Agriculture Residue: A Potential Source for Biogas Production

To achieve energy security and to address energy related environmental issues attempts have been made to find out such energy resources that are economically viable and environmentally friendly. Biogas appears as a sustainable, renewable and carbon neutral energy source, a substitute to reduce the global fossil fuels dependency. Agricultural activities generate huge amounts of organic residues annually worldwide. Microbial conversion of agriculture residue and organic wastes to produce biogas offers an attractive way for energy supply, resource recovery and waste treatment. Energy generated is renewable can have positive impact on environment, replacing fossil fuels and mitigating greenhouse gases emissions. In addition to a clean and cost effective energy source, it improves the management of manure and organic wastes and replaces inorganic fertilizer. Biogas production in the agricultural sector is a fast growing market particularly in many European countries. This article is aimed to review and investigate the potential contribution of biogas from agricultural residues. Techniques for quantitative assessment of the residue from different crops that can be recovered sustainably as a potential resource for biogas production are discussed.

Environmental Sustainability Analysis of Case Studies of Agriculture Residue Exploitation

The agriculture sector produces significant amounts of organic residues and the choice of the management strategy of these flows affects the environmental sustainability of the sector. The scientific literature is rich with innovative processes for the production of bio-based products (BBP) from agriculture residues, aimed at the implementation of circular economy principles. Based on literature data, the present paper performed a life cycle assessment and assessed the environmental sustainability of five processes for the exploitation of rice and wheat straw, tomato pomace, and orange peel. The analysis identified as significant issues the high energy demand and the use of high impact organic solvent. The comparison of BBP with conventional products showed higher environmental loads for the innovative processes that used organic residues (except for rice straw case). The obtained results do not want to discourage the circular strategy in the agriculture sector, but rather to draw the attention of all stakeholders to the environmental sustainability aspects, focusing on the necessity to decrease the electricity demand and identify ecological agents to use in BBP manufacturing, in agreement with the most recent European policies.

GIS Application for the Estimation of Bioenergy Potential from Agriculture Residues: An Overview

Agriculture residue is a promising resource of energy. It can be seen as a source of power production. In India, there is a huge amount of biomass available, but it cannot be used in proper ways, and with the help of GIS it can be customised. In the present paper, it is estimated that biomass reserves are available for power generation. The biomass produced by the surplus agricultural crops is reflected as a source of fuel for electricity generation. The data taken by satellite are useful for assessment of the areas with the help of satellite images taken in high resolution, which increases the preciseness of estimation. An agriculture cropland map with agricultural statistics has been analyzed in GIS to discover the agricultural straw potential for bioenergy generation. Due to unawareness about the benefits and uses of GIS, the modern farming sector bears a loss of huge bioenergy potential every year. To overcome the above mentioned challenges, the agricultural system needs a major shift from conventional farming to smart farming practices with the help of GIS. Agricultural waste is the best source for bioenergy production, and it can be used as biomass for meeting renewable energy goals in the country.

Role of Decomposers in Agricultural Waste Management

In this chapter, agricultural waste residue management by bio-organisms is discussed along with different types of decomposition processes. Tons of agricultural wastes are produced every year. These agricultural wastes create major environmental problems without effective means of management methods. There are many technologies being used for the decomposition, which mainly include anaerobic decomposition, compositing, fermentation, etc. All these decomposition processes depend upon the different soil-inhabiting microbes. These microbes are the key components of agri-residue decomposition process. Every step of decomposition requires different microbes. Various sets of catalytical enzymes are involved for the catabolic procedures of organic matter. By successive catabolic reactions, all the organic matters are mineralized into soil essential constituents, which will be the most effective sources of macro- and micronutrients for the soil fertility. Working efficiency of these microbes depends upon different parameters like moisture, temperature, pH, etc. The vitality and efficiency of microbes can be enhanced by using various inert carriers. If the efficiency of these soil microbes enhances by various factors, then the rate of decomposition could be enhanced to handle this ever-increasing problem of agriculture residue in near future.

DECREASING LEVELS OF BIOLOGICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD) AND AMMONIA USING MULTI SOIL LAYERING (MSL) METHOD IN TRADITIONAL ALCOHOL WASTE

Alcohol can be traditionally made from agriculture residue fermentation where in Sukonarjo Bekonang the waste is discharged into free water, high levels of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Ammonia make the environment polluted. BOD is a way to characterize the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by microorganisms for the degradation of organic matter under aerobic conditions. Ammonia in surface water comes from urine and feces as well as from oxidation of microbiological organic matter (HaObCcNa), which comes from natural water or industrial and occupant wastewater. By using the Multi Soil Layering (MSL) method which improves soil function for organic wastewater treatment where the soil is a biological, physical, and chemical system that has been used for recycling and waste management for a long time being able to reduce BOD levels from alcohol waste from 51209.6 mg O2/L to 22409.6 mg O2/L and Ammonia levels from 30% to 24% with a fairly low cost.

Review Environmental Implications of Incineration of Municipal Solid Waste and Ash Disposal

Rapid consumption of resources produces municipal solid wastes (MSW) in developing countries at the present time. MSW comprises the various kinds of waste present at different levels such as household products, industrial waste, biomedical waste, pesticides, sanitation residue, agriculture residue, building material waste, and so forth. The presence of solid waste in the water system is very hazardous and can cause severe health diseases in the human body such as dermatological disorder, respiratory infections, eye and blood infections, cholera, typhoid, tuberculosis, amoebic dysentery, anthrax, and so forth. Due to incineration of waste materials, the remaining ash is dumped into the water system so the amount of free oxygen in the water is diminished, which results in the death of fishes, beneficial bacteria, and worms, which play an important role in the fertility of the soil. This chapter reviews the challenges, methods, technologies, barriers, and opportunities associated with improving waste management worldwide.