scholarly journals From biogas to biomethane: Techno-economic analysis of an anaerobic digestion power plant in a cattle/buffalo farm in central Italy

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 127-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ester Scotto di Perta ◽  
Elena Cervelli ◽  
Maria Pironti di Campagna ◽  
Stefania Pindozzi
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Hollow Fibre ◽  
Operating Costs ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Production Plant ◽  
Biomethane Production

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a mature technology commonly used for manure treatment, both for the stabilisation of waste and for the production of energy. The introduction of new incentives could represent an opportunity for biogas production, when the current feed-in-tariffs, which improved the financial feasibility of AD plants producing electricity will end. This paper examines the feasibility of reconverting an existing AD biogas production plant into a biomethane production plant. The AD plant, in this case study, is a two-stage reactor situated in the centre of Italy and mainly fed with livestock manure from both cows and buffaloes. The economic analysis of two hypotheses is provided: i) continuing the electricity production from biogas after the end of the current incentives (2025); ii) considering the new incentives program for the biomethane and reconverting the plant, using hollow-fibre membranes for the purification of the raw biogas (SEPURAN® Green modules, EnviTec). For this purpose, investment and operating costs, based on plant monitoring data (2105.3 m3 d–1, Biogas production; 4432.9 kWh d–1, electricity production) as well as on market analysis for costs evaluation were considered. The mean biogas production for the considered year was about 30% less than the expected production, indicated by producer, highlighting the need for the optimisation of the management of the reactors. Moreover, based on the averaged methane production (June 2017-June 2018), results show that: i) plant conversion for the biomethane production is not suitable for small-scale plants, due to the high investment costs of upgrading technology (1.2 M€); ii) when current incentives end, the electricity production from biogas in the current plant may not be self-sufficient, due to the highly expensive operating costs. This paper provides a first analysis of the possible fate of the biogas plants under the new incentives.

scholarly journals Production of Biogas Using Dairy Manure as Feedstock and Rumen Fluid as Inoculum

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-89
Author(s):  
Shanti Faridah Salleh ◽  
Muhammad Hifzhan Amsyar Zulkifli ◽  
Mohd Rahmat Jalani
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Rumen Fluid ◽  
Dairy Manure ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Cooking Fuel ◽  
Methane Gas ◽  
Ph Level

 Methane gas is a valuable gas that can be used as a source of energy, either used for cooking fuel or small-scale electricity production. The most suitable application of the methane gas is in rural areas which rarely have the source of energy. It can reduce the dependency of using diesel or gasoline in order to obtain electricity. This study focused on the use of dairy manure as the feedstock and the rumen fluid as the innoculant to improve the production of biogas in rural areas application. The amount of rumen fluid and water added were varied to prepare 0 %, 12.5 %, 25 %, 37.5 % and 50 % rumen fluid. Besides that, the pH level was monitored and its effects towards biogas production was discussed. From the experiment, sample with 37.5 % rumen fluid gave the highest biogas production, followed by 50 %, 25 %, 12.5 % and 0 % rumen fluid. The presence Rumen fluids have improved the biogas production for the anaerobic digestion.

scholarly journals Trace Element Supplementation and Enzyme Addition to Enhance Biogas Production by Anaerobic Digestion of Chicken Litter

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 3477
Author(s):  
Navodita Bhatnagar ◽  
David Ryan ◽  
Richard Murphy ◽  
Anne-Marie Enright
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Trace Element ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Positive Control ◽  
Negative Control ◽  
Enzyme Treatment ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Volatile Solids ◽  
Chicken Litter ◽  
Set Up

