Energetic Valorization of Solid Wastes from the Alcoholic Beverage Production Industry: Distilled Gin Spent Botanicals and Brewers’ Spent Grains

Abstract

In this paper, the authors assess the possibilities of energetic valorization for two solid wastes from alcoholic beverage production. Distilled gin spent botanicals (DGSB) and brewers’ spent grains (BSG) are tested, both by themselves and as co-substrates, for their possibilities as substrates for anaerobic digestion in a system of box-type digesters, suited for the process. While BSGs show a good performance for anaerobic digestion, DGSBs, despite showing an acceptable biomethanogenic potential result as not suitable for the process. Experiments using DGSBs as substrate in the reactors result in failure. And, as a co-substrate, the biomethanogenic digestion process appears to be hampered and lagged. Possible explanations for this behavior are explored, as well as other possibilities for the use of the material as a power source given its high heating value.

Development of Energy Recovery from Waste in Slovakia Compared with the Worldwide Trend

“…Moldgy and Parameshwaran investigated the properties of organic materials for waste heat recovery applications and found a high heat capacity [8]. Montes and Rico evaluated the possibility of applying energetic valorization to solid wastes from alcoholic beverage production and found that the use of waste material as a power source was possible given its high heating value [9]. Onorevoli et al presented a material with a high absorption potential which was acquired through energetic extraction from tobacco seeds, which is a material with high added value [10].…”