Operation status of the first vertical dry methane fermentation system in Japan

Abstract

Methane fermentation has been attracting attention in recent years for the purpose of biomass volume reduction and energy recovery from biogas under anaerobic conditions, and can be classified into wet and dry types depending on the concentration of solids in the methane fermentation tank. Dry methane fermentation has advantages over wet methane fermentation, such as the ability to decompose waste without dilution, and vertical dry methane fermentation systems in particular have the advantage of being able to process a variety of waste-based biomass, including persistent waste such as waste paper. Vertical dry methane fermentation systems have not been widely used due to a lack of social implementation examples and data. Based on this background, Fuji Clean Co., Ltd. implemented Japan's first commercial-scale vertical dry methane fermentation system (manufactured by Kurita Water Industries Ltd.) in 2018, which is attached to an existing incineration facility. This study is a pioneering effort aimed at promoting the widespread use of vertical dry methane systems and evaluated the state of methane fermentation based on data obtained over a period of about three years starting in 2018.