AgriculturalWaste~3 (1981) 179 189

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION OF DAIRY MANURE AND

FIELD CROP RESIDUES

DAVID J. HILLS ,~ DAVID W. ROBERTS

Agricultural Engineering Department, Universio, of California, Davis, California, USA

A BSTRA C T

This research was undertaken to determine guidelines for combining dairy manure
and field crop residues for maximum methane production per volume of anaerobic
digester. The parameter investigatedfor establishing the proper mixture was the non-
lignin-carbon to nitrogen ratio. Six 4"4 litre laboratory digesters, with operating
volumes of 3"4 litre, were testedfor 18 months with dairy cow manure combined with
either barley straw, rice hulls' or rice straw in three separate six-month phases. Non-
lignin-carbon to nitrogen ratios of the various feed mixtures ranged between 12.3 and
40. Results indicate that methane production from fresh dai O, manure can be
enhanced by addition of chopped field crop residues. The maximum performance
occurs when the non-lignin-carbon to nitrogen ratio of these feed mixtures is between
25 and 32. The non-lignin-carbon to nitrogen ratios for various other agricultural
residues **,ere also determined.

INTRODUCTION

With increasing energy costs and environmental constraints felt by farmers,

anaerobic digesters for methane production and manure-slurry treatment are
receiving attention for possible application in agriculture. Economics play a major
role, if not the only role, in deciding whether or not this technology will be
implemented. If anaerobic digestion becomes more efficient and therefore more
economically attractive, farmers will be more apt to adopt this process. One possible
means to increase methane production efficiency is to optimise the carbon to
nitrogen ratio of the feed. According to Fraser (1977), animal wastes, with their
relatively low carbon to nitrogen ratios, can be improved for digestion purposes by
adding cellulosic wastes such as grass, straws, and other crop residues.
An initial investigation on digester-feed modification by Hills (1979) involved
179
Agricultural Wastes 0141-4607/81/0003-0179/$02.50 © Applied Science Publishers Ltd, England, 1981
Printed in Great Britain
180 DAVID J. HILLS, DAVID W. ROBERTS

determining the effects of carbon-nitrogen ratio on anaerobic digestion of dairy

manure and defined carbon-containing substrates. Six 4 litre laboratory digesters
were operated for 11 months. Screened dairy cow manure, which had a carbon to
nitrogen ratio of 8'0, was combined with glucose and, later in the experiment,
cellulose, to obtain carbon to nitrogen ratios varying between 8.0 and 51.7. The
loading rate was also varied: 1.0, 1.5 and 2-0 kg Volatile Solids m - 3 d a y - 1. With an
increasing feed carbon to nitrogen ratio, the concentration of methane in the
digester gas decreased (e.g., C/N = 8, methane = 67~o; C/N = 51.7, methane
= 51-7 ~). As indicated in Fig. 1, the greatest methane production per unit loading
rate occurred when the carbon to nitrogen ratio of the feed was 25.

I I I I I [ I L I I
o

~400
o

350

300
_J
Z
o
~-
( J 250

g
o_ 200

~" 150

I00 - -

°~ I I I L I I I I I I
0 5 IO 15 20 25 50 35 40 45 50 55
NON-LIGNiN CARBON T O N I T R O G E N RATIO

Fig. I. Methane production as affected by non-lignin-carbon to nitrogen ratio for dairy manure and
cellulose (Hills, 1979).

The pure cellulose powder used by Hills (1979) is readily broken down under
anaerobic digestion. Cellulose combined with other organic compounds in a
complex waste may not be totally available for bacterial breakdown. Several studies
(Han et al., 1975; Badger et al., 1979; Robbins et al., 1979) support the hypothesis
that the ligneous structure within an organic complex tends to shield the cellulose
materials from enzymatic hydrolysis. The digestion study by Robbins et al. (1979),
involving dairy manure plus chemically delignified wheat straw, indicates that
approximately 4 4 ~ of the fermentable materials is shielded by lignin. The
 ANAEROBIC DIGESTION OF DAIRY MANURE AND FIELD CROP RESIDUES ! 81

