Room: Yangtze 1
Date: Thursday, 21 May 2026
Time: 16:15 - 17:15 CEST
Session code 4CO.12
Biogas - Synergies and optimisation
Sustainable Cow Manure Valorisation Through Coupling Hydrothermal Carbonisation and Anaerobic Digestion
Short Introductive summary
The rapidly increasing cow manure (CM) generation from cattle farming significantly challenges conventional management strategies while posing environmental impacts through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and soil and water contaminations. This study investigates the integration of hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) and anaerobic digestion (AD) for energy and resource recovery from CM. Raw CM hydrothermally carbonised at 180°C, 220°C and 260°C produced solid hydrochar (HC) and liquid process water (PW) where the latter product was anaerobically digested to produce biomethane. Increase in HTC temperature led to an increase in volatile fatty acids (VFAs) concentrations, total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations and a COD decrease in the PWs. AD of the CM and PWs showed a highest specific biomethane yield of 214±1.19 mLCH4/gCOD obtained from PW at 180 °C compared to the raw CM at 177±1.19 mLCH4/gCOD due to more solubilised and readily available organic matter in the PW. The PWs at 220 °C and 260 °C achieved lower yields of 150±17.45 mLCH4/gCOD and 85±5.23 mLCH4/gCOD respectively, indicating increasing microbial inhibition as more toxic compounds are produced at higher HTC temperatures.
Presenter
Abba DANFAGA
IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, THE NETHERLANDS
Presenter's biography
I have a Mechanical Engineering background and hold an MSc in Water and Sustainable Development with a specialisation in hydrothermal processing and anaerobic digestion. My research areas include bioresource valorisation such as biochar applications for energy and resource recovery.
Biographies and Short introductive summaries are supplied directly by presenters and are published here unedited
Co-authors:
M. Ahmed, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Delft, THE NETHERLANDS
H. Caillet, Université de La Réunion, La Réunion, FRANCE
P. Rousset, Cirad, La Réunion, FRANCE
C. Dupont, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Delft, THE NETHERLANDS
Session reference: 4CO.12.1