High ammonium release from chicken manure poses a significant limitation to aerobic digestion, impeding microbial processes and inhibiting biogas production. In this study, we conducted anaerobic digestion of a mixture consisting of chicken manure and corn straw as the fermented raw material. The inoculum used was obtained from the residue of previously fermented chicken manure. To assess the inhibitory effect, we varied the ammonia levels within the range of 750–4250 mg/L by introducing ammonium chloride. The efficiency of aerobic digestion was monitored through the measurement of volatile fatty acids (VFA), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total inorganic carbon (TOC), and methane yield. Our results indicated that elevated levels of ammonia nitrogen had a suppressive impact on methane release, and this decrease followed a linear relationship with the increasing ammonia nitrogen load. Moreover, the addition of ammonia led to a slower release, with the maximum daily ammonia concentration observed at 15 days compared to the 6th day at lower ammonia levels. Furthermore, on the 40th day of aerobic digestion, the cumulative methane production at 4250 mg/L was inhibited by 41% compared to the 750 mg/L condition. The patterns of VFA, inorganic carbon, and COD reduction were consistent across all ammonia levels, with VFA and TOC levels being highest at the highest ammonia concentration and lowest at the lowest ammonia concentration. The accumulation of VFA resulted in a decrease in pH and a decline in methanogenic activity. Additionally, high ammonia levels altered the relative abundance of methanogens. Acetoclastic methanogens (Methanosaeta) exhibited a decrease in abundance, while hydrogenotrophic methanogens (Methanosaeta, Methanoculleus) and methylotrophic methanogens (Candidatus Methanoplasma) demonstrated an increase in abundance. Overall, our findings highlight the inhibitory effects of high ammonia concentrations on biogas production, providing insights into the changes in microbial composition and activity during anaerobic fermentation.

Ammonium inhibition is a key limiting factor for anaerobic digestion when using chicken manure as the main substrate, especially in a digestion system with biogas slurry reflux. Air stripping is usually used as a recycled biogas slurry treatment. In this study, we carried out the anaerobic co-digestion of chicken manure and corn straw. The fermentation performance was investigated with and without air stripping at different biogas slurry reflux ratios and with an increasing organic loading rate. The results show that air stripping enhanced biogas production, system stability, and volatile solid removal efficiency via the mitigation control of ammonium inhibition. The total ammonium nitrogen in the digesters with air stripping was 20.24–46.40% lower than in those without air stripping. The highest specific biogas production and volatile solid removal efficiency values were obtained in the digesters at an organic loading rate of 3.3 g volatile solid (VS)/(L·d) and a reflux ratio of 75% with air stripping, reaching 480.43 mL/gVS_add and 63.36%, respectively. Moreover, air stripping also improved the organic loading rate and reflux ratio. Stable operation was achieved at an organic loading rate of 5.3 gVS/(L·d) and a reflux ratio of 75%, with specific biogas production of 392.35 mL/gVS_add and a volatile solid removal efficiency of 50.33%. The fermentation performance deteriorated when the organic loading rate was increased to 8.0 gVS/(L·d) at a reflux ratio of 75%, even when air stripping was conducted, indicating that a slighter lower reflux ratio (50%) could be more feasible at a higher organic loading rate (8.0 gVS/(L·d). Additionally, the methanogen community structure varied according to the use of air stripping, with a shift in the methanogenic pathway from hydrogenotrophic to acetoclastic methanogens. Overall, our findings support the adoption of air stripping for ammonium mitigation in anaerobic digestion with biogas slurry reflux.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a mature industrial fermentation technology for converting organic matter into renewable bioenergy, and chicken manure (CM) is a promising feedstock due to its high organic content. However, the industrial-scale AD of CM is often hindered by ammonium inhibition, particularly under high organic loading rates (OLRs). Biochar has emerged as a sustainable additive that can enhance microbial activity, buffer pH, and improve system stability. In this study, the effects of biochar on the methane production and fermentation performance of CM in terms of AD were evaluated under both batch and continuous conditions, where batch experiments were conducted at different biochar-to-CM ratios. Ammonium nitrogen and methane production were monitored to determine the optimal biochar addition ratio. Continuous stirred-tank reactors (CSTRs) were then operated with the optimal biochar addition ratio under stepwise-increasing OLR conditions to assess methane production, fermentation parameters, and methanogen community composition. The results showed that an optimal biochar addition of 9% reduced total ammonium nitrogen (TAN) by 31.75% and increased cumulative methane production by 25.93% compared with the control. In continuous operation, biochar addition mitigated ammonium inhibition, stabilized pH, enhanced system stability and organic loading capacity, and improved methane production by 21.15%, 27.78%, and 83.33% at OLRs of 2.37, 4.74, and 7.11 g volatile solids (VS)/(L·d), respectively, compared to the control. Biochar also inhibited the growth of methylotrophic methanogen of RumEn_M2. These findings provide scientific and technical support for applying biochar as a process enhancer during the AD of CM.