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Barak D, Kocoglu M, Jahanger A, Tan M. Testing the EKC hypothesis for ecological and carbon intensity of well-being: The role of forest extent. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 945:173794. [PMID: 38866155 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
The G-20 countries represent a considerable percentage of the global economy and are crucial in matters to do with support for environmental sustainability. The uniqueness of this study lies in determining the effects of forests on human well-being and environmental degradation with respect to G20, offering a unique perspective regarding the efforts to battle climate change. The study analyzed the impact of income, forest extent and education on ecological and carbon intensity of well-being following the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. Based on annual data from 1990 to 2022 and employing the Method of Moments Quantile Regression, the results validate the presence of an inverted U-shaped relationship between GDP and environmental well-being which refers to the existence of EKC. Our results connect improved ecological and carbon intensity of well-being with expanding forest extent and improving education levels. Forest management combined with educational management work as an effective mechanism reducing environmental degradation while also positively contributing to human well-being. In addition, through these informed and rational decisions, policy makers can promote the environmental stability of forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dogan Barak
- Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Bingöl University, Bingöl, Türkiye.
| | - Mustafa Kocoglu
- Erciyes University, Kayseri 38039, Türkiye; Prague University of Economics and Business, Faculty of Finance and Accounting, W. Churchill sq. 4, Prague 3 130 67, Czech Republic.
| | - Atif Jahanger
- International Business School, Hainan University, Haikou City, Hainan 570228, China; Institute of Open Economy, Hainan University, Hainan province, Haikou, 570228, China.
| | - Muhsin Tan
- Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Bingöl University, Bingöl, Türkiye.
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2
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Licata M, Farruggia D, Di Miceli G, Salamone F, Iacuzzi N, Tuttolomondo T. Productivity of two Brassica oilseed crops in a Mediterranean environment and assessment of the qualitative characteristics of raw materials for bioenergy purposes. Heliyon 2024; 10:e26818. [PMID: 38434387 PMCID: PMC10907774 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Rapeseed (Brassica napus var. oleifera D.C.) and Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun) are promising industrial crops for cultivation in the Southern Mediterranean area due to profitable yields under semi-arid conditions. The exploitation of raw materials produced by these crops is very convenient for farmers to produce bioenergy directly on-farm and permits them to create a short agri-energy supply chain. The purpose of this study was to determine their yield performance under rainfed conditions and make an economic assessment of a combined heat and power plant (CHP) system operating on pure vegetable oil (PVO). Tests were conducted in Sicily (Italy) from 2012 to 2014. Seed and crop residue yields were detected. The analysis of seed, defatted seed meal and crop residue, and the chemical-physical aspects of PVO were carried out according to conventional protocols. A pilot CHP system was used for cogenerating electricity and heat. In general, rapeseed had the highest seed (2.27 t ha-1) and oil (1.11 t ha-1) yields. The average oil content ranged from 44.88 % (Ethiopian mustard) to 45.73 % dry matter (rapeseed). Ethiopian mustard performed better than rapeseed in terms of aboveground biomass yield (5.49 t ha-1), in both years. The two crops showed different fatty acid profiles of the oil mainly due to diverse content of erucic and oleic acids. The CHP system had an average consumption of 14.41 kg PVO h-1. These results confirm that the productivity of the species can be appreciable in the Southern Mediterranean area and indicate the use of raw materials of these crops as crucial to the development a sustainable short agri-energy supply chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Licata
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Palermo, Viale Delle Scienze 13, Building 4, 90128, Palermo, Italy
- Research Consortium for the Development of Innovative Agro-Environmental Systems, Via Della Libertà 203, 90143, Palermo, Italy
| | - Davide Farruggia
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Palermo, Viale Delle Scienze 13, Building 4, 90128, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Di Miceli
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Palermo, Viale Delle Scienze 13, Building 4, 90128, Palermo, Italy
| | - Francesco Salamone
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Palermo, Viale Delle Scienze 13, Building 4, 90128, Palermo, Italy
| | - Nicolò Iacuzzi
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Palermo, Viale Delle Scienze 13, Building 4, 90128, Palermo, Italy
| | - Teresa Tuttolomondo
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Palermo, Viale Delle Scienze 13, Building 4, 90128, Palermo, Italy