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of chicken litter (CL) is a viable alternative to disposal. However, methane yields from this primarily organic waste are quite low when mono-digested. This paper discusses the effect of an enzyme cocktail, trace element (TE) supplementation and selenium (Se) addition in small-scale batch biomethane potential (BMP) assays to enhance the AD of CL. Eleven different assays were set up in triplicate including assays containing only inoculum (blank), only CL (negative control) and cellulose and inoculum (positive control). The results indicate that both enzyme treatment and trace element supplementation enhanced the biogas and methane yield. The highest specific biogas and methane yields were noted for 1% enzyme-treated CL of 835.2 L/kg volatile solids (VS) and 460.8 L/kg VS, respectively. Usually, mono-digestion of CL is low due to high nitrogen content and the presence of recalcitrant lignocellulosic material from the bedding material. Enzyme treatment performed better than the addition of the TE mix and Se.

scholarly journals Energy and Nutrients’ Recovery in Anaerobic Digestion of Agricultural Biomass: An Italian Perspective for Future Applications

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 3287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Battista ◽  
Frison ◽  
Bolzonella
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Future Perspective ◽  
Incentive Scheme ◽  
Future Perspectives ◽  
Future Scenario ◽  
Agricultural Biomass ◽  
The Future ◽  
Biomethane Production ◽  
Power To Gas

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is the most adopted biotechnology for the valorization of agricultural biomass into valuable products like biogas and digestate, a renewable fertilizer. This paper illustrates in the first part the actual situation of the anaerobic digestion sector in Italy, including the number of plants, their geographical distribution, the installed power and the typical feedstock used. In the second part, a future perspective, independent of the actual incentive scheme, is presented. It emerged that Italy is the second European country for the number of anaerobic digestion plants with more than 1500 units for a total electricity production of about 1400 MWel. More than 60% of them are in the range of 200 kW–1 MW installed power. Almost 70% of the plants are located in the northern part of the Country where intensive agriculture and husbandry are applied. Most of the plants are now using energy crops in the feedstock. The future perspectives of the biogas sector in Italy will necessarily consider a shift from power generation to biomethane production, and an enlargement of the portfolio of possible feedstocks, the recovery of nutrients from digestate in a concentrated form, and the expansion of the AD sector to southern regions. Power to gas and biobased products will complete the future scenario.

scholarly journals Thermophilic Co-Digestion of the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Wastes—The Influence of Food Industry Wastes Addition on Biogas Production in Full-Scale Operation

Molecules ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (12) ◽  
pp. 3146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Przemysław Seruga ◽  
Małgorzata Krzywonos ◽  
Marta Wilk
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Solid Wastes ◽  
Process Efficiency ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Organic Fraction ◽  
Municipal Solid Wastes ◽  
Biogas Yield ◽  
Yield Increase

Anaerobic digestion (AD) has been used widely as a form of energy recovery by biogas production from the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the introduction of co-substrates (restaurant wastes, corn whole stillage, effluents from the cleaning of chocolate transportation tanks) on the thermophilic anaerobic digestion process of the mechanically separated organic fraction of municipal solid wastes in a full-scale mechanical-biological treatment (MBT) plant. Based on the results, it can be seen that co-digestion might bring benefits and process efficiency improvement, compared to mono-substrate digestion. The 15% addition of effluents from the cleaning of chocolate transportation tanks resulted in an increase in biogas yield by 31.6%, followed by a 68.5 kWh electricity production possibility. The introduction of 10% corn stillage as the feedstock resulted in a biogas yield increase by 27.0%. The 5% addition of restaurant wastes contributed to a biogas yield increase by 21.8%. The introduction of additional raw materials, in fixed proportions in relation to the basic substrate, increases biogas yield compared to substrates with a lower content of organic matter. In regard to substrates with high organic loads, such as restaurant waste, it allows them to be digested. Therefore, determining the proportion of different feedstocks to achieve the highest efficiency with stability is necessary.

scholarly journals Biogas Production from Organic Wastes: Integrating Concepts of Circular Economy

Fuels ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-167
Author(s):  
Marcos Ellacuriaga ◽  
José García-Cascallana ◽  
Xiomar Gómez
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Land Application ◽  
Operating Costs ◽  
Capital Investments ◽  
Organic Solid ◽  
Relevant Role ◽  
Operating Reactor ◽  
Energy Grid

