Biogas production potential in Algeria: Waste to energy opportunities

Abstract

Biogas is a renewable fuel and an energy source that can be applied in many different settings. It is defined as a combustible gas mixture produced by the anaerobic fermentation of biomass by bacteria and takes several days to form. In fact, the anaerobic digestion is a biological process, so valorizing organic matter, usually fatal, produces a renewable energy source and digestates that can be used as a fertilizer. Indeed, in the absence of oxygen (anaerobic digestion) and protected from light, organic matter is partially degraded by the combined action of several types of micro-organisms, a series of biological reactions leading to the formation of biogas composed of Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ), Nitrogen N 2 , Hydrogen H 2 , Oxygen O 2 , Water vapor H 2 O, Hydroxide Sulfur H 2 S and the energy recoverable portion Methane CH 4 but very harmful to the environment, or even 22 times more harmful than CO 2 which is a greenhouse gas (GHG). Therefore, Waste-to-energy provides a solution for two problems: waste management and energy generation. This biogas opportunity has appeared as one of the most interesting applications to help many municipalities in different countries to produce clean energy and even to manage wastes. It can be applied on the wastes of the agricultural fields as well as in the farms, in the food industry or simply in the municipal landfills. Numerous biogas installations have been built all over the world. Initially, the main objective was to produce biogas to generate energy, but quickly the environment aspect has appeared as an additional reason to build such facilities. This study covers the sustainable development area in which we will estimate the potential to produce biogas starting from the annual organic wastes data given by the concerning ministries and organizations in Algeria.

Assessment of Government Incentives for Energy from Waste in Colombia

“…The main sources of biogas are household garbage, manure fermentation, and untreated residential wastewater. In addition to methane and carbon dioxide, biogas also contains small amounts of hydrogen sulfide and some other pollutants that can be controlled [33].…”

Design of an Emergency Energy System for a City Assisted by Renewable Energy, Case Study: Latakia, Syria

“…Biomass energy: There is a large area of landfill near Latakia in Al-Bassa which receives about 1100 ton/day. Therefore, if we build a power plant to produce electricity from this waste, the generated electrical energy according to [35][36][37] will be about 660 MWh per day and 240.9 GWh. Also, we have a high solar radiation in Latakia.…”