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Zaki M, Rowles LS, Adjeroh DA, Orner KD. A Critical Review of Data Science Applications in Resource Recovery and Carbon Capture from Organic Waste. ACS ES&T ENGINEERING 2023; 3:1424-1467. [PMID: 37854077 PMCID: PMC10580293 DOI: 10.1021/acsestengg.3c00043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Municipal and agricultural organic waste can be treated to recover energy, nutrients, and carbon through resource recovery and carbon capture (RRCC) technologies such as anaerobic digestion, struvite precipitation, and pyrolysis. Data science could benefit such technologies by improving their efficiency through data-driven process modeling along with reducing environmental and economic burdens via life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA), respectively. We critically reviewed 616 peer-reviewed articles on the use of data science in RRCC published during 2002-2022. Although applications of machine learning (ML) methods have drastically increased over time for modeling RRCC technologies, the reviewed studies exhibited significant knowledge gaps at various model development stages. In terms of sustainability, an increasing number of studies included LCA with TEA to quantify both environmental and economic impacts of RRCC. Integration of ML methods with LCA and TEA has the potential to cost-effectively investigate the trade-off between efficiency and sustainability of RRCC, although the literature lacked such integration of techniques. Therefore, we propose an integrated data science framework to inform efficient and sustainable RRCC from organic waste based on the review. Overall, the findings from this review can inform practitioners about the effective utilization of various data science methods for real-world implementation of RRCC technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed
T. Zaki
- Wadsworth
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505, United States
| | - Lewis S. Rowles
- Department
of Civil Engineering and Construction, Georgia
Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia 30458, United States
| | - Donald A. Adjeroh
- Lane
Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505, United States
| | - Kevin D. Orner
- Wadsworth
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505, United States
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4
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Alengebawy A, Ran Y, Ghimire N, Osman AI, Ai P. Rice straw for energy and value-added products in China: a review. ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS 2023; 21:1-32. [PMID: 37362014 PMCID: PMC10267560 DOI: 10.1007/s10311-023-01612-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
The rise of global waste and the decline of fossil fuels are calling for recycling waste into energy and materials. For example, rice straw, a by-product of rice cultivation, can be converted into biogas and by-products with added value, e.g., biofertilizer, yet processing rice straw is limited by the low energy content, high ash and silica, low nitrogen, high moisture, and high-quality variability. Here, we review the recycling of rice straw with focus on the global and Chinese energy situations, conversion of rice straw into energy and gas, biogas digestate management, cogeneration, biogas upgrading, bioeconomy, and life cycle assessment. The quality of rice straw can be improved by pretreatments, such as baling, ensiling, and co-digestion of rice straw with other feedstocks. The biogas digestate can be used to fertilize soils. The average annual potential energy of collectable rice straw, with a lower heating value of 15.35 megajoule/kilogram, over the past ten years (2013-2022) could reach 2.41 × 109 megajoule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Alengebawy
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 China
- Technology & Equipment Center for Carbon Neutrality, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 China
| | - Yi Ran
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 China
- Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Nirmal Ghimire
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, 44600 Nepal
| | - Ahmed I. Osman
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen’s University Belfast, David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, Belfast, BT9 5AG Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Ping Ai
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 China
- Technology & Equipment Center for Carbon Neutrality, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 China
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5
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Alba-Reyes Y, Barrera EL, Brito-Ibarra Y, Hermida-García FO. Life cycle environmental impacts of using food waste liquid fodder as an alternative for pig feeding in a conventional Cuban farm. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 858:159915. [PMID: 36343806 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
This work aimed to compare cleaner production alternatives for pig production in the Cuban context through the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach emphasizing the utilization of food waste (FW) as a substitute for traditional grain-based pig feeding. A conventional waste management method (lagooning) was assessed, including more environmentally friendly approaches (use of anaerobic digestion (AD) process); including the substitution of a fraction of solid fodder with food waste liquid fodder (LF), obtained from food waste. The analysis was based on one porcine equivalent livestock unit. The environmental impact categories assessed were global warming, terrestrial ecotoxicity, human carcinogenic toxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity, terrestrial acidification, and freshwater eutrophication. The major environmental benefits for pig production were observed when the maximum capacity of pigs was considered. In addition, favorable environmental performance was achieved by considering the substitution of solid fodder by LF, the AD as a waste management process, and the valorization of the solid and liquid effluents. The avoided products-related activities were the main contributor to freshwater ecotoxicity, human carcinogenic toxicity, and terrestrial ecotoxicity impact categories (up to 71 %). The sensitivity analysis showed that the variation in LF composition (protein concentration) could have a remarkable impact in all impact categories. Climate change performed as the more sensible impact category, suggesting that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as CO2 and N2O, are important drivers to change the environmental impact and need more attention. This research demonstrates that the environmental profile of the process can be improved by applying a cleaner production approach (AD as a waste management alternative and LF substituting solid fodder).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmani Alba-Reyes
- Centre for Energy and Industrial Processes Studies (CEEPI), University of Sancti Spiritus, Ave de Los Martires 360, 60100 Sancti Spiritus, Cuba.
