Biogas Production from Local Biomass Feedstock in the Mekong Delta and Its Utilization for a Direct Internal Reforming Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

Abstract

Fuel-flexible solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technologies are presently under study in a Vietnam-Japan international joint research project. The purpose of this project is to develop and demonstrate an SOFC-incorporated energy circulation system for the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta region. Lab-scale methane fermentation experiments in this study with a mixture of biomass feedstock collected in the Mekong Delta (shrimp pond sludge, bagasse, and molasses from sugar production) recorded biogas production yield over 400 L kgVS −1 with H 2 S concentration below 50 ppm level. This real biogas was directly supplied to an SOFC without any fuel processing such as desulfurization, methane enrichment and pre-reforming, and stable power generation was achieved by applying paper-structured catalyst (PSC) technology.

Lab-scale biogas production from co-digestion of super-intensive shrimp sludge and potential biomass feedstocks

“…On the other hand, this study confirms that co-digestion of biomass and shrimp sludge at a C/N ratio of 25/1 significantly increases the effectiveness of biogas production compared to mono-digestion of solely shrimp sludge which is consistent with co-digestion of biomass materials and various waste sources from the previous works [31,32,33,34]. In one aspect, the results of this study show that although cosubstrates were adjusted to an appropriated C/N ratio, biogas production from the mixture was tentatively lower than that of previous studies [12,14]. This could be explained by the effects of salinity in the initial sludge (10.16 mg L -1 ) and a shorter retention time within 45 days.…”

“…In the Vietnamese Mekong Delta, agricultural production plays a leading role in local livelihood activities, and contributes up to 50% of national gross domestic product [12]. As such, agricultural residues are abundant in almost all localities; especially, rice straw which is annually produced at approximately 26 Mt year -1 [13].…”

“…Combining locally available biomass and shrimp sludge with a more favorable C/N ratio potentially promotes biogas production. Several previous studies have undertaken co-digestion between potential biomass inputs and shrimp sludge for biogas production [12,14]. However, these experiments have mostly concentrated on accelerating biogas production conditions by supplementing methanogenesis bacteria and stainless-steel fermenters.…”

Enhancing the Energy Efficiency of Wastewater Treatment Plants through Co-digestion and Fuel Cell Systems

“…On the other side, challenges for industrial replication of the biogas-fed SOFC concept should also be faced and discussed, such as the deeper biogas cleaning respect to traditional ICEs. This topic is deeply discussed in the authors' previous works and others literature works (Papurello et al, 2014Lanzini et al, 2017;Shiratori et al, 2017).…”

A Collaborative Framework for Hydropower Development and Sustainable Livelihood of Farmers in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin: A Review with the Perspective of Energy-Water-Food Nexus

“…The construction of hydropower will also lead to improvements in the rough production structure in the LMRB, as the local government encourages rice production, dryland crops, cattle raising and commercial aquaculture to gradually replace traditional rough production methods, reducing wild fish catches and aquatic animals [68]. These resources, such as shrimp pond sludge and bagasse, can provide a richer source of fuel for local farmers [70]. In terms of food, nearly 66% of the population in the Mekong River Basin works in fisheries-related production, and 60% of the local population's protein intake comes from fish [71].…”