investigations by Han et al. (1975) and Badger et al. (1979) indicate that either
mechanical fine-grinding or chemical treatment with a strong base produces
substrates that allow 80-90 ~o removal of the cellulose by subsequent digestion. The
lignin itself is very resistant to degradation by anaerobic fermentation according to
Boruff & Buswell (1934).
Use of anaerobic digesters on farms demands simple and inexpensive practices.
The preliminary treatments mentioned above may be too complex to incorporate in
farm systems. However, simple fie!d-chopping of the residues may provide
satisfactory digester feed. The purpose of this investigation was to determine at what
ratio dairy manure and either chopped barley straw, rice straw or rice hulls should be
combined to maximise generation efficiency within a mesophilic digester.

METHODS

Six 4-4 litre digesters, operated at 3.4 litre volumes, were fabricated from lucite
plastic as shown in Fig. 2. Mixing was performed by impeller stirring for ten minutes
every hour. The gas produced was collected in counter-weighted containers
suspended in saline water. The entire digester and collector assembly was housed in a
constant temperature room that was maintained in the mesophilic temperature
range at 35 + I°C.
Relatively fresh undiluted dairy cow manure was collected from the concrete
surface of the University of California dairy farm. The animals were on a diet of 80

Pocking
sere ~ I
J Go$

--~2 -_ ----~__

Soline _.
Stirre - woter

_ _ _+_

4 , 4 litre Effluent
lucite fonk /, --=
DIGESTER GAS COLLECTOR
Fig. 2. Schematic of experimental digester (one of six).
182 DAVID J. HILLS, DAVID W. ROBERTS

cubed alfalfa, 15 ~o rolled barley and 5 ~ milo. No antibiotics or other additives were
incorporated in the animal feed. Sufficient manure for the entire experiment was
gathered at one time, thoroughly mixed, then placed in a freezer and kept frozen at
- 5 °C until immediately prior to use. Fresh baled barley straw and rice straw were
obtained from the University's feedmill. Each type was then chopped in a hammer
mill to an average length of 10 mm and stored in plastic bags at room temperature
until needed. Rice hulls, chopped to an average length of 3 mm, were obtained from
a local rice mill.
During start-up, each digester was inoculated with two litres of municipal
anaerobic digester effluent and two litres of dairy manure slurry. Following a two-
week period without disturbance, the digesters received their first feeding of dairy
manure and barley straw. Loading rates were gradually increased over a six-week
period to the desired values. Each digester was then operated under steady
conditions for four months or approximately seven retention times. Feeding was
performed on alternate days. Appropriate quantities of manure and barley straw
were combined with tap water, then blended for 20 s in a Waring commercial blender
prior to feeding, to achieve good suspension of the straw in the slurry. Following this
four-month period the barley straw was replaced by rice hulls for an additional six-
month study. Lastly, rice straw was utilised as the carbonaceous residue for the final
six months. Retention times during the 18 month experiment were maintained at 17
days.
Gas production rates were monitored daily and the gas was analysed for methane
content every two weeks during each four-month period under steady-state
operating conditions. Gas samples, collected in gas-tight syringes, were analysed
with an Envirotech Organic Analyzer, Model DC-50/52, for methane percentage.
All gas measurements are expressed at 0°C and one atmosphere pressure. No
correction was made for water vapour.
Effluent samples were obtained every two weeks during the four-month steady-
state periods and analysed for total solids, volatile solids, chemical oxygen demand,
Kieldahl nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, pH, alkalinity and volatile acids. These
analytical tests were performed according to the procedure in Standard Methods
for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (Anon., 1975). Additionally, these
samples were assayed for hemicellulose, cellulose, lignin and silica ash according to
the methods outlined by Goering & Van Soest (1975), and for total organic carbon
according to procedures described in Soil Survey--Laboratory Methods and
Procedures for Collecting Soil Samples (Anon., 1972).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Prior to the digestion studies various samples of manures and other carbonaceous
residues were collected and assayed for the constituents that determine the non-
lignin-carbon to nitrogen ratios. These chemical constituents are listed in Tables 1
 ANAEROBIC DIGESTION OF DAIRY MANURE AND FIELD CROP RESIDUES 183