| | - Ernesto L Barrera
- Centre for Energy and Industrial Processes Studies (CEEPI), University of Sancti Spiritus, Ave de Los Martires 360, 60100 Sancti Spiritus, Cuba
| | - Yaima Brito-Ibarra
- Centre for Energy and Industrial Processes Studies (CEEPI), University of Sancti Spiritus, Ave de Los Martires 360, 60100 Sancti Spiritus, Cuba
| | - Félix Orestes Hermida-García
- Centre for Energy and Industrial Processes Studies (CEEPI), University of Sancti Spiritus, Ave de Los Martires 360, 60100 Sancti Spiritus, Cuba
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6
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Alfonso-Cardero A, Pagés-Díaz J, Kalogirou E, Psomopoulos CS, Lorenzo-Llanes J. To dream or not to dream in Havana: multi-criteria decision-making for material and energy recovery from municipal solid wastes. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:8601-8616. [PMID: 34767162 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17360-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Currently, solid waste management strategies in Havana are outdated. This paper aimed to select the most suitable alternative for integrating material recovery facilities (MRF) with waste-to-energy technologies in the city of Havana, Cuba. Seven scenarios were considered: combustion, gasification, and hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) with and without carbon capture, and anaerobic digestion (AD). The selection was based on environmental, techno-economic, and social parameters using an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) as a multi-criteria decision-making tool (MCDM). The MCDM-AHP accounted for qualitative criteria (based on experts' judgments) and quantitative (based on Aspen Plus simulation models). From the MRF, 63% of the input recyclable materials were recovered, representing an energy saving of 256 kW-h/tMSW. The AHP results showed that environmental criteria had the highest priority, resulting in ~63% and ~73% higher than social and techno-economic criteria, respectively. Likewise, from the techno-economic, environmental, and social sub-criteria analysis, investment risk, pollution, and work safety had the major concern compared with the other sub-criteria levels. Overall, MRF+AD was the most suitable scenario (21% preference) for treating Havana's municipal solid waste (MSW), followed by combustion and gasification with carbon capture, respectively. This study confirms that AD is a preference option for emerging economies like Cuba, mainly due to low environmental pollution, high social acceptance, and financial stability in the long term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arael Alfonso-Cardero
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Tecnológica de La Habana "José Antonio Echeverría" (CUJAE), Marianao, 11500, La Habana, Cuba
| | - Jhosané Pagés-Díaz
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Laboratorio de Biotecnología Ambiental, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, USACH, Casilla 40, Correo 33, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Constantinos S Psomopoulos
- Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering, University of West Attica, Campus Ancient Olive Grove, 250 Thivon str & P. Rali Ave, GR-12244, Egaleo, Greece
- Earth Engineering Center, Columbia University, 500 West 120th St., #926, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Junior Lorenzo-Llanes
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Bioprocesos, Escuela de Ingeniería, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Macul, Santiago, Chile.
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7
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Neupane D. Biofuels from Renewable Sources, a Potential Option for Biodiesel Production. BIOENGINEERING (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 10:bioengineering10010029. [PMID: 36671601 PMCID: PMC9855116 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10010029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Ever-increasing population growth that demands more energy produces tremendous pressure on natural energy reserves such as coal and petroleum, causing their depletion. Climate prediction models predict that drought events will be more intense during the 21st century affecting agricultural productivity. The renewable energy needs in the global energy supply must stabilize surface temperature rise to 1.5 °C compared to pre-industrial values. To address the global climate issue and higher energy demand without depleting fossil reserves, growing bioenergy feedstock as the potential resource for biodiesel production could be a viable alternative. The interest in growing biofuels for biodiesel production has increased due to its potential benefits over fossil fuels and the flexibility of feedstocks. Therefore, this review article focuses on different biofuels and biomass resources for biodiesel production, their properties, procedure, factors affecting biodiesel production, different catalysts used, and greenhouse gas emissions from biodiesel production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhurba Neupane
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
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8
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Alengebawy A, Mohamed BA, Ghimire N, Jin K, Liu T, Samer M, Ai P. Understanding the environmental impacts of biogas utilization for energy production through life cycle assessment: An action towards reducing emissions. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 213:113632. [PMID: 35700765 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Unlike renewable energy sources, burning fossil fuels has severe environmental impacts, such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess and compare the environmental impacts of three biogas utilization scenarios for energy production. The life cycle assessment (LCA) method was used to compare (i) biogas combustion in combined heat and power (CHP) unit, (ii) biogas burning in a steam boiler, and (iii) biogas upgrading using pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit to determine the most sustainable option. The results revealed that the upgrading scenario was the best option, achieving emission savings in 8 out of 10 investigated impact categories. Among them, the emission saving was the highest in the marine aquatic ecotoxicity category (-4276.97 kg 1,4-DB eq./MJ). The CHP scenario was the second-best option, followed by the boiler scenario (worst option), and both had the most beneficial performance in the ozone depletion potential category with 6.29E-08 and 9.88E-08 kg CFC-11-eq./MJ, respectively. The environmental burdens of the boiler scenario were the highest in the marine aquatic ecotoxicity category (248.92 kg 1,4-DB eq./MJ). Although the CHP and boiler scenarios contributed to environmental burdens in all impact categories, they achieved beneficial performances compared to fossil fuel-based systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Alengebawy
