Advantages of Dry Fermentation Anaerobic Digestion

Anaerobic digestion using the dry fermentation

process gives the same end products as the
conventional wet fermentation but with some
advantages.
The dry fermentation anaerobic digestion (DFAD) process
is more energy and labour efficient. Dry fermentation
does not require the substrate to be diluted with large
amounts of water and the resulting digestate is therefore
dry and does not require dewatering or heat for drying.
The DFAD process takes place within sealed, gas-tight
compartments or bio-reactors, the size and number of
which depending respectively on the quantity of substrate
available per day and the retention time required. Each
bio-reactor is a batch processor but with all bio-reactors
operating in sequence, the system is in effect a continuous
process. With this arrangement, each bio-reactor operates
independently, and even if any of the bio-reactors
experiences problems with the substrate, it can be cleaned
out without affecting the operation of the whole system.
Unlike the wet fermentation process, the biomass substrate in dry fermentation does not need to be mechanically stirred or
pumped through pipes, and therefore the process is not susceptible to problems of blockage in the system. The digestion
process is not affected by any undigestible pieces of inert material in the substrate as they can be easily sorted out from the
digestate later.
With a sealed, airtight system, the DFAD plant would not emit any foul odour and the anaerobic and thermophilic conditions in
the bio-reactors would ensure a safe sanitized product suitable as fertilizer or soil conditioner.
A DFAD plant facility can be designed to be aesthetically pleasing, looking like a long barn or garage. The plant can be modular,
and capacity can be doubled or tripled by adding one or two more sets of bio-reactors.

Biogas
Dry Fermentation
U s i n g G e r m a n Te c h n o l o g y

SP MULTITECH RENEWABLE ENERGY SDN. BHD.

No. 11, Jalan BPU 5, Bandar Puchong Utama, 47100 Puchong, Selangor.
Tel: 603-5882 5595, 5882 1195 Fax: 603-5882 7795
Website: www.spmultitech.com Email: info@spmultitech.com

SP MULTITECH
RENEWABLE ENERGY SDN. BHD.

SP Multitech Dry Fermentation Anaerobic Digestion (DFAD)

Biogas Plant
Until recent years, biogas production mainly employed the conventional 'wet
fermentation' method using large digester tanks with mechanical stirrers. The Dry
Fermentation Anaerobic Digestion (DFAD) technology was more recently developed for
substrates with a drier consistency such as organic portion of municipal solid waste
(MSW), food or kitchen waste, garden or landscaping waste and various agricultural
processing waste such as oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB). The DFAD technology has
many advantages such as the following:
-

Smaller footprint
Shorter retention time
Low energy requirement
Low labour requirement
Dry digestate which is easier to handle

Biogas Plant for Municipal Solid Waste

Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) are being
generated in increasing quantities and is a
major source of organic waste, that emits
biogas or greenhouse gases that contribute to
the global warming effect. If the biogas can
be harvested and used for generating
electricity, it would be a valuable source of
renewable energy. It would not only help
reduce greenhouse gas emission but also help
reduce the use of fossil fuels for electricity
generation.

Cross section of a DFAD plant.

Our dry fermentation anaerobic digestion plants are particularly suitable and efficient for
converting the organic fraction of MSW to biogas, and thence for electricity generation. In
the process, the residual digestate can be processed into valuable fertilizer or soil
conditioner. Furthermore, by utilizing the organic fraction of MSW in this way, this fraction
need not go to the landfill, thus enabling the lifespan of the landfill to be extended.

Administration
Building
DFAD - Bio-Reactors Building

Pretreatment
Station

Fertilizer
Factory
Sorting &
Recycling Station

CSTR Digester Tank

Schematic diagram of a DFAD plant.

Receiving
Station

CHP Unit

Biogas
Holder