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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A4: Bio-Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 15811

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marcin Dębowski

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Guest Editor

Division of Low Emission Energy Sources and Waste Management, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, C.K. Norwida 25, 50-375 Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: biogas; energy efficency; renewable energy; renewable energy sources; PV systems; wind energy

Prof. Dr. Przemysław Bukowski

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Guest Editor

Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Life Sciences and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: biofuel; energetics; renewable sources of energy; biomass combustion; PV; geothermal energy

Dr. Hubert Prask

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Guest Editor

Institute of Agricultural Engineering Faculty of Life Sciences and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: biogas production; Biomass conversion; management of renewable energy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Energy efficiency has become a key topic in today’s world, and improving it is the key element of development. Optimization activities should be carried out throughout the whole process, which will allow obtaining the expected product, as well as minimizing the impact on the environment. Based on the above, I would like to invite you to submit your research results in the Special Issue of Energies on the subject area of “Enhanced Biogas Production”. This Special Issue will deal with the broadly understood improvement of biogas production, taking into account the enrichment of substrates, improvement of production methods, improvement of the quality of biogas, as well as impact on the environment.

Topics of interest for publication include but are not limited to:

Enhanced biogas production;
Energy efficiency of biogas production;
Substrate additions for biogas yield improvement;
CFD and mathematical modeling as a tool for improving biogas production;
New substrates for biogas production;
Emission reduction;
LCA of biogas production;
Environmental implications of biogas enhancement;
Household biogas plants;
Biogas purification;
Waste to biogas.

Dr. Marcin Dębowski
Prof. Przemysław Bukowski
Dr. Hubert Prask
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

Biogas
Energy efficiency
Enhanced biogas production
Renewable energy
Waste to energy
Biogas LCA

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 40873 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improvement of Biogas Quality and Quantity for Small-Scale Biogas-Electricity Generation Application in off-Grid Settings: A Field-Based Study

by Henry Wasajja, Saqr A. A. Al-Muraisy, Antonella L. Piaggio, Pamela Ceron-Chafla, Purushothaman Vellayani Aravind, Henri Spanjers, Jules B. van Lier and Ralph E. F. Lindeboom

Energies 2021, 14(11), 3088; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14113088 - 26 May 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4312

Abstract

Small-scale electrical power generation (<100 kW) from biogas plants to provide off-grid electricity is of growing interest. Currently, gas engines are used to meet this demand. Alternatively, more efficient small-scale solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) can be used to enhance electricity generation from small-scale biogas plants. Most electricity generators require a constant gas supply and high gas quality in terms of absence of impurities like H₂S. Therefore, to efficiently use the biogas from existing decentralized anaerobic digesters for electricity production, higher quality and stable biogas flow must be guaranteed. The installation of a biogas upgrading and buffer system could be considered; however, the cost implication could be high at a small scale as compared to locally available alternatives such as co-digestion and improved digester operation. Therefore, this study initially describes relevant literature related to feedstock pre-treatment, co-digestion and user operational practices of small-scale digesters, which theoretically could lead to major improvements of anaerobic digestion process efficiency. The theoretical preamble is then coupled to the results of a field study, which demonstrated that many locally available resources and user practices constitute frugal innovations with potential to improve biogas quality and digester performance in off-grid settings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhanced Biogas Production)

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13 pages, 8311 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhanced Biogas Production by Ligninolytic Strain Enterobacter hormaechei KA3 for Anaerobic Digestion of Corn Straw

by Qing Zhang, Jing Zhang, Shuai Zhao, Peizhi Song, Yanli Chen, Pu Liu, Chunlan Mao and Xiangkai Li

Energies 2021, 14(11), 2990; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14112990 - 21 May 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2822

Abstract

Lignin-feeding insect gut is a natural ligninolytic microbial bank for the sustainable conversion of crop straw to biogas. However, limited studies have been done on highly efficient microbes. Here, an efficient ligninolytic strain Enterobacter hormaechei KA3 was isolated from the gut microbiomes of lignin-feeding Hypomeces squamosus Fabricius, and its effects on lignin degradation and anaerobic digestion were investigated. No research has been reported. Results showed that strain KA3 had better lignin-degrading ability for corn straw with a higher lignin-degrading rate (32.05%) and lignin peroxidase activity (585.2 U/L). Furthermore, the highest cumulative biogas yield (59.19 L/kg-VS) and methane yield (14.76 L/kg-VS) were obtained for KA3 inoculation, which increased by 20% and 31%, respectively, compared to CK. Higher removal rates of COD, TS, and vs. of 41.6%, 43.11%, and 66.59% were also found. Moreover, microbial community diversity increased as digestion time prolonged in TG, and bacteria were more diverse than archaea. The dominant genus taxon, for methanogens, was Methanosate in TG, while in CK was Methanosarcina. For bacteria, dominant taxa were similar for all groups, which were Solibacillus and Clostridium. Therefore, strain KA3 improved the methane conversion of the substrate. This study could provide a new microbial resource and practical application base for lignin degradation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhanced Biogas Production)