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Badr A Mohamed
- Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, 12613, Egypt
| | - Nirmal Ghimire
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Green Hydrogen Lab, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, 45200, Nepal
| | - Keda Jin
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Tingting Liu
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Mohamed Samer
- Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, 12613, Egypt
| | - Ping Ai
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China; Technology & Equipment Center for Carbon Neutrality, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
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9
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Alengebawy A, Mohamed BA, Ran Y, Yang Y, Pezzuolo A, Samer M, Ai P. A comparative environmental life cycle assessment of rice straw-based bioenergy projects in China. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 212:113404. [PMID: 35568236 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Bioenergy is a promising solution for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mitigation. However, the emissions resulting from the different production stages must be quantified and evaluated. The life cycle assessment (LCA) method was used to compare and quantify the environmental burdens of three rice straw (RS) utilization scenarios for producing biogas, briquette fuel, and syngas. To our knowledge, this is the first study that applies the LCA approach to assess these three bioenergy scenarios in a single study where the main goal was to determine the most sustainable option. A total of 10 mid-point impact categories were investigated. The results indicated that the three scenarios achieved net positive energy and net negative GHG balances. The briquette fuel scenarios had the highest net energy balance (11,115 MJ/tonne dry RS), while the syngas scenario had the highest net GHG (-2,315 kg CO2-eq./tonne dry RS). Moreover, the syngas scenario was the most beneficial to the environment, achieving negative results in 9 out of the 10 impact categories; the largest was marine ecotoxicity (-853,897 kg 1,4-DB-eq./tonne dry RS). The biogas scenario achieved emission savings in 3 out of the 10 categories. Although the briquette fuel scenario had no negative values in the 10 categories, its overall contribution to environmental burdens was relatively low. Overall, the order of the three scenarios in terms of the most sustainable option is syngas > briquette fuel > biogas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Alengebawy
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Badr A Mohamed
- Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, 12613, Egypt
| | - Yi Ran
- Key Laboratory of Development and Application of Rural Renewable Energy, Ministry of Agriculture, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Hubei Provincial Rural Energy Office, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Andrea Pezzuolo
- Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, 35020, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Mohamed Samer
- Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, 12613, Egypt
| | - Ping Ai
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
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Dong YN, Chen WC, Zhang LL, Sun BC, Chu GW, Chen JF. Sulfur recycle in biogas production: Novel Higee desulfurization process using natural amino acid salts. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 297:134215. [PMID: 35248597 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In this work, a desulfurization method using natural amino acid salts (AAS), which can be green prepared by biological fermentation, is proposed to remove H2S from raw biogas. Biogas purification and fertilizer production can be simultaneously achieved to close sulfur recycle. The reaction kinetic characteristics of H2S absorption with three kinds of AAS, including potassium β-alaninate (PA), potassium sarcosinate (PS) and potassium l-prolinate (PP) are first studied. Kinetic parameters including orders of reaction, rate constants, pre-exponential factors and activation energies are given. AAS absorbent exhibits good potential for biogas desulfurization. Higee (high gravity) technology is utilized to intensify H2S removal. The effects of operating conditions on H2S removal efficiency are investigated and PP shows the best desulfurization performance. The phytotoxicity of AAS and amino acid salt sulfide (AASS) is assessed by the germination index of mungbean seeds. PP and its salt sulfide (PPS) show relatively low phytotoxicity and their allowable agricultural feeding concentrations are below 0.08 M and 0.04 M, respectively. The desulfurization method demonstrates a green route for biogas purification to achieve sulfur recycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ning Dong
- Research Center of the Ministry of Education for High Gravity Engineering and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, PR China
| | - Wen-Cong Chen
- Research Center of the Ministry of Education for High Gravity Engineering and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, PR China
| | - Liang-Liang Zhang
- Research Center of the Ministry of Education for High Gravity Engineering and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, PR China.
