Ductor Oy

Nina Virolainen

Kerttu Koskenniemi

Susanna Kääriäinen

Ilona Oksanen

Saara Hernesniemi

Ari Ketola

Minna Lahtinen

Jarkko Nummela

Ilkka Virkajärvi

Susanna Kaariainen

Ilkka Virkajarvi

The invention provides a process for producing ammonia or ammonium from an organic material by fermenting a medium comprising organic material in the presence of a mixed bacterial population capable of ammonification, wherein the fermenting is under conditions, and for a sufficient period of time, to produce a fermentation product that comprises ammonia or ammonium. The organic material includes nitrogenous compounds suitable for conversion to ammonia or ammonium.

Extraction of nitrogen from organic materials through ammonification by mixed bacterial populations

The invention is a method of two-phase anaerobic digestion where monitoring and adjusting the nitrogen status (carbon to nitrogen molar ratio, i.e. C/N molar ratio or total or ammoniacal nitrogen content) enables maintaining optimum conditions during the process. The method improves the use of a variety of feedstock materials or facilitates monodigestion of one feedstock. Especially the introduction of nitrogen rich feedstock materials in the process is amended. A community of hydrolyzing and acidogenic microorganisms in the first phase digester performs ammonification i.e. release of organic nitrogen as ammonia. Nitrogen and phosphorus are removed and recovered from the digestate which then undergoes biogasification in the second phase of the process. Reject water from biogasification can be recycled within the process.

Biogas process with nutrient recovery

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Helsinki, Finland

Nina Virolainen