Abstract: A method and system for processing biomass comprising lignocellulosic materials (LM), fats, oils, and grease (FOG), and/or waste-activated sludge (WAS) for biogas production. Biomass is maintained in an anaerobic secretome bioreactor with a synthetic microbial community under thermophilic conditions within a specified pH range. The microbial community produces a secretome of exozymes—such as cellulases, hemicellulases, ligninases, lipases, and proteases—that hydrolyze and solubilize portions of the LM, FOG, and WAS, resulting in a liquid effluent containing sugars, amino acids, fatty acid anions, and other intermediates. The thermophilic environment also pasteurizes the effluent, which is subsequently processed in a mesophilic methanogenic digestion stage for biogas production. In this stage, volatile fatty acid anions are further metabolized to yield methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and bicarbonate ions (HCO3?) as primary products of methanogenesis.

Abstract: An anaerobic reactor system that includes at least one toxicity reduction system that is configured for reducing an amount of one or more nitrogen compound and/or at least one type of recalcitrant in a substrate mixture sufficient to procedure a non-toxic substrate mixture for purposes of anaerobic digestion of the non-toxic substrate.

Abstract: An induced sludge bed anaerobic reactor system that includes at least two stages of bioreactor processing, a first-stage feeding system, a second-stage feeding system, a pH balancing system, an effluent recirculation system, a gas management system, at least one nitrogen reduction system, and a controller. In addition, the nitrogen reduction system(s) if configured for reducing an amount of one or more nitrogen compounds in a substrate mixture sufficient to procedure a non-toxic substrate mixture with respect to anaerobic digestion of the non-toxic substrate by the induced sludge bed anaerobic reactor system.

Abstract: An induced sludge bed anaerobic reactor system that includes at least two stages of bioreactor processing, a first-stage feeding system, a second-stage feeding system, a pH balancing system, an effluent recirculation system, a gas management system, at least one nitrogen reduction system, and a controller. In addition, the nitrogen reduction system(s) if configured for reducing an amount of one or more nitrogen compounds in a substrate mixture sufficient to procedure a non-toxic substrate mixture with respect to anaerobic digestion of the non-toxic substrate by the induced sludge bed anaerobic reactor system.