| | - Bao-Chang Sun
- Research Center of the Ministry of Education for High Gravity Engineering and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, PR China
| | - Guang-Wen Chu
- Research Center of the Ministry of Education for High Gravity Engineering and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, PR China
| | - Jian-Feng Chen
- Research Center of the Ministry of Education for High Gravity Engineering and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, PR China
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11
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Zhou X, Li J, Zhao X, Yang J, Sun H, Yang SS, Bai S. Resource recovery in life cycle assessment of sludge treatment: Contribution, sensitivity, and uncertainty. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 806:150409. [PMID: 34599953 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This study focused on the resource recovery of sludge treatment by quantifying the environmental contributions, identifying the influential factors, and comparing different scenarios. Life cycle assessment (LCA) of sewage sludge treatment was carried out to estimate the environmental impacts of six scenarios: (1) co-digestion of sludge and food waste; (2) co-gasification of sludge and woody waste; (3) co-incineration of sludge and used oil; (4) landfilling; (5) incineration; and (6) anaerobic digestion combined with incineration. Results demonstrate that the resource recovery had a substantial contribution to the environmental performance of the sludge treatment, while the degree of contribution was largely affected by various treatment scenarios and diverse impact categories. To gain deep insight into the parameters related to resource recovery, sensitivity analysis was performed to investigate the influence of the parameters on the LCA results, including the organic content, conversion efficiency of organic matter to methane, and other energy conversion efficiencies. After integrating the inventory variation of those parameters into the decision process via the Monte Carlo simulation, results indicate that no obviously superior scenario could be identified. Conversely, when parameter uncertainty was not considered, co-gasification of sludge and woody waste exhibited the most preferable environmental performance. Overall, this study demonstrates that considering the parameter uncertainty of resource recovery will contribute to a more transparent evaluation process, but will inevitably increase the complexity of the decision-making process based on LCA results because it is difficult to determine a sludge treatment scenario that decisively outperforms the others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 150090 Harbin, China
| | - Jing Li
- China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, 100044 Beijing, China
| | - Xinyue Zhao
- College of Resource and Environment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Jixian Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 150090 Harbin, China
| | - Hongliang Sun
- Changchun Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute, 130033 Changchun, China
| | - Shan-Shan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 150090 Harbin, China
| | - Shunwen Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 150090 Harbin, China.
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Optimization of biogas yield from anaerobic co-digestion of corn-chaff and cow dung digestate: RSM and python approach. Heliyon 2021; 7:e08255. [PMID: 34816026 PMCID: PMC8593443 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The utilization of various feedstocks of unique characteristics in producing biogas could potentially enhance the application of clean fuel from biomass wastes. Two modelling tools were used to explore biogas production from plant and animal wastes. In this study, corn chaff was inoculated with cow dung digestate using different mixing ratios of substrate/inoculum (S/I) of 1:1, 1:1.55, and 1:3.5 for hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 25, 31, and 37 days as modelled using Central Composite Design (Face Centered Design) to optimize the process and predict the optimal response. The result shows that the mixture ratio of 1:1.55 for 37 days gave a cumulative highest biogas yield of 6.19 L under mesophilic conditions. The model p-value is <0.0001, an indication that the model term is significant. The python coding of the input factors gave the optimal value of 4.71 L, which is similar to the result obtained via CCD. Thus, both CCD (Face Centered Design) and python coding are reliable in the optimization of biogas production as they both predicted the same optimal values and approximately the same highest cumulative biogas yield. The GC-MS characterization of produced biogas revealed that it contains 68% methane and 22.76% CO2. Other constituents present are confirmed by FTIR analysis results. The methane in produced biogas has a flashpoint of -182 °C, which is extremely flammable. This data shows that both CCD and python coding can model biogas production with high accuracy and biogas produced can be used for heating purposes.
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Design of a Centralized Bioenergy Unit at Comarca Lagunera, Mexico: Modeling Strategy to Optimize Bioenergy Production and Reduce Methane Emissions. Processes (Basel) 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/pr9081350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A centralized bioenergy unit was simulated, focusing on optimizing the manure transport chain, installing a centralized biogas plant, operation costs of the process, biogas upgrading, organic fertilizer production, and economic analyses. Comarca Lagunera from northeast Mexico was chosen as a study zone due to the existing number of dairy farms and livestock population (64,000 cattle heads). Two scenarios were analyzed: The first centralized scenario consisted of selecting one unique location for the anaerobic digesters for the 16 farms; the second decentralized scenario consisted of distributing the anaerobic digesters in three locations. Optimal locations were determined using mathematical modeling. The bioenergy unit was designed to process 1600 t/day of dairy manure. Results indicated that biomethane production was a more profitable option than generating electricity with non-purified methane. The amount of biomethane production was 58,756 m3/day. Economic analysis for centralized bioenergy unit scenario showed a net production cost of USD $0.80 per kg of biomethane with a profit margin of 14.4% within 10.7 years. The decentralized bioenergy unit scenario showed a net production cost of USD $0.80 per kg of biomethane with a profit of 12.9% within 11.4 years. This study demonstrated the techno-economical and environmental feasibility for centralized and decentralized bioenergy units.
