In Situ Sonification of Anaerobic Digestion: Extended Evaluation of Performance in a Temperate Climate

Increasing the efficiency of anaerobic digesters and improving sludge breakdown is vital to reducing the cost of biogas production and reducing the environmental consequences of sludge disposal. The performance of two unheated anaerobic digestion systems, one exposed to sound at <20 kHz by waterproofed speakers and one acting as a control, were compared for over a year. The digester systems were both composed of primary (11.4 m 3 ) and secondary (3.8 m 3 ) anaerobic tanks, facultative tertiary (3.0 m 3 ) tanks and an aerobic holding tank from which effluent was mixed with feed and recirculated back to the system. Exposure of the gas saturated digestate to a low frequency sine wave induced numerous bubble harmonics up to, and presumably beyond, ultrasonic range, showing that sonification of a highly gaseous liquid might be used to accomplish low power ultrasonication of digestate at greater distances than is possible with conventional ultrasonic technology. Through the summer of 2019, the sound-treated system produced 27% more biogas than the control system, and 74 times more during the winter when biogas production by the control systems essentially ceased. Afterwards, the control system produced more biogas due to depletion of volatile solids in the sound-treated digester. Results show that sound can be used for faster digester startup and substitute for a share of heating requirements during cool months.