Biomass Digestion

With the world population growth, depletion of fossil fuels and production of huge amounts of organic wastes have become two critical challenges to modern society. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a promising biotechnology that is used to extract renewable energy from biomass and organic wastes and generates a residue rich in nitrogen, phosphorous, and micronutrients that can be used as a soil amendment or valorized to produce other value-added products. This chapter introduces the concepts of biomass and AD, as well as important operating parameters of the AD process and options for utilizing AD end products. Future directions for research and practical use of AD are also discussed.