Feasibility of anaerobic co-digestion of poultry blood with maize residues

The potential of anaerobic digestion for the treatment of poultry blood was evaluated in batch assays at laboratory scale and in a mesophilic semi-continuously fed digester. The biodegradability test performed on poultry blood waste showed a strong inhibition. Maize residues were used as co-substrate to overcome inhibition thanks to nitrogen dilution. Under batch operation, increasing the maize concentration from 15% to 70% (volatile solids (VS) basis) provided an increase of biogas from 130 ± 31 to 188 ± 21 L CH4/kg VS. In the semi-continuous mesophilic anaerobic digester, the biogas yield was 165 ± 17 L CH4/kg VS fed, as a result of strong volatile fatty acid (VFA) accumulation. Although physical modifications of maize particles were observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), an incomplete degradation was confirmed from analysis of digestates. Furthermore, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis demonstrated that along with VFA build-up, an accumulation of non-degraded materials took place.