Aerobic digestion

Aerobic digestion is a process in sewage treatment designed to reduce the volume of sewage
sludge and make it suitable for subsequent use. More recently technology has been developed that
allows the treatment and reduction of other organic waste, such as food, cardboard and horticultural
waste. It is a bacterial process occurring in the presence of oxygen. Bacteria rapidly consume
organic matter and convert it into carbon dioxide, water and a range of lower molecular weight
organic compounds. As there is no new supply of organic material from sewage, the activated
sludge biota begin to die and are used as food by saprotrophic bacteria. This stage of the process is
known as endogenous respirationand it is process that reduces the solid concentration in the sludge

Process
Aerobic digestion is typically used in an activated sludge treatment plant. Waste activated sludge
and primary sludge are combined, where appropriate, and passed to a thickener where the solids
content is increased. This substantially reduces the volume that is required to be treated in the
digester.The process is usually run as a batch process with more than one digester tank in operation
at any one time.Air is pumped through the tank and the contents are stirred to keep the contents fully
mixed. Carbon dioxide, waste air and small quantities of other gases including hydrogen sulfide are
given off. These waste gases require treatment to reduce odours in works close to housing or
capable of generating public nuisance. The digestion is continued until the percentage of degradable
solids is reduced to between 20% and 10% depending on local conditionsWhere non sewage waste
is being processed, organic waste such as food, cardboard and horticultural waste and be
significantly reduced in volume leaving an output that can be used as soil improver or biomass fuel.

Advantages
Because the aerobic digestion occurs much faster than anaerobic digestion, the capital costs of
aerobic digestion are lower.
The process is usually run at ambient temperature and the process is much less complex than
anaerobic digestion and is easier to manage.

Disadvantages
The operating costs are typically much greater for aerobic digestion than for anaerobic digestion
because of energy used by the blowers, pumps and motors needed to add oxygen to the process.
However, recent technological advances include non-electrically aerated filter systems that use
natural air currents for the aeration instead of electrically operated machinery.
The digested sludge is relatively low in residual energy and although it can be dried and incinerated
to produce heat, the energy yield is very much lower than that produced by anaerobic digestion

Refrences : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerobic_digestion
Anaerobic digestion
Anaerobic digestion is a collection of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in
the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels.
Much of the fermentation used industrially to produce food and drink products, as well as home fermentation, uses
anaerobic digestion.
Process
There are four main stages of the process. Each stage breaks the matter into smaller and smaller parts,
until the only remaining substances are methane, carbon dioxide and water, three very simple molecules.

HYDROLYSIS
Breaks down the complex organic matter – carbohydrates, fats and proteins – into simple sugars, fatty acids and
amino acids. Carbohydrates, long chains of simple sugars, are broken down into single glucose molecules; proteins, long folded
chains of amino acids, become individual amino acids; while fats, made up of head groups and fatty acid chains, have the latter part
removed from the head groups and cut into smaller and smaller piece
 ACIDOGENISIS
is the third stage: here, those volatile fatty acids and alcohols are converted again, this time into hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and
acetic acid.

ACETOGENESIS
Is the third stage: here, those volatile fatty acids and alcohols are converted again, this time into hydrogen, carbon
dioxide, and acetic acid.

METHANOGESIS
Where methanogenic archaea convert the remaining hydrogen and acetic acid into methane, and more
carbon dioxide.

Advantages of Anaerobic Digestion

1. It is a net energy producing process which produces renewable energy in the form of biogas.
2. It produces a liquid and a fibrous fertilizer.
3. It sanitizes the feedstock/ waste which is put through it, as long as the temperature is held above a required
temperature for a pre-defined time period.
4. It reduces odour below unprocessed waste odour levels.
5. It is much less likely to cause environmental pollution than spreading untreated organic waste on land.
6. The effect of the fertilizer is longer lasting than for untreated organic waste.
Disadvantages of Anaerobic Digestion
1. When carried out at a commercial scale on farms and at wastewater treatment works (WwTWs) it requires a
high level of investment in large tanks and other process vessels.
2. If run inefficiently AD can cause an odour nuisance.

Refrences :
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestion
 http://blog.anaerobic-digestion.com/anaerobic-digestion-vs-composting/
 http://adbioresources.org/about-ad/what-is-ad/