Enhanced anaerobic digestion – DANAC
200 milions years of animal tries used to improve anaerobic digestion
By a bio-mimicry approach, the project aims to improve the anaerobic digestion processes using animal models, both at the level of processes and at the level of microbial communities. This multidisciplinary approach combines: modeling of different digestive systems, copies of two laboratory-scale digestive systems and structural and functional description of the associated microbial communities.
Improved anaerobic digestion by bio-mimicry
Today, industrial technologies carried out within the same reactor various biochemical processes of anaerobic digestion. However, none of these technologies to date is capable of exceeding the threshold of 60% degradation of organic matter, thus limiting the production of biogas. In addition, anaerobic digestion is a process widely used especially in the gastrointestinal tract of living beings. In these ecosystems, the performance of digestion can reach 60 to 75% degradation of organic matter. These data suggest that the living world has selected systems to lock up the accessibility of organic matter in order to optimize its transformation into energy compounds.<br />The aim of the DANAC project is to analyze the whole process of digestion of living beings, and by mimicry to develop new processes for producing biogas from waste with a degradation of the organic matter greater than 70%.<br />
This research program is starting from this observasion, the low efficiency of the industrial anaerobic digestor, and from an idea, an animal 'optimized' anaerobic digestion of all organic substrates. The objective is to identify ‘innovations' of animal to degrade different substrates in anaerobic processes and to use these ‘innovations' to improve anaerobic processes. The contribution of microbial inoculum will also be evaluated.
Animal digestive systems are more efficient than industrial processes. The aim is firstly to identify the determinants of innovation in term of 'processes' and in term of microbial communities which explain the performance gains. In a second step, these determinants will be used at the laboratory scale to mimic two most relevant digestive systems. The mimic process dissociated or not microbiological component should allow to inform the respective roles of these two components. At the end, technical and economic feasibility will be evaluate.
Inventory of anaerobic digestion solutions found in animals.
Increased production of methane gas from mimicking anaerobic processes compared to an anaerobic reactor control.
Determine the role of microbes in the increase methane production observed.
Confirm the results by a feasibility study at the industrial level
Use of other innovations found in animal digestive tract in terms anaerobic digestion
7 conferences have done in international congress.
The aims of DANAC is to improve the anaerobic digestion performance by exploiting synergies established by the living beings, in order to identify and remove some locks of organic matter accessibility. The project is based on a review of solutions developed by life beings, and their transposition in terms of processes. The feasibility studies of different planned routes, followed by an optimization step, will lead a new eco-compatible concept of anaerobic digestion of secondary biomass, with degradation performances greater than 70%.
Project coordinator
The author of this summary is the project coordinator, who is responsible for the content of this summary. The ANR declines any responsibility as for its contents.
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Beginning and duration of the scientific project:
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