Increased Biogas Production in Anaerobic Digestation Using Honey Shyne Technology

Author

• Bethany Renee Egge, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

5-1-2026

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Molecular Biology Microbiology and Biochemistry

First Advisor

Hamilton-Brehm, Scott

Abstract

Wastewater treatment is a necessary component of human and ecosystem health, but biosolids generated through this process must be disposed of. One method of doing so is Anaerobic Digestion (AD), which produces biogas. Biogas is a combination of CO2 and CH4 that is considered a sustainable energy source. AD represents a valuable method of biogas generation, but still produces solid waste known as digestate. In this study, Honey Shyne Technology (HST), a technology that solubilizes organic matter into water, was used to process recalcitrant slurry and digestate samples from two different AD reactors. HST processed sample (HST liquor) was added to anaerobic cultures inoculated with microorganisms from their respective sources and monitored for biogas production. Biogas production increased by 60% for Slurry and 260% for Digestate, and proportion of CH4 was significantly higher in both cases (p < 0.001). The increase in biogas generation did not significantly change the total solids or volatile solids consumption and did not cause significant changes to the composition of the Bacterial or Archaeal microbiomes. The addition of HST liquor increases generation of biogas by introducing additional bioavailable carbon, enhancing metabolic processes already present in the AD microbiome. We also report a novel Archaeon in the Digestate microbiome which may represent a previously unknown class or order, and whose metabolism may be enhanced by the addition of HST liquor.