TABLE 1
FIBRE ANALYSIS OF VARIOUS MANURES AND CELLULOSE WASTES. THE NUMBERS ARE
MEAN VALUES FOR SAMPLES FROM THREE DIFFERENT LOTS

Content ( % of total solids)

Hemicellulose Cellulose Lignin Silica ash
Dairy manure 53.6 25' I 17.4 3.6
Beef manure 58.5 19.0 13.7 8-8
Chicken manure 87.8 10.4 1.4 0.4
Hog manure 72.3 18.0 7.4 2.3
Horse manure 49.0 31.5 16.2 3-3
Wheat straw 43.7 35.7 6.0 14.6
Barley straw 43.2 34.9 6.3 15.2
Rice straw 44.9 37.4 4-9 13.1
Alfalfa hay 78.3 16.6 4.1 1.0
Grass clippings 72.2 19.5 4.0 4.3
Tomato pomace 43.7 50.5 3.7 2.1
Rice hulls 29.6 36-3 16.0 18.1
Sawdust 22.9 35"8 41.5 0
Newspaper 20.4 60 3 19.6 0

a n d 2. F o l l o w i n g t h i s p r e l i m i n a r y s t u d y it w a s d e c i d e d t h a t f r e s h d a i r y m a n u r e ,
b a r l e y a n d rice s t r a w s , a n d rice h u l l s w o u l d b e s u i t a b l e m a t e r i a l s f o r t h i s
investigation.
T h e n u m b e r s l i s t e d in T a b l e s 1 a n d 2 r e p r e s e n t t h e m e a n v a l u e s f r o m s a m p l e s o f a t
least three different lots of materials. The manures were collected from the
U n i v e r s i t y ' s f a r m s in a f r e s h s t a t e w i t h o u t b e d d i n g o r u r i n e . T h e d a i r y c a t t l e , as

TABLE 2
NON-LIGNIN-CARBON TO KJELDAHL-NITROGEN RATIO FOR MATERIALS DESCRIBED IN
TABLE 1

Content ( % of total solids)

Kjeldahl Total Non-lignin- Non-lignin-
nitrogen carbon carbon carbon~nitrogen
Dairy manure 2,14 40.9 29,6 13.8
Beef manure 2,10 38- 5 30,0 14-2
Chicken manure 6.87 31.7 30,3 4.4
Hog manure 3.67 44.3 39,7 10.8
Horse manure 1-91 42.8 32,9 17.2
Wheat straw 0.38 36.4 32.7 86-0
Barley straw 0.30 37.8 33.7 116-8
Rice straw 0-39 33.6 28.9 74-2
Alfalfa hay 3.94 41.1 38.5 9.7
Grass clippings 3.25 40.8 38.4 11.8
Tomato pomace 2-25 48.9 46-6 20.7
Rice hulls 0-69 32.9 22-5 32.8
Sawdust 0-11 48.6 37.8 346-0
Newspaper 0-08 46.4 34.8 435-0
184 D A V I D J. H I L L S , D A V I D W . ROBERTS

discussed earlier, were on a diet of 80 ~o cubed alfalfa, 15 ~o rolled barley and 5 ~o

milo. The beef cattle, confined in a concrete-surfaced feed lot, were fed 70 ~o barley,
10 ~o alfalfa, 10 ~o oat hay and 10 ~o molasses. The chickens were on a commercially
prepared, mixed, laying ration of 16 ~o crude protein, 4 ~o crude fat, 6 ~o crude fibre
and 14 ~ ash. The hogs were on a diet of 72 ~o barley, 5 ~o alfalfa, 8 ~o soybean, 8 ~o
cotton seed and 6 ~ meat and bone meal. The last of the livestock, horses, were fed
65 ~o alfalfa, 10 ~o barley, 10 ~o corn, 5 ~o soybean, 4 ~o wheat bran and 4 ~o molasses.
The three straws, alfalfa hay and rice hulls were from the Central Valley of California
and had each been stored under cover for about eight months before sampling.
Grass clippings consisted of freshly cut rye grass. The tomato pomace consisted of
solid wastes from a tomato-processing plant, mainly tomato peels, seeds and stems.
Sawdust was collected from kiln-dried pine lumber. These materials are c o m m o n
agricultural residues in California and have possible potential value as digester
feeds.