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14
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Land-Use Change and Bioenergy Production: Soil Consumption and Characterization of Anaerobic Digestion Plants. ENERGIES 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/en14134001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The exploitation of bioenergy plays a key role in the process of decarbonising the economic system. Huge efforts have been made to develop bioenergy and other renewable energy systems, but it is necessary to investigate the costs and problems associated with these technologies. Soil consumption and, in particular, soil sealing are some of these aspects that should be carefully evaluated. Agricultural biogas plants (ABPs) often remove areas dedicated to agricultural activities and require broad paved areas for the associated facilities. This study aimed to (i) assess the surfaces destined to become facilities and buildings in ABPs, (ii) correlate these surfaces with each other and to the installed powers of the plants, and (iii) estimate the consumption of soil in bioenergy applications in Italy. Two hundred ABPs were sampled from an overall population of 1939, and the extents of the facilities were measured by aerial and satellite observations. An ABP with an installed power of 1000 kW covers an average surface area of up to 23,576 m2. Most of this surface, 97.9%, is obtained from previously cultivated areas. The ABP analysis proved that 24.7 m2 of surface area produces 1 kW of power by bioenergy. The obtained model estimated a total consumption of soil by ABPs in Italy of 31,761,235 m2. This research can support stakeholders in cost-benefit analyses to design energy systems based on renewable energy sources.
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Hou Y, Wang Q. A bibliometric study about energy, environment, and climate change. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:34187-34199. [PMID: 33974203 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-14059-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Using the extended science citation index database (SCI) and social science citation index (SSCI) databases, this paper analyzed the characteristics of publications, research foundations, research hotspots, and the evolutionary tracks of studies in the field of energy, environment, and climate change from 1990 to 2019 using a bibliometric method. This method is useful because it involves the quantitative analysis of large amounts of literature, using mathematical and statistical method. The results showed that the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), and China were the countries with the most published papers in the field. The US plays a key role in the cooperation between international institutions. An assessment conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) created the standard scientific reference for the research on climate change and its consequences. From 2006 to 2016, a large number of co-cited papers laid a solid foundation for research in the field. During this period, the research focused on the impact of climate change on the ecological environment, began to propose different countermeasures, and formed a set of mature research methods. From 2017 to 2019, there was an acceleration in the growth rate of the number of published articles. Strategies to address climate change, including renewable energy and energy transition, were the focus during this phase. Future studies are expected to focus on climate change mitigation strategies and energy policies. The findings provide a reference for researchers and can help policy makers balance economic development with environmental protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yali Hou
- College of Information Engineering, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Nanjing, 211171, China
| | - Qunwei Wang
- College of Economics and Management, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 211106, China.
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16
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Assessment of Tomato Peels Suitable for Producing Biomethane within the Context of Circular Economy: A GIS-Based Model Analysis. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13105559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Biomass is seen as one of the most dominant future renewable energy sources. In detail, agro-industrial by-products represent a cheap, renewable, and abundant feedstock useful for several new products, including biochemical, biomaterials, and above all biogas, which are taking on an ever-increasing role in Italy. In this context, the tomato chain was analysed aiming at estimating the amount of processed tomato and the related waste production as a new suitable resource for producing biofuel as a new frontier within the context of a circular economy. Due the importance of the tomato industry, this research aims at filling gaps in the knowledge of the production and yield of the by-products that are useful as biomass for energy use in those territorial areas where the biomethane sector is still developing. This aim could be relevant for planning the sustainable development of the biomethane sector by reducing both soil consumption for dedicated energy crops and GHG emissions coming from the biomass logistic supply. The achieved results show the localization of territorial areas highly characterized by this kind of biomass. Therefore, it would be desirable that the future policies of development in the biomethane sector consider the availability and the distribution of these suitable biomasses within the territory.
