Enhanced Biogas Production

Another large scale demonstration has been completed in Orange County, Los Angeles. This sonix™ demonstration trial ran for five months and direct comparisons were made between test and control digesters. They were operated under identical conditions. The proportion of thickened waste activated sludge (TWAS) fed to both digesters was maintained at approximately 50% on a solids loading basis but only the test digester received sonicated TWAS. This enabled the results to be compared both against baseline conditions (longitudinal study) and between digesters (cross-sectional study).

A significant increase (50 – 60%) in gas production was seen for the test digester. Halfway through the study, new gas meters were also installed in order to confirm that the observed gas increases were real. This further confirmed the differential gas production between the two digesters. After the study was complete, the sonix™ unit was stopped and the digester operation was returned to pre-test conditions; that is, the digesters were fed only 30% TWAS. The gas production from both digesters became essentially identical, further verifying that sonication was responsible for the gas production increase during testing.