Utilization of biogas produced by anaerobic digestion of agro-industrial waste: Energy, economic and environmental effects

Anaerobic digestion of agro-industrial waste is of significant interest in order to facilitate a sustainable development of energy supply. Using of material and energy potentials of agro-industrial waste, in the framework of technical, economic, and ecological possibilities, contributes in increasing the share of energy generated from renewable energy sources. The paper deals with the benefits arising from the utilization of biogas produced by co-digestion of whey and cow manure. The advantages of this process are the profitability of the plant and the convenience in realizing an anaerobic digestion plant to produce biogas that is enabled by the benefits from the sale of electric energy at favorable prices. Economic aspects are related to the capital cost (€ 2,250,000) of anaerobic digestion treatment in a biogas plant with a 300 kW power and 510 kW heating unit in a medium size farm (450 livestock units). Considering the optimum biogas yield of 20.7 dm3 kg−1 of wet substrate and methane content in the biogas obtained of 79%, the anaerobic process results in a daily methane production of 2,500 kg, with the maximum power generation of 2,160,000 kWh y−1 and heat generation of 2,400,000 kWh y−1. The net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR) and payback period for implementation of profitable anaerobic digestion process is evaluated. Ecological aspects related to carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emission reduction are assessed.

[1]  O. Yenigün,et al.  Anaerobic treatment of dairy wastewaters: a review , 2005 .

[2]  P. Pavan,et al.  Thermophilic anaerobic co-digestion of cattle manure with agro-wastes and energy crops: comparison of pilot and full scale experiences. , 2010, Bioresource technology.

[3]  B Wett,et al.  Control of GHG emission at the microbial community level. , 2008, Waste management.

[4]  N. Panwar,et al.  Role of renewable energy sources in environmental protection: A review , 2011 .

[5]  Largus T Angenent,et al.  Biochemical methane potential and biodegradability of complex organic substrates. , 2011, Bioresource technology.

[6]  Sami Sayadi,et al.  Anaerobic membrane reactor with phase separation for the treatment of cheese whey. , 2007, Bioresource technology.

[7]  Andrea Hublin,et al.  Modelling of the whey and cow manure co-digestion process , 2013, Waste management & research : the journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA.

[8]  H. García,et al.  Physical-anaerobic-chemical process for treatment of dairy cattle manure. , 2011, Bioresource technology.

[9]  Andreas Meyer-Aurich,et al.  Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential and Mitigation Costs of Biogas Production in Brandenburg, Germany , 2011 .

[10]  H. Gannoun,et al.  Ecological clarification of cheese whey prior to anaerobic digestion in upflow anaerobic filter. , 2008, Bioresource technology.

[11]  Anastassios G. Stamatis,et al.  Thermal analysis and optimization of an anaerobic treatment system of whey , 2011 .

[12]  Saija Rasi,et al.  Trace compounds of biogas from different biogas production plants. , 2007 .

[13]  Irini Angelidaki,et al.  Optimization of biogas production by co-digesting whey with diluted poultry manure , 2007 .

[14]  Bahattin Topaloglu,et al.  Biogas production from co-digestion of a mixture of cheese whey and dairy manure , 2010 .

[15]  W. Parker,et al.  Application of the ADM1 model to advanced anaerobic digestion. , 2005, Bioresource technology.

[16]  Elena Comino,et al.  Development of a pilot scale anaerobic digester for biogas production from cow manure and whey mix. , 2009, Bioresource technology.

[17]  Alastair J Ward,et al.  Optimisation of the anaerobic digestion of agricultural resources. , 2008, Bioresource technology.

[18]  T Rehl,et al.  CO2 abatement costs of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation by different biogas conversion pathways. , 2013, Journal of environmental management.

[19]  R. Kothari,et al.  Waste-to-energy: A way from renewable energy sources to sustainable development , 2010 .

[20]  G. Demirer,et al.  Anaerobic biotransformation and methane generation potential of cheese whey in batch and UASB reactors. , 2001, Waste management.

[21]  S. P. Singh,et al.  Review of recent advances in anaerobic packed-bed biogas reactors , 2009 .

[22]  Bruno Zelić,et al.  Optimization of biogas production from co-digestion of whey and cow manure , 2012, Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering.

[23]  O. Lah,et al.  COMPARING OF MESOPHILIC AND THERMOPHILIC ANAEROBIC FERMENTED SEWAGE SLUDGE BASED ON CHEMICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL TESTS , 2011 .

[24]  Liuling Li,et al.  Enhancing biomethane production from flush dairy manure with turkey processing wastewater , 2010 .

[25]  Iván López,et al.  Modelling of slaughterhouse solid waste anaerobic digestion: determination of parameters and continuous reactor simulation. , 2010, Waste management.

[26]  F Cecchi,et al.  Application of the IWA ADM1 model to simulate anaerobic co-digestion of organic waste with waste activated sludge in mesophilic condition. , 2009, Bioresource technology.

[27]  J. Clemens,et al.  Analysis of greenhouse gas emissions from 10 biogas plants within the agricultural sector. , 2013, Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research.

[28]  C. Walla,et al.  Farm biogas plants in Austria - an economic analysis. , 2003 .

[29]  P. Weiland.  Biogas production: current state and perspectives , 2009, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[30]  Elena Comino,et al.  Biogas production by anaerobic co-digestion of cattle slurry and cheese whey. , 2012, Bioresource technology.

[31]  Bogomir Muršec,et al.  The impact of mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion on biogas production , 2009 .

[32]  W. Zollitsch,et al.  Biogas production from maize and dairy cattle manure - influence of biomass composition on the methane yield. , 2007 .

[33]  S. C. Myers,et al.  Principles of Corporate Finance - 4/E , 2002 .

[34]  David W. DePaoli,et al.  Anaerobic Digestion Of Animal Waste: Effect Of Mixing , 1970 .

[35]  Hinrich Hartmann,et al.  Anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste: influence of co-digestion with manure. , 2005, Water research.

[36]  L. Leke,et al.  Production of bio-gas from maize cobs. , 2013 .

[37]  Caterina Tricase,et al.  State of the art and prospects of Italian biogas production from animal sewage: Technical-economic considerations , 2009 .

[38]  Paolo Pavan,et al.  High rate mesophilic, thermophilic, and temperature phased anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge: a pilot scale study. , 2012, Waste management.

[39]  R Moletta,et al.  The treatment of cheese whey wastewater by sequential anaerobic and aerobic steps in a single digester at pilot scale. , 2009, Bioresource technology.

[40]  Marcelo Zaiat,et al.  Anaerobic whey treatment by a stirred sequencing batch reactor (ASBR): effects of organic loading and supplemented alkalinity. , 2006, Journal of environmental management.

[41]  M. Kálmán,et al.  Comparison of the effectivities of two-phase and single-phase anaerobic sequencing batch reactors during dairy wastewater treatment , 2008 .

[42]  Ranjana Chowdhury,et al.  Mathematical modeling for the prediction of biogas generation characteristics of an anaerobic digester based on food/vegetable residues , 2007 .