TABLE 3
SUMMARY OF FEED COMPONENT CHARACTERISTICS

Dairy manure Barley straw Rice straw Rice hulls

Moisture content (%) 83.6 6.7 6.1 7.0

Volatile solidsa 81.6 78-5 79.1 71.7
CODb 1.095 1-089 1.091 1.013
Hemicellulose° 54.1 42.5 45.5 29.2
Cellulosea 24-9 35.7 37.3 37.6
Lignina 17.9 6.8 4-5 14-5
Silica ash" 3.1 14.9 12.7 | 8.6
Organic carbona 39.4 35.6 33-3 32.9
Kjeldahl nitrogen" 2.32 0-30 0-42 0-69
C/Nc 12'3 118'6 73"0 35-0
a Units in % of total solids
b COD = Chemical Oxygen Demand. Units in kgkg-1 total solids
c C/N = Non-lignin-carbon to Kjeldahl-nitrogen ratio

The chemical compositions of the actual digester feed components are presented
in Table 3. Of special interest is the percentage of lignin for each residue. The
relatively low values for barley straw and rice straw suggest that a greater percentage
of cellulose is available for bacterial degradation for these two residues than for
either dairy manure or rice hulls. The non-lignin-carbon to nitrogen ratio for these
residues varies between 12.3 for dairy manure and 1 18.6 for barley straw.
By adjusting the proportions of field crop residues added to the dairy manure,
various digester feeds with different non-lignin-carbon to nitrogen ratios, indicated
in Table 4, were obtained. The compositions of digester feeds were uniformly
maintained throughout each of the six-month trials.
Chemical stability in all digesters is reflected by the effluent characteristics listed in
Table 4. For conciseness, only a summary of the average values during steady-state
 ANAEROBICDIGESTIONOF DAIRY MANUREAND FIELD CROP RESIDUES 185

TABLE 4
SUMMARY OF EFFLUENT DATA (MEAN VALUES) DURING STEADY-STATE"PERIODS

C/N* Kjeldahl-N Aramonia-N Alkalinity Volatile acids pH

(rag litre- t ) (rag/itre - 1) (rag litre'- l ) (rag litre- t )

Dairy manure + B a r l e y s t r a w
12.3 2220 715 9350 1010 7.30
20 1620 405 6160 620 7.09
25 1310 154 5130 500 7.02
30 1080 60 4360 520 6.95
35 910 18 3840 310 6-92
40 810 10 3480 220 6.94
Dairy manure + R ~ e straw
12'3 2130 720 8650 1250 7.20
20 1400 380 5900 1100 7.04
25 1210 120 4250 750 6.97
30 880 52 3600 720 6.95
35 770 16 3300 480 6-95
40 690 6"0 3030 310 6.91
Dairyraanure + R~e hul~
12"3 2340 630 8840 1230 7-16
17 1430 235 5890 1180 6-95
22 1210 105 3410 1150 6.89
27 680 85 2230 1030 6.86
32 420 23 1710 720 6.79
35 315 7"5 840 430 6.70
° C/N = non-lignin-carbon to Kjeldahl-nitrogen ratio