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Ajay CM, Mohan S, Dinesha P. Decentralized energy from portable biogas digesters using domestic kitchen waste: A review. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2021; 125:10-26. [PMID: 33667979 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2021.02.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion is one of the main waste-to-energy technologies in reducing the volume of biodegradable waste into energy-rich biogas. Recent studies have revealed that kitchen wastes as a feedstock possess great potential in energy production and anaerobic digestion proved to be a promising technology among different kitchen waste management techniques such as incineration, pyrolysis, gasification, landfills, composting, etc. To anaerobically treat feedstock, an airtight enclosed container commonly known as biodigester will be employed. To suffice the energy requirement for cooking in the rural areas and recently even in the urban areas, a small-scale biogas unit commonly referred to as portable type biodigester is blooming as an attractive alternative for the production of biogas domestically. Hence, this review emphasizes on anaerobic digestion of kitchen wastes and the design of portable type biodigester. The present review provides an overview of different kitchen waste management techniques. The paper also discusses the different types of biomass feedstock and provides a generalized procedure for the design of a portable biogas unit. This study confirms that the systematic design of biogas units and proper feeding of kitchen waste offers an advantage of effective utilization of wastes in the production of decentralized energy.
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Affiliation(s)
- C M Ajay
- Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, India
| | - Sooraj Mohan
- Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, India
| | - P Dinesha
- Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, India.
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Energetic and Economic Evaluation of Zero-Waste Fish Co-Stream Processing. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18052358. [PMID: 33670950 PMCID: PMC7967757 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18052358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This study evaluates the possibility of recovery of high-quality valuable fish oil and proteins from fish co-streams by traditional means or a combination of several technologies. A techno-economically feasible and sustainable zero-waste process is needed for full utilisation of this co-stream’s potential. This study aims to determine the energy efficiency and economic feasibility of four different zero-waste bio-refineries based on salmon filleting co-streams. The study covers four concepts: (I) biogas and fertiliser production from salmon co-streams, (II) fish silage production, (III) thermal processing of salmon co-streams for producing oil, protein concentrate, and meal, and (IV) novel two-stage thermal and enzymatic process for producing high-quality oil and protein hydrolysate, while the solid residue is converted to biogas and fertilisers. Monte Carlo simulation is used to evaluate uncertainties in economic evaluation. The results show that the two-stage processing of fish co-streams leads to recovery of both high-quality marine oil and proteins, showing the largest profitability and return on investment during the economic analysis. It is a more tempting option than the currently used thermal treatment or traditional silage processes. The possibility of producing food-grade fish protein hydrolysate is the biggest benefit here. Concepts studied are examples of zero-waste processing of bioproducts and illustrate the possibilities and benefits of fully utilising the different fractions of fish as fillets, oil, protein, fertilisers, and energy production.
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Vosooghnia A, Polettini A, Rossi A, Vázquez-Rowe I, Francini G. Carbon footprint of anaerobic digestion combined with ultrasonic post-treatment of agro-industrial organic residues. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 278:111459. [PMID: 33120089 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion (AD) of organic waste, although widely practiced, may require suitable accompanying treatments to enhance the degradability of complex materials. Since these may require significant efforts in terms of energy and chemical demand, careful assessment of their overall environmental sustainability is mandatory to evaluate their full-scale feasibility. The study aims to represent the environmental profile of ultrasonication (US) applied as a post-treatment of anaerobic digestion of agro-industrial organic residues. There is an interest in the US treatment for the processing of complex organic materials prior to AD in order to enhance the hydrolysis of complex organic substrates and increase the biogas yield of the biological process. An attributional, process-based life cycle assessment (LCA) study was applied to quantify and compare the potential environmental impacts of an AD plant, the biogas utilization options as well as the different digestate processing alternatives grouped into a set of 16 scenarios. Based on the results, upgrading of biogas and bio-methane use as vehicle fuel instead of energy generation from CHP or fuel cell was recommended due to the lower impact on GWP. Similarly, composting was a suitable option to reduce environmental impacts compared to belt drying. From the uncertainty analysis, AD without US as post-treatment proves to be more sustainable in terms of GWP compared to when US is used, showing net savings in GHG emissions especially when upgrading of biogas is applied. The analysis provides useful indications to policy makers to define sustainable management alternatives for organic residues as well as identify the environmental advantages associated with biogas utilization and digestate treatment and disposal alternatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Vosooghnia
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Via Eudossiana 18, I-00184, Rome, Italy.
