Thermophilic Anaerobic Digestion: An Advancement towards Enhanced Biogas Production from Lignocellulosic Biomass

Abstract

Thermophilic anaerobic digestion (TAD) technology has been adopted worldwide mainly due to it being a pathogen-free process in addition to the enhanced biogas yield and short hydraulic retention time (HRT). Taking the high metabolic rate of the thermophilic microbial community with highly efficient enzymatic systems into consideration, thermophiles are being widely explored as efficient inocula for lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) degradation and improved biomethane production. The advantages of TAD over mesophilic anaerobic digestion (MAD), including improved kinetics, efficient degradation of organic matter, and economic and environmental sustainability, make it one of the best strategies to be operated at moderately high temperatures. This review sheds light on the relevant role of thermophilic microorganisms as inocula in the anaerobic digestion of organic matter and factors affecting the overall process stability at high temperatures. Further, the discussion explains the strategies for enhancing the efficiency of thermophilic anaerobic digestion.