operation for each digester is presented. Note that the control digester, C / N --- 12.3,
varied very little through the 18-month period. In general, the digester parameters of
volatile acids, alkalinity, pH and ammonia-nitrogen are within the acceptable
guidelines for municipal digesters according to Metcalf & Eddy, Inc. (1972).
Previous investigations by Sievers & Brune (1978) indicate that ammonia
buffering capacity is important in maintaining proper digester pH. The data in
Table 4 show that both the alkalinity and ammonia concentrations decrease with
increasing carbon to nitrogen ratio. This factor should be considered when utilising
carbonaceous wastes in digesters and care should be taken to .ensure that the pH
remains within the desired range.
The weekly mean gas-production rates were fairly constant for each digester
during the four-month, steady-state period of each investigation phase. Daily
fluctuations of up to 25 ~ , however, were observed. A plot of these mean values for
the best performing digester of each phase is presented in Fig. 3. Gas curves for other
digesters are similar although lower in values.
A summary of digester performance during the steady-state periods is given in
Table 5. The third column of data lists the volume of methane gas produced per unit
of C O D (Chemical Oxygen Demand) destroyed. This parameter is important
because the values suggest the bacterial efficiencies of converting C O D into methane
186 DAVID J. HILLS, DAVID W. ROBERTS

1,200~ I I I I ~
1,000]-~ ~ --
i 800L -

600

z
9
i1. Notation:
(1)
400 -- • Dairymanure * barleystrawC I N = 3 0
nr
0 o Dairymanure÷ ricestrawC l N = 2 5
O. I Dairymanure+ricehullsC I N = 2 7
! o DairymanureonlyC / N = 12.3
200 - -

0 I I I I I I
0 4 8 I2 16 20 24 28
TIME (WEEKS)
Fig. 3. Total gas production at standard temperature and pressure for the best performing digesters
from each phase of the study.

gas and also reflect on the accuracy of the data. According to McCarty (1964)
0.35 m 3 (at STP) of methane should be produced per kilogramme of COD removed.
This calculated value is based on the assumption that the C O D and oxygen demand
of methane are equal. As indicated in the table, values between 0.28 and 0.38 m 3
methane kg- t COD destroyed were obtained. The greater values generally occurred
in the digesters where the feed consisted of material whose combined non-lignin-
carbon to nitrogen ratio was between 25 and 32. Not only did greater reduction in
C O D occur for these feeds, but the resulting gas production was substantially
greater. Of importance, too, is the fact that methane concentration decreased with
increased carbon to nitrogen ratio. For the plain dairy-cow manure (C/N = 12.3)
approximately 64 ~o of the resulting gas was methane; whereas, for the modified
manure (C/N = 40) approximately 53 ~o methane concentration was obtained.
Generally, for the more efficient digesters (C/N = 25, 30) the methane concentration
was about 60 ~o.
Included in Table 5 are the percentage reductions in volatile solids and C O D at
the different carbon to nitrogen ratios. The greatest reductions in these parameters
occurred for feeds whose ratios were 25 and 30. These reductions are reflected in the
removal of hemicellulose and cellulose. Greatest reductions in these two
constituents also generally occurred for the more efficient digesters (C/N = 25 and
 ANAEROBIC DIGESTION OF DAIRY MANURE AND FIELD CROP RESIDUES 187

TABLE 5
SUMMARY OF DIGESTER PERFORMANCE (MEAN VALUES) DURING STEADY-STATEPERIODS

C/N b VS COD Methane Hemicellulose Cellulose Lignin

reduction reduction production" reduction reduction reduction
(%) (%) (%) (%) (%)
Dairy m a n u r e + Barley s t r a w
12.3 24.3 27.8 0.31 27.7 34.1 2.0
20 27.0 27.0 0.33 26.9 36.5 - 13.2
25 32-2 32.9 0.38 27.8 41.2 - 14.8
30 34.4 34-3 0.37 27.2 41.3 - 5.0
35 32.8 31.6 0.35 30-7 36-8 0.8
40 32.1 35.2 0.31 31.4 32.4 -2.8
Dairy m a n u r e + Rice s t r a w
12.3 27"6 28'9 0.32 30-5 28.2 3.0
20 30.9 31 "8 0.35 29.8 30"8 -6.2
25 31 "6 33"6 0.36 27.7 34.1 11.1
30 32.9 33"2 0.34 24.1 36.3 2.1
35 32'2 31.7 0.31 28'7 33-8 3-5
40 29'1 31 '6 0.28 31 "2 29.5 0"0
Dairy m a n u r e + Rice hulls
12.3 27.0 28-1 0.31 30.0 31.1 0.0
17 27.1 27.8 0.34 28.3 31-2 7.2
22 26-1 30.7 0.31 32.7 28.4 - 11.8
27 30.6 31.2 0.32 32.6 28-7 3.2
32 27.7 29.8 0.36 31.4 18.9 - 1-3
35 12.8 16.1 0.31 28.1 7.6 6.1

