Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is an option for characterisation of the process conditions of agricultural biogas plants. Important parameters in the liquid phase are: volatile solids, ammonium, buffer capacity, volatile fatty acids. Initially, NIR models were developed in the laboratory to assess systematically the effect of feedstock variation on model performance. In the next step, the models were independently validated. A third step was the in situ use of the NIR technique at a technical scale digester. The work further aimed at studying the ability of the NIR technology to identify short-term process dynamics after feeding. The total VFA model indicated concentration changes at an early stage of accumulation near 2–3 g kg-1 fresh matter. Since the estimates proved to be independent of the water content, the potential of the NIR technique as a tool for optimising the operation of a digester was shown. These results confirmed the robustness of the NIR technique for characterising the dynamics of anaerobic digestion even for varying feedstock composition.
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Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is an option for characterisation of the process conditions of agricultural biogas plants. Important parameters in the liquid phase are: volatile solids, ammonium, buffer capacity, volatile fatty acids. Initially, NIR models were developed in the laboratory to assess systematically the effect of feedstock variation on model performance. In the next step, the models were independently validated. A third step was the in situ use of the NIR technique at a technical...
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