [9] for all materials containing oDM (sewage sludge, OFMSW and HC ashes; Table 4). Approximately 40 mg per sample were pressed into a zinc foil coated tablet. S was not measured simultaneously in favor of the measurement accuracy of C, H and N (S was measured via ICP-OES). The measured values for C, H, N, S and ash were used to determine O contents.

2.4. TE

TE (Tables 5, 6, 7, 8) were measured via ICP-OES [10] after digestion in aqua regia. Therefore, 300 mg DM per sample were transferred into 50 mL Teflon vessels and combined with 1 mL H2O2. Before microwave digestion at 190 °C, 3 mL HNO3 (69%) and 9 mL HCl (35%) were added. The digested residues were aliquoted to 50 mL with aqua bidest and measured at the ICP-OES system. Solid residues (Si) were separated by a centrifuge before the spectroscopy and their weight was deducted from the sample weight. Therefore, values for Si only represented a partial amount of the total amount (not completely digestible in aqua regia). When evaluating ICP-OES data, all values below the detection limit were equated with this limit. Hence, some of those values might be slightly overestimated as the actual values could be even lower than the detection limit (0 < value < detection limit).

Table 6.

Raw data and mean values for TE measured by ICP-OES. Values marked with * were at detection limit. All values relate to mg/kg DM.

Material Co Cr Cu Fe K Li Mg Mn Mo
OFMSW 1.38 10.96 17.71 4446.15 13,646.09 21.74 2890.78 160.68 0.87
OFMSW 1.35 11.24 15.72 5518.99 12,589.73 13.23 3437.71 172.58 0.72
OFMSW 1.47 13.64 16.61 4995.93 13,709.64 28.74 2817.42 189.87 0.81
OFMSW 1.06 11.68 16.97 3808.83 12,325.73 21.61 2557.94 142.22 0.82
Mean 1.32 11.88 16.75 4692.48 13,067.80 21.33 2925.97 166.34 0.81
SEWS 4.09 55.12 521.53 67,361.38 10,349.33 28.20 10,206.12 174.70 4.89
SEWS 4.31 56.87 543.19 70,555.99 11,008.61 30.01 10,506.85 180.91 5.25
SEWS 4.14 59.37 503.67 66,258.88 11,439.42 24.98 10,309.59 173.82 5.68
SEWS 3.93 56.36 494.34 65,664.74 10,561.66 20.94 10,088.44 169.36 6.05
Mean 4.12 56.93 515.68 67,460.25 10,839.76 26.03 10,277.75 174.70 5.47
HC-FA 0.41 3.67 73.96 1039.05 35,460.15 2.28 15,632.54 3107.10 0.06*
HC-FA 0.12 4.53 61.69 903.30 32,058.54 4.25 14,739.90 3045.90 0.06*
HC-FA 0.19 4.18 58.82 914.41 44,440.57 4.60 14,519.95 3013.51 0.06*
HC-FA 0.05* 4.15 51.45 738.26 29,316.51 2.72 11,158.34 2261.74 0.05*
Mean 0.19 4.13 61.48 898.76 35,318.94 3.46 14,012.68 2857.06 0.06
HC-RA 0.04* 13.49 47.52 1458.45 39,071.13 3.15 8271.67 1163.54 0.04*
HC-RA 0.12* 39.83 110.61 3997.52 103,518.86 6.51 22,696.03 3074.44 0.12*
HC-RA 0.06* 17.84 56.50 1887.41 50,337.30 2.86 10,885.68 1493.07 0.06*
HC-RA 0.05* 13.29 46.11 704.45 60,080.08 3.95 10,618.11 1493.64 0.85*
Mean 0.07 21.11 65.18 2011.96 63,251.84 4.12 13,117.87 1806.17 0.27
LC-FA 15.31 138.51 147.16 23,378.88 57,161.72 35.05 19,327.39 1682.51 7.66
LC-FA 15.41 129.40 141.47 23,528.77 57,804.23 34.23 19,329.03 1670.63 7.71
LC-FA 15.18 147.23 141.17 23,208.17 56,357.05 34.32 19,074.44 1636.03 7.31
LC-FA 17.87 146.15 139.22 24,662.80 48,740.05 34.75 17,776.86 1540.45 7.10
LC-FA 17.12 135.49 138.98 24,069.92 48,977.57 34.50 17,825.53 1548.15 6.96
LC-FA 17.31 137.42 142.60 24,450.79 49,207.40 34.91 17,926.68 1536.00 6.41
Mean 16.37 139.03 141.77 23,883.22 53,041.34 34.63 18,543.32 1602.30 7.19
LC—CA 11.01 68.46 57.78 20,387.61 29,882.33 26.47 13,505.60 814.11 5.41
LC—CA 11.09 64.93 67.65 21,140.42 29,373.36 26.25 13,479.66 827.43 5.02
LC—CA 11.31 65.62 90.08 20,935.40 29,795.32 26.57 13,782.47 830.92 2.64
LC—CA 11.00 66.97 discarded 20,091.15 28,836.86 26.55 13,652.25 842.80 2.11
LC—CA 11.49 62.38 85.98 21,120.47 29,358.79 26.37 14,187.62 873.27 1.74
LC—CA 11.23 63.97 84.86 20,485.97 29,649.48 26.86 14,126.96 839.43 1.83
Mean 11.19 65.39 77.27 20,693.50 29,482.69 26.51 13,789.09 837.99 3.12

Table 7.