" Methane production = m s methane k g - 1 C O D destroyed (STP)

b C/N --- non-lignin-carbon to Kjeldahl-nitrogen ratio

30). Taking into account the initial quantities of hemicellulose, these percentage
reductions indicate that generally more hemicellulose was removed than cellulose.
This observation agrees with the findings of Van Soest & Robertson (in Jewell et al.,
1978) with their dairy-manure laboratory digesters.
The effects of lignin are also indicated in Table 5. For digester feeds of dairy
manure and barley straw or dairy manure and rice straw, increasing quantities of
straw produced greater reductions in cellulose up to a point (C/N > 35) and then a
decline. The decline may have been due to the fact that nitrogen became a limiting
factor. The lignin content of the two straws is about one-third that for the manure so
possibly a greater percentage of carbon is available to the bacteria from these straws
than would be provided by manure alone, and can be used to advantage up to a non-
lignin-carbon to nitrogen ratio of 35. This phenomenon was not observed in the data
from the rice hull digesters. As noted in Table 3, the amount of lignin in rice hulls is
about equal to the amount in dairy manure. The additional disadvantage of high
silica ash content in rice hulls may provide an explanation of why increasing
proportions of rice hulls added to the feed caused a steady decline in cellulose
reduction.
As anticipated, there was very little reduction in lignin. The negative values in
188 D A V I D J. H I L L S , D A V I D W . R O B E R T S

Table 5 indicate sampling or analytical error. Since the quantities of lignin are
extremely small, compared to hemicellulose or cellulose, high percentage reductions
may only represent a small quantity of material.
Methane-production efficiency is presented in Fig. 4. Greatest methane
production per unit COD fed to the digester occurred for those feed combinations
whose non-lignin-carbon to nitrogen ratio was between 25 and 32. A comparison of

I 1 I I

0,17 - • Barley straw addition

• Rice straw addition
• Rice hull addition

0,15

o
o(J

/
o, 0.13

E
z
o 0.11

oe~
o_ 0.90

3:
k-
0,70

0.50

I i i i r
0 I0 20 30 40 50
NON-LIGNIN CARBON TO NITROGEN RATIO

F i g . 4. M e t h a n e p r o d u c t i o n as affected b y t h e n o n - l i g n i n - c a r b o n to n i t r o g e n r a t i o f o r v a r i o u s
c o m p o s i t i o n s o f d a i r y m a n u r e s a n d field c r o p residues.

this curve with Fig. 1 suggests that the percentage of non-lignin-carbon available for
bacterial degradation in complex wastes is indeed less than that found in the pure
cellulose used in the initial investigation. Particle size, however, is extremely
important as witnessed by Badger et al. (1979), and perhaps finer grinding of the
complex residues may cause the two curves to approach coincidence.
In summary, it was found that combinations of either of two carbonaceous field
residues, chopped rice or barley straws, with dairy manure, as anaerobic digester
feed, up to a limit of non-lignin-carbon to nitrogen ratio of 30, resulted in increased
 ANAEROBIC DIGESTION OF DAIRY MANURE AND FIELD CROP RESIDUES 189

digester methane production per unit COD under the conditions of experimen-
tation. Another residue tested, chopped rice hulls, was of lesser value in increasing
digester methane production. It is hypothesised that the benefits of carbonaceous
waste addition are contingent on the availability of the carbon which is determined
by the amounts of lignin and silica present in the waste, particle size, perhaps the
presence of other chemical entities and the unique organisation of the various
carbon compounds within the residue. The parameter evaluated, non-lignin-carbon
to nitrogen ratio, can be used as a guide for optimising quantities of manure in
digester feed mixtures; however, it appears that it must be used with caution for
materials high in lignin content.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was supported in part by the University of California Appropriate

Technology Program.

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