A review of survival of pathogenic bacteria in organic waste used in biogas plants

Abstract

Anaerobic digestion is one way of handling biowaste and generating energy in the form of methane (biogas). The digested residue may be used as fertiliser on agricultural land. Biowaste is known to contain pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella and other microorganisms that may be a health risk for both people and animals. The biosecurity risk associated with using digested residue as fertiliser is hard to assess, but this risk cannot be neglected. It is of greatest importance that the treatment in the biogas plants (BGPs) minimise the survival of pathogens. Temperature is the most important factor when considering the reduction of pathogens in BGP, but there are also other factors involved. Different indicator bacteria are used to evaluate the hygienic treatment, but an indicator that is good enough to give an overall picture has not yet been found.