Anaerobic digestion

Anaerobic digestion is a complicated biological process through which organic matter is converted into biofuel (a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide) and digestate. It can be a good technology for the development of a distributed power generation system thanks to the wide range of substrates to which it can be applied and to the different biogas end uses. Even if it is considered a wellestablished technology, many issues, here discussed, are still open. The optimization of the entire process involves many consequential and simultaneous biochemical reactions, digestate treatment for sustainable nutrient recovery and hydrogen production through dark fermentation. At the end of this chapter, the main biogas plant characteristics are presented. © Springer-Verlag London Limited 2012.