Research Project 'FNR: Biogas'

Analysis of the Microbial Colonisation in Commercial Biogas Plants as a Basis for the Development of Rapid-Tests for Indicative Organisms

Acronym | Duration | Granted by

(none) | 15.12.2012 until 31.03.2015 | Federal Ministry of Nutrition and Agriculture (BMEL)

Motivation and Background

Biogas is made by microorganisms. Nevertheless for controlling the biogas process in digesters only physicochemical analyses are used.

This project started with the assumption that a better knowledge of the state of the microbiology in a digester could allow a better control of the fermentation process. But therefore the composition of microorganisms has to be measured first.

AMODIAs molecular technique of Universal Molecular IDentification (UMID) is able to provide such information. This technique should be applied to commercial biogas plants in order to investigate, which microorganisms are relevant, and if some of them are suitable as a biomarker, i.e. if they are indicative for the state of the microbiology in a digester.

Goals

The first goal was the development of specifically adjusted methods to extract and amplify microbial DNA from biogas digesters.

These methods should monitor the microbial composition in large biogas plants over a period of one year. This should detect changes in the microbiology while normal operation as well as during possible incidents.

It should be investigated if there are “indicative organisms”, characteristic for the state of the microbiology. And if such organisms were found, rapid tests should be developed to detect them.

Research Programme

Funding program Renewable Primary Products of the Institution for Renewable Resources e.V. (FNR)

Funded by the BMEL

The Project was a Solo Project of:

AMODIA Bioservice GmbH
Rebenring 31
38106 Braunschweig
Germany

www.amodia.de

 

Support in acquiring commercial biogas plants and sample management was provided by:

Tews & Kollegen Unternehmensberatung GmbH
Stuhtmannweg 26
21388 Sodersdorf
Germany

www.tews-kollegen.de

Significant Project Results

  • The technique used by AMODIA for the Universal Molecular IDentification (UMID) is able to measure the actually preferred metabolic pathway of methanogenesis in the digester (hydrogenotrophic or acetoclastic) of a commercial biogas plant.
  • This service is since provided in several analysis packages commercially.
  • Within the project over 72 commercial biogas plants were monitored for a year.
  • The diversity of microorganisms in the investigated biogas plants is very high. So “the single indicative organism” was not found.
  • In some biogas plants the composition of methanogenic archaea changed during monitoring interval without notice of the operators. This offers possibilities to optimise the microbiology in existing biogas plants.
  • During this project no biogas plants under surveillance had an incident. So unfortunately the expected changes in microbiology could not be investigated.