Towards new indicators for the prediction of solid waste anaerobic digestion properties

Abstract

The biochemical composition can be seen as a good indicator of both the biodegradability and the methane potential of a given waste. The work presented here is an attempt to elaborate a typology of wastes and to compare it to the anaerobic degradation characteristics. The first data indicate that there is a link between the ligno-cellulosic content of the waste and the biodegradability. When dealing with application to anaerobic digestion processes, having a tool to predict the ability of the waste to be degraded could be of the greatest interest for preventing failures, estimating biogas production, methane content, or for the management of co-digestion processes.