A technological overview of biogas production from biowaste

The current irrational use of fossil fuels and the impact of greenhouse gases on the environment are driving research into renewable energy production from organic resources and waste. The global energy demand is high, and most of this energy is produced from fossil resources. Recent studies report that anaerobic digestion (AD) is an efficient alternative technology that combines biofuel production with sustainable waste management, and various technological trends exist in the biogas industry that enhance the production and quality of biogas. Further investments in AD are expected to meet with increasing success due to the low cost of available feedstocks and the wide range of uses for biogas (i.e., for heating, electricity, and fuel). Biogas production is growing in the European energy market and offers an economical alternative for bioenergy production. The objective of this work is to provide an overview of biogas production from lignocellulosic waste, thus providing information toward crucial issues in the biogas economy

Biogas production by anaerobic treatment of biowaste:a theoretical and experimental approach

The transition to waste-to-energy conversion using anaerobic digestion (AD) technique is of great importance as it could be the key to support bio-based economy and it offers an economical alternative for bioenergy production. Here, we aimed to understand the degradation of different types of organic waste into biogas and evaluate the impact in the conversion efficiency. Inoculum-to-substrate ratio was an essential parameter for optimal degradation of organic waste. Additionally, co-digestion of biowaste with cow manure improved the performance of the anaerobic digestion. Similarly, ternary digestion of organic waste could have positive impact on biowaste treatment. Finally, subtle issues were spotted and highlighted amid the application of anaerobic digestion to detect fundamental changes in the bioenergy landscape and underpin the drive for global sustainability; lastly, an outlook was suggested for how the field may progress in the future

Scale-Up Operations for Biogas Production:Analysis on Critical Factors Governing Large-Scale Operations

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a unique process where different microbial species decompose organic materials in the absence of oxygen and has been widely practiced in full-scale facilities all over the world. Several AD techniques have been applied to convert livestock manures, wastewaters, and solid lignocellulosic waste into biogas. Despite the progress on the engineering of AD systems, several challenges exist for the economically and environmentally efficient way to recover carbon in the form of renewable biogas fuel. The complexity of the challenges poses constraints into the understanding of the factors associated to the scale-up of the AD operations. This study aims to review the critical factors of biogas plant project development

A PESTLE analysis of biofuels energy industry in Europe

Biofuels production is expected to be an intrinsic confluence to the renewable energy sector in the coming years under the European regulations for renewable energy. Key standpoints of the biofuels promotions are the reduction of national carbon emissions and rural deployment. Despite jubilant outlook of biofuels for sustainable development, research efforts still tend to link the biofuel industry and regional growth. The aim of this study is to explore and review the biofuels industry through a socio-political, techno-economic, legal and environmental (PESTLE) analysis approach, and discuss the interrelation between technological facets and sustainable deployment

Waste-to-Energy Technologies:Industrial Progress for Boosting the Circular Economy

Waste-to-energy (WtE) technologies enable us to recover energy from waste in the form of heat, electricity, or fuel. WtE technologies have the potential to confront the vast amount of waste produced and the increasing need for energy worldwide. This chapter describes the technological substratum of the WtE technologies and reviews the engineering aspects related to waste treatment challenges. It explores the progress, barriers, and opportunities of WtE technologies from an industrial perspective and highlights eco-sustainability and socioeconomic issues.</p

Effect of temperature and organic load on the performance of anaerobic bioreactors treating grasses

The organic residues generated in grasslands can be treated by adopting anaerobic digestion technology. This technology can enhance the efforts for sustainable waste management around the world. In the northern Netherlands, there is a vast amount of ditch clippings and canal grasses that can be used as a renewable source of energy; however, optimal bioenergy production from grasses is still under research and this study aims to evaluate biogas production from grassy residues at the local level in the context of a sustainable waste management scheme. Batch tests were facilitated to investigate the impact of temperature and organic load on the anaerobic digestion performance of grass mixtures (ditch clippings and canal grasses). The results showed that high temperature favors the degradation of high lignocellulosic materials like grasses. Specifically, bioreactors at 55 °C with an organic load of 30 g volatile solids (VS)∙L−1 reached 360.4 mL∙g VSsubstrate−1. Moreover, reactors with low organic loads resulted in a lower methane yield. The kinetics study also showed good fitting of the predicted and experimental values

Rambling facets of manure-based biogas production in Europe:A briefing

The use of biogas has been considered a strategically distinctive option for the entire transition to renewable fuels. The wide gap between the use of fossil- and biomass-based fuels calls into question how the business of gas-based energy must be changed to alter the inequalities between biogas and natural gas. The deployment of biogas-derived methane is delayed in contrast to the syngas-derived methane. Subtle issues are spotted and highlighted amid the application of anaerobic digestion to detect fundamental changes in the bioenergy landscape and underpin the drive for global sustainability; lastly, an outlook is suggested for how the field may progress in the future

Elevated biogas production from the anaerobic co-digestion of farmhouse waste: Insight into the process performance and kinetics

The biodegradable portion of solid waste generated in farmhouses can be treated for energy recovery with small portable biogas plants. This action can be done across the Netherlands and all around the planet. This study aims to appraise the performance of anaerobic digestion of different wastes (cow manure, food waste and garden waste) obtained from a regional farmhouse. Batch reactors were established under mesophilic conditions in order to investigate the impact of ternary mixtures on the anaerobic digestion process performance. Different mixing ratios were set in the batch tests. The upshots from the experiments connoted that ternary digestion with cow manure:food waste:garden waste mixing ratio of 40:50:10 yielded higher biogas amount. The kinetics’ results showed quite good congruence with the experimental study. The results from the kinetic analysis appeared to be in line with the experimental one

Development of an Anaerobic Digestion Screening System Using 3D-Printed Mini-Bioreactors

This study incorporated the concept of mini-bioreactors by employing additive manufacturing procedures. Limitations in experimental studies with large-scale equipment favor the use of mini-reactor systems and help to understand the phenomena of its large-scale counterpart better. 3D printing enables to reproduce the reaction engineering principles in a low-cost and ease of manufacture way and expedites the development of novel prototypes. Small anaerobic digesters of 40 mL were designed and fabricated to investigate the effect of downscaling on the stability and performance of the anaerobic digestion process. Baseline tests were conducted using a commercial 400-mL stirred bioreactor as reference for further comparison and validation. Miniature bioreactors showed similar stability and conversion efficiency. However, the biogas production rate and methane content of the 3D-printed bioreactors were lower than those in the baseline study bioreactors. Finally, 3D-printed systems were linked with efficient performances and are considered as an excellent opportunity for analyzing microbe-mediated bioenergy systems. This study demonstrated the high potential of miniaturized bioreactors as a process screening tool