Anaerobic digestion is traditionally used for treating organic materials. This allows the valorization of biogas and recycling of nutrients thanks to the land application of digestates. However, although this technology offers a multitude of advantages, it is still far from playing a relevant role in the energy market and from having significant participation in decarbonizing the economy. Biogas can be submitted to upgrading processes to reach methane content close to that of natural gas and therefore be compatible with many of its industrial applications. However, the high installation and operating costs of these treatment plants are the main constraints for the application of this technology in many countries. There is an urgent need of increasing reactor productivity, biogas yields, and operating at greater throughput without compromising digestion stability. Working at organic solid contents greater than 20% and enhancing hydrolysis and biogas yields to allow retention times to be around 15 days would lead to a significant decrease in reactor volume and therefore in initial capital investments. Anaerobic digestion should be considered as one of the key components in a new economy model characterized by an increase in the degree of circularity. The present manuscript reviews the digestion process analyzing the main parameters associated with digestion performance. The novelty of this manuscript is based on the link established between operating reactor conditions, optimizing treatment capacity, and reducing operating costs that would lead to unlocking the potential of biogas to promote bioenergy production, sustainable agronomic practices, and the integration of this technology into the energy grid.

Biogas production from small-scale anaerobic digestion plants on European farms

2021 ◽  
Vol 139 ◽  
pp. 110580 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. O'Connor ◽  
E. Ehimen ◽  
S.C. Pillai ◽  
A. Black ◽  
D. Tormey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Small Scale

scholarly journals Dry Anaerobic Digestion Technologies for Agricultural Straw and Acceptability in China

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanran Fu ◽  
Tao Luo ◽  
Zili Mei ◽  
Jiang Li ◽  
Kun Qiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Organic Loading Rate ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Low Efficiency ◽  
Dry Anaerobic Digestion

Dry anaerobic digestion technology (DADT) is considered a highly feasible way to treat agricultural straw waste; however, most practical operations are always in low efficiency, due to the poor fluidity behavior and complex lignocellulosic structure of straw, which is not easily decomposed by anaerobic bacteria. Hence, it is necessary to further investigate the operation boundary, in order to increase biogas production efficiency for effective applications. In this paper, typical DADTs are reviewed and their suitability for application in China is analyzed. The advantages and disadvantages of different anaerobic digestion processes are evaluated considering pretreatment, organic loading rate, anaerobic digestion temperature, and homogenization of the feedstock and inoculate. The suitability of the DADTs is evaluated considering the accessibility of straw resources and the convenience of biogas use. It is concluded that batch anaerobic digestion processes would be more suitable for the development of southern China due to the prevalence of small-scale agriculture, while continuous anaerobic digestion would be preferable in the north where large-scale agriculture is common. However, the DADTs discussed here need to broad application in China.

scholarly journals Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste, Brewery Waste, and Agricultural Residues in an Off-Grid Continuous Reactor

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6509
Author(s):  
Kimberley E. Miller ◽  
Tess Herman ◽  
Dimas A. Philipinanto ◽  
Sarah C. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Agricultural Residues ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
Continuous Reactor ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Seasonal Temperature ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Time Operation

Small-scale anaerobic digestion (AD) can be an effective organic waste management system that also provides energy for small businesses and rural communities. This study measured fuel production from digestions of single and mixed feedstocks using an unheated, 2 m3 digester operated continuously in a temperate climate for over three years. Using local food waste, brewery waste, grease waste, and agricultural residues, this study determined that small-scale AD co-digestions were almost always higher yielding than single feedstocks during psychrophilic operation and seasonal temperature transitions. Agricultural residues from Miscanthus x giganteus had the greatest impact on biomethane production during co-digestion (4.7-fold greater average biogas %CH4), while mesophilic digestion of brewery waste alone produced the most biogas (0.76 gCH4 gVS−1 d−1). Biogas production during the transition from mesophilic to psychrophilic was temporarily maintained at levels similar to mesophilic digestions, particularly during co-digestions, but biogas quality declined during these temperature shifts. Full-time operation of small-scale, unheated AD systems could be feasible in temperate climates if feedstock is intentionally amended to stabilize carbon content.

