Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion
Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion (TAD) is essentially a Composting process which can be used to treat waste food or other organic materials in a liquid slurry or semi-solid form[1]
The outline process is as below
- Feedstock is fed into a digester where air is forced through the material to encourage the growth of aerobic microbes.
- The process is exothermic, and the heat is maintained at thermophilic conditions of between 55-65°C.
- The retention time of the process is usually between two and five days, as degradation is rapid.
- Following digestion, the digestate is usually dewatered or dried. The output is a bio-fertiliser[1].
Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion has been used in the waste-water industry for the treatment of Sewage Sludge. Its use is relatively new for Food Waste, although there are some small pilot-scale plants in the UK and some commercial ones in development [1].
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 WRAP (2016). Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion | WRAP UK. Wrap.org.uk. [online] [Accessed 4 Nov. 2019]