Raw data and mean values for TE measured by ICP-OES. Values marked with * were at detection limit. All values relate to mg/kg DM.

Material Na Ni Pb Sb Se Sr Ti Tl V
OFMSW 5450.51 4.74 71.58 0.02* 0.02* 59.97 269.59 3.43 10.41
OFMSW 5290.73 5.22 31.62 0.02* 0.02* 70.66 240.18 0.13 12.36
OFMSW 5292.78 6.03 40.05 0.02* 0.02* 53.92 224.84 0.02* 10.21
OFMSW 5231.04 6.01 30.13 0.02* 0.02* 47.84 228.86 0.02* 9.66
Mean 5316.27 5.50 43.34 0.02 0.02 58.10 240.87 0.90 10.66
SEWS 6905.54 20.15 31.76 4.26 0.02* 388.72 296.26 0.02* 54.55
SEWS 7396.05 20.91 34.55 4.27 0.02* 403.48 275.34 0.02* 56.38
SEWS 8069.46 22.20 30.78 4.34 0.02* 383.98 299.81 0.02* 53.69
SEWS 7476.69 22.06 27.80 4.12 0.02* 377.65 275.62 0.02* 52.10
Mean 7461.93 21.33 31.22 4.25 0.02 388.46 286.76 0.02 54.18
HC-FA 1660.36 315.15 9.35 0.06* 1.07 557.87 55.98 3.08 0.65
HC-FA 1525.70 113.65 9.98 0.06* 0.73 548.78 59.00 1.59 0.37
HC-FA 1704.63 225.55 9.01 0.06* 0.45 536.36 49.55 1.48 0.71
HC-FA 1292.71 91.31 6.49 0.05* 0.05* 417.53 49.20 1.45 1.55
Mean 1545.85 186.41 8.71 0.06 0.57 515.13 53.43 1.90 0.82
HC-RA 1424.04 40.97 1.34 0.04* 0.04* 285.21 36.71 0.27 1.14
HC-RA 4093.05 147.77 1.61 0.12* 0.12* 750.50 92.37 1.74 0.31
HC-RA 1750.00 70.09 0.98 0.06* 0.06* 358.14 42.70 1.10 1.65
HC-RA 1800.32 69.07 1.69 0.05* 0.42 349.36 13.80 1.43 3.84
Mean 2266.85 81.98 1.41 0.07 0.16 435.80 46.39 1.13 1.73
LC-FA 3674.92 35.18 417.82 16.47 0.03* 429.70 2523.10 0.03* 55.41
LC-FA 3721.56 34.42 426.59 16.40 0.03* 423.28 2558.86 0.03* 55.32
LC-FA 3609.35 33.00 400.86 15.91 0.03* 404.81 2511.20 0.03* 55.40
LC-FA 4167.77 36.51 426.72 18.60 0.03* 364.06 3227.12 0.03* 57.86
LC-FA 4058.38 44.95 464.05 20.65 0.03* 376.32 3031.00 0.03* 55.44
LC-FA 4153.90 35.01 420.41 19.02 0.03* 371.53 3280.71 0.03* 57.23
Mean 3897.65 36.51 426.07 17.84 0.03 394.95 2855.33 0.03 56.11
LC—CA 2846.41 38.07 35.33 1.12 0.03* 247.17 2302.57 0.03* 41.89
LC—CA 2788.39 40.16 33.43 0.66 0.03* 254.59 2355.97 0.03* 42.09
LC—CA 2816.41 28.71 27.29 0.76 0.03* 259.89 2451.88 0.03* 43.34
LC—CA 2905.88 28.17 discarded 3.43 0.03* 295.64 2288.97 0.03* 42.47
LC—CA 2929.23 23.77 42.23 0.86 0.03* 302.86 2354.84 0.03* 43.98
LC—CA 2888.05 27.64 58.58 2.06 0.03* 303.95 2393.28 0.03* 43.28
Mean 2862.40 31.09 39.37 1.48 0.03 277.35 2357.92 0.03 42.84

2.5. Digestion experiments

The volumetric biogas production was measured using glass manometers whenever the manometer functioning as 1 L gas storage was nearly full, considering the temperature within the digester (2-L insulated glass vessel) and ambient conditions. After several days, the CH4 concentration was analyzed with a portable biogas analyzer. Specific biogas and CH4 productions were related to oDM and calculated for standard conditions (1013 hPa, 0 °C, dry gas). Experiments were conducted in two batch test series for 40 days (series 1) and 42 days (series 2) in triplicate and duplicate, respectively (set-ups visible in Table 9 and Table 12). All tests were carried out according to [5].

In series 1, the influence of LC coarse and LC fly ashes on the anaerobic digestion process was determined (Table 11). In series 2, multiple configurations of OFMSW as a baseline feedstock mixed with LC and HC ashes at different ratios were tested (Table 14 and Table 15). Based on the data of series 1, LC coarse ash was used instead of LC fly ash. The remaining oDM content of HC ashes was neglected in calculations as it is considered to be not available for microorganisms. For both series, blind variants were carried out, determining the residual biogas potential of the digested sewage sludge/inoculum.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships, which have, or could be perceived to have, influenced the work reported in this article.

Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by the project ENsource, which was funded by the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg (Germany) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Support code: FEIH_ZAFH_562822, FEIH_ZAFH_1248932.

References

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