Development of an Integrated Anaerobic Digestion System for Methane Production from Lignocellulosic Biomass

The proposed project builds on prior research that has shown the potential for energy recovery from lignocellulosic biomass through an integrated anaerobic digestion (iADs) process. A 2005 USDA report places the current production of corn stover at 75 million dry tons per year and stated that this represents a major untapped source of agricultural biomass. The innovative anaerobic digestion process developed at the Ohio State University has demonstrated energy recovery from corn stover and other lignocellulosic biomass to be feasible, without the need for energy intensive pretreatment processes as required for conversion of woody biomass to alcohols. The process will be scaled-up from bench systems to be tested in a pilot reactor. The project will further develop a cost-effective anaerobic digestion process to recover energy from lignocellulosic biomass. This research will allow the process to be optimized for stability, energy efficiency, and biogas yield, providing the foundation for commercialization of the technology. An economic analysis of the process places the energy production cost at less than $0.10/kWh, making it highly competitive with current renewable technologies. Renewable energy production credits lower this cost to approximately $0.08/kWh. The technology will open up new sources of on-farm revenue and provide distributed energy generation for the benefit of American agriculture and the rural community. The technology can recover significant renewable energy from crop residue without diverting agricultural land from food production to biomass production. The iADs process will help to reduce our nation's dependence on fossil fuels, while sustainably managing natural resources and growing the rural economy.