History of anaerobic digestion
Scientific interests in the gasses produced by the natural decomposition of organic matter, were first reported in the seventeenth century by Robert Boyle and Stephen Hale, who noted that flammable gas was released by disturbing the sediment of streams and lakes.
And in 1808, Sir Humphry Davy determined that methane was present in the gasses produced by cattle manure.
The first anaerobic digester was built by a leper colony in Bombay, India in 1859.
In 1895 this technology was developed in Exeter, England, where a septic tank was used to generate gas for street lighting.
And also in England, in 1904, the first dual purpose tank for both sedimentation and sludge treatment was installed in Hampton.
In 1907, in Germany, a patent was issued for the Imhoff tank, an early form of digester.
Through scientific researches, anaerobic digestion gained academic recognition in the 1930s. This scientific research led to the discovery of anaerobic bacteria, the microorganisms that facilitate the process. Then further research was carried out to investigate the conditions under which methanogenic bacteria were able to grow and reproduce. The work was developed during World War II where in both Germany and France there was an increase in the application of anaerobic digestion for the treatment of manure.