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22 pages, 1607 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison of Biological Efficiency Assessment Methods and Their Application to Full-Scale Biogas Plants

by Benedikt Hülsemann, Torsten Mächtig, Marcel Pohl, Jan Liebetrau, Joachim Müller, Eberhard Hartung and Hans Oechsner

Energies 2021, 14(9), 2381; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14092381 - 22 Apr 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2365

Abstract

For calculation of biological efficiency of a biogas plant (BP), it is required to determine the specific methane potential (SMP) of the substrate. A study comparing available methods for determination of SMP and the comparison with data of full-scale BPs is missing but necessary according to the differences in process conditions between both. Firstly, mass and mass associated energy balances of 33 full-scale BPs were calculated and evaluated. The results show plausible data for only 55% of the investigated BPs. Furthermore, conversion and yield efficiencies were calculated according to six different methods for SMP determination. The results show a correlation between the measured on-site specific methane yield and the calculated SMP by methods based on biological degradability. However, these methods underestimate the SMP. Calculated SMPs based on calorific values are higher, but less sensitive. A combination of biochemical and energetical methods is a promising approach to evaluate the efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhanced Biogas Production)

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18 pages, 12827 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhancement of Food Waste Management and Its Environmental Consequences

by Jan den Boer, Gudrun Obersteiner, Sebastian Gollnow, Emilia den Boer and Renata Bodnárné Sándor

Energies 2021, 14(6), 1790; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14061790 - 23 Mar 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3139

Abstract

This paper assesses the potential environmental effects of the optimization of the kitchen waste management in Opole. The separate collection of kitchen waste is improved by distribution of separate collection kits consisting of an in-home bin and 10 L biodegradable bags. The surplus of collected kitchen waste is diverted from treatment in a mechanical-biological pretreatment (MBP) along with the residual waste to anaerobic digestion (AD) with the biowaste. This has positive effects on European and Polish goals, ambitions, and targets, such as (i) increasing the level of renewables in the primary energy supply, (ii) decreasing the level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, (iii) increasing the level of preparation for reuse and recycling of municipal waste. The environmental effects of 1 ton additionally separately collected and treated kitchen waste are determined by using life cycle assessment. It was shown that in all selected impact categories (global warming potential, marine eutrophication potential, acidification potential, and ozone depletion potential) a clear environmental benefit can be achieved. These benefits are mainly caused by the avoided emissions of electricity and heat from the Polish production mix, which are substituted by energy generation from biogas combustion. Optimization of the waste management system by diversion of kitchen waste from mechanical-biological pretreatment to anaerobic digestion can lead to considerable saving of 448 kg CO₂-eq/t of waste diverted. With an estimated optimization potential for the demonstration site of 40 kg/inh·year for the city of Opole, this would lead to 680,000 t CO₂-eq savings per year for the whole of Poland. The sensitivity analysis showed that with a choice for cleaner energy sources the results would, albeit lower, show a significant savings potential. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhanced Biogas Production)

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12 pages, 1183 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Potassium Hydroxyde Pre-Treatment Enhances Methane Yield from Giant Reed (Arundo donax L.)

by Ciro Vasmara, Stefano Cianchetta, Rosa Marchetti, Enrico Ceotto and Stefania Galletti

Energies 2021, 14(3), 630; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14030630 - 26 Jan 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2262

Abstract

The biogas production through the anaerobic digestion (AD) of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) biomass has received increasing attention. However, due to the presence of lignin, a low CH₄ yield can be obtained. Aiming to improve the CH₄ yield from giant reed biomass, the effectiveness of a thermo-chemical pre-treatment based on KOH was evaluated in this paper. The usefulness of a washing step before the AD was also assessed. The pre-treatment led to a specific CH₄ yield up to 232 mL CH₄ g⁻¹ VS which was 21% higher than that from untreated biomass; the maximum daily rate of production was improved by 42%, AD duration was reduced by 10%, and CH₄ concentration in the biogas was increased by 23%. On the contrary, the washing step did not improve the AD process. Besides, washing away the liquid fraction led to biomass losses, reducing the overall CH₄ production. The use of a KOH-based pre-treatment appears as a good option for enhancing the AD of giant reed, also presenting potential environmental and agronomical benefits, like the avoidance of salty wastewater production and the likely improvement of the digestate quality, due to its enriched K content. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhanced Biogas Production)

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