Environmental and managerial advantages of treatment plants exploiting biogas from food waste

Abstract

The sector of biomethane production is receiving growing consideration in Europe, as an evolution of the conventional exploitation of biogas in combined heat and power (CHP) generators. From the technical point of view, a common need is to have available tools and calculations suitable for analysing the environmental advantages of this approach. The present paper compares the emissions of air pollutants related to three options for biogas valorisation from waste anaerobic digestion (AD) plants equipped with a post-composting stage: (1) CHP generation and electric energy supply to an electricity distribution network, and biomethane production through (2) pressurised water scrubbing and (3) chemical absorption. In the last two cases, biomethane is considered useful for natural-gas buses for the public. The results demonstrate that option (1) produces a lower amount of global pollutants but a higher amount of local contaminants compared to options (2) and (3). Therefore, decision makers should consider what impacts are more important for the specific context in which an AD and post-composting plant will be located. In addition, this paper estimates the benefits in terms of energy balance and surface occupancy when a conventional composting plant is converted into an AD and post-composting process.

The Management of Food Waste Recycling for a Sustainable Future: A Case Study on South Korea

“…Continual research focuses on various aspects of biogas production and utilization [65], including the optimization of anaerobic digestion by employing mechanical, chemical, and thermodynamic pretreatment processes and providing a solution for handling the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). Schiavon et al [66] studied the thermal and electrical energy aspects of post biogas production, assessing biogas utilization options and optimizing facility efficiency while considering environmental impacts. Moreover, biogas produced from organic waste sources, such as food waste treatment plants, is supplied to the urban gas pipeline network and used in compressed natural gas vehicles after a sophisticated purification process [67].…”

Review and Comparative Analysis of Renewable Energy Policies in the European Union, Russia and the United States

“…Decarbonization of the economy and the development of green energy are the major ways to develop the global energy sector until 2050; these measures contribute to a significant reduction of its negative impact on the environment and will allow achieving the set goals provided the effective implementation of the announced activities and programs [11,12]. The most promising direction is the development of renewable energy sources (RES)energy sources whose reserves are replenished naturally [12][13][14][15][16]. RES includes wind energy, solar energy, bioenergy, geothermal energy, hydropower, among others.…”

Emissions Control of Hydrochloric and Fluorhydric Acid in cement Factories from Romania

“…The burned waste type from the clinker kilns contributes to the number of emissions discharged into the atmosphere. Thus, burning wood chips with plastics and tires can increase chlorine emissions (by 26% and 89%, respectively), [20,21].…”