Trace element supplementation as a management tool for anaerobic digester operation: benefits and risks : eBook

The subject is the application of TE, and supplementation regimes in anaerobic waste-conversion biotechnologies, such as biogas digesters. TE is a term used to include a wide range of micronutrients essential for the microbial community underpinning AD. TE mostly includes elements from the metal groups (e.g. cobalt, nickel, zinc and tungsten) but also other elemental groups, such as metalloids (e.g. selenium). TE are dosed to anaerobic digesters to boost biological activity and to increase biogas production rates. Little is understood about the concentrations and dosing strategies best suited to sustained supplementation and stable performance in anaerobic biotechnologies.