scholarly journals Co-Digestion of Salix and Manure for Biogas: Importance of Clone Choice, Coppicing Frequency and Reactor Setup

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 3804
Author(s):  
Jonas A. Ohlsson ◽  
Ann-Christin Rönnberg-Wästljung ◽  
Nils-Erik Nordh ◽  
Anna Schnürer
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Biomass Productivity ◽  
Animal Manure ◽  
Single Stage ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Volatile Solids ◽  
Farm Scale ◽  
Biomethane Production ◽  
Sequential Digestion

Animal manure represents a major source of renewable energy that can be converted into biogas using anaerobic digestion. In order to most efficiently utilize this resource, it can be co-digested with energy dense, high biomethanation potential feedstocks such as energy crops. However, such feedstocks typically require pretreatments which are not feasible for small-scale facilities. We investigated the use of single-stage and the sequential co-digestion of comminuted but otherwise non-pretreated Salix with animal manure, and further investigated the effects of coppicing frequency and clone choice on biomethanation potential and the area requirements for a typical Swedish farm-scale anaerobic digester using Salix and manure as feedstock. In comparison with conventional single-stage digestion, sequential digestion increased the volumetric and specific methane production by 57% to 577 NmL L−1 d−1 and 192 NmL (g volatile solids (VS))−1, respectively. Biomethanation potential was the highest for the two-year-old shoots, although gains in biomass productivity suggest that every-third-year coppicing may be a better strategy for supplying Salix feedstock for anaerobic digestion. The biomethane production performance of the sequential digestion of minimally pretreated Salix mirrors that of hydrothermally pretreated hardwoods and may provide an option where such pretreatments are not feasible.

scholarly journals A farm-scale pilot plant for biohydrogen and biomethane production by two-stage fermentation

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (2s) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Oberti ◽  
A. Tenca ◽  
F. Perazzolo ◽  
E. Riva ◽  
A. Finzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Volatile Fatty Acids ◽  
Energy Content ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Ph Control ◽  
Specific Productivity ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Production Of Hydrogen ◽  
Farm Scale

Hydrogen is considered one of the possible main energy carriers for the future, thanks to its unique environmental properties. Indeed, its energy content (120 MJ/kg) can be exploited virtually without emitting any exhaust in the atmosphere except for water. Renewable production of hydrogen can be obtained through common biological processes on which relies anaerobic digestion, a well-established technology in use at farm-scale for treating different biomass and residues. Despite two-stage hydrogen and methane producing fermentation is a simple variant of the traditional anaerobic digestion, it is a relatively new approach mainly studied at laboratory scale. It is based on biomass fermentation in two separate, seuqential stages, each maintaining conditions optimized to promote specific bacterial consortia: in the first acidophilic reactorhydrogen is produced production, while volatile fatty acids-rich effluent is sent to the second reactor where traditional methane rich biogas production is accomplished. A two-stage pilot-scale plant was designed, manufactured and installed at the experimental farm of the University of Milano and operated using a biomass mixture of livestock effluents mixed with sugar/starch-rich residues (rotten fruits and potatoes and expired fruit juices), afeedstock mixture based on waste biomasses directly available in the rural area where plant is installed. The hydrogenic and the methanogenic reactors, both CSTR type, had a total volume of 0.7m3 and 3.8 m3 respectively, and were operated in thermophilic conditions (55􀀀 2 °C) without any external pH control, and were fully automated. After a brief description of the requirements of the system, this contribution gives a detailed description of its components and of engineering solutions to the problems encountered during the plant realization and start-up. The paper also discusses the results obtained in a first experimental run which lead to production in the range of previous laboratory results, with a typical hydrogen and methane specific productivity of 2.2 and 0.5 Nm3/m3reactor per day, in the first and second stage of the plant respectively. At our best knowledge, this plant is one of the very first prototypes producing biohydrogen at farm scale, and it represents a distributed, small scale demonstration to obtain hydrogen from renewable waste-sources.

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