| | - Alessandra Polettini
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Via Eudossiana 18, I-00184, Rome, Italy
| | - Andreina Rossi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Via Eudossiana 18, I-00184, Rome, Italy
| | - Ian Vázquez-Rowe
- Peruvian Life Cycle Assessment Network (PELCAN), Department of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Av. Universitaria 1801, San Miguel, 15088, Lima, Peru
| | - Giovanni Francini
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Florence, Via Santa Marta 3, 50139, Florence, Italy
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20
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Walling E, Vaneeckhaute C. Greenhouse gas emissions from inorganic and organic fertilizer production and use: A review of emission factors and their variability. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2020; 276:111211. [PMID: 32987233 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2019] [Revised: 08/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Fertilizers have become an essential part of our global food supply chain and are necessary to sustain our growing population. However, fertilizers can also contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, along with other potential nutrient losses in the environment, e.g. through leaching. To reduce this environmental impact, tools such as life cycle assessments and decision support systems are being used to aid in selecting sustainable fertilization scenarios. These scenarios often include organic waste-derived amendments, such as manures, composts and digestates. To produce an accurate assessment and comparison of potential fertilization scenarios, these tools require emission factors (EFs) that are used to estimate GHG emissions and that are an integral part of these analyses. However, such EFs seem to be very variable in nature, thereby often resulting in high uncertainty on the outcomes of the analyses. This review aims to identify ranges and sources of variability in EFs to provide a better understanding of the potential uncertainty on the outcomes, as well as to provide recommendations for selecting EFs for future studies. As such, an extensive review of the literature on GHG emissions from production, storage, transportation and application of synthetic fertilizers (N, P, K), composts, digestates and manures was performed. This paper highlights the high variability that is present in emissions data and confirms the great impact of this uncertainty on the quality and validity of GHG predictions related to fertilizers. Variability in EFs stem from the energy source used for production, operating conditions, storage systems, crop and soil type, soil nutrient content, amount and method of fertilizer application, soil bacterial community, irrigation method, among others. Furthermore, a knowledge gap exists related to EFs for potassium fertilizers and waste valorization (anaerobic digestion/composting) processes. Overall, based on this review, it is recommended to determine EFs on a case by case basis when possible and to use uncertainty analyses as a tool to better understand the impact of EF variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Walling
- BioEngine - Research Team on Green Process Engineering and Biorefineries, Chemical Engineering Department, Université Laval, 1065 Ave. de La Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada; CentrEau, Centre de Recherche sur L'eau, Université Laval, 1065 Avenue de La Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.
| | - Céline Vaneeckhaute
- BioEngine - Research Team on Green Process Engineering and Biorefineries, Chemical Engineering Department, Université Laval, 1065 Ave. de La Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada; CentrEau, Centre de Recherche sur L'eau, Université Laval, 1065 Avenue de La Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.
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21
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GHG Emissions and Efficiency of Energy Generation through Anaerobic Fermentation of Wetland Biomass. ENERGIES 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/en13246497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
We conducted the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of energy production from biogas for maize and three types of wetland biomass: reed Phragmites australis, sedges Carex elata, and Carex gracilis, and “grassy vegetation” of wet meadows (WM). Biogas energy produced from maize reached over 90 GJ ha−1, which was more than four times higher than that gained from wetland biomass. However, an estimation of energy efficiency (EE) calculated as a ratio of energy input to the energy produced in a biogas plant showed that the wet fermentation (WF) of maize was similar to the values obtained for dry fermentation (DF) of sedge biomass (~0.30 GJ GJ−1). The greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions released during preparation of the feedstock and operation of the biogas plant were 150 g CO2 eq. kWhel.−1 for DF of sedges and 262 g CO2 eq. kWhel.−1 for WF of Phragmites. Compared to the prevailing coal-based power generation in Central Europe, anaerobic digestion (AD) of wetland biomass could contribute to a reduction in GHG emissions by 74% to 85%. However, calculations covering the GHG emissions during the entire process “from field to field” seem to disqualify AD of conservation biomass as valid low-GHG energy supply technology. Estimated emissions ranged between 795 g CO2 eq. kWhel.−1 for DF of Phragmites and 2738 g CO2 eq. kWhel.−1 for the WM and, in most cases, exceeded those related to fossil fuel technologies.
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22
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Escudero N, Deive FJ, Álvarez MS, Rodríguez A. Plotting a nature-friendly separation process for recovering volatile fatty acids. J Mol Liq 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2020.113755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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23
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López González LM, Pereda Reyes I, Pedraza Garciga J, Barrera EL, Romero Romero O. Energetic, economic and environmental assessment for the anaerobic digestion of pretreated and codigested press mud. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2020; 102:249-259. [PMID: 31693969 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2019.10.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Revised: 10/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates the feasibility of anaerobic digestion (AD) of press mud previously pretreated, using two methods: Liquid Hot Water (LHW) and Thermo-Alkaline (TA), from an economic, energetic and environmental point of view. Two scenarios, a sugar mill with and without distillery were studied, considering monodigestion and vinasse codigestion. The results have shown that the LHW and TA pretreatments are self-sufficient in terms of thermal requirements since they can recover heat from the biogas engine, but the maximum electric and thermal net energy (64 MWh d-1 and 95 MWh d-1, respectively) was obtained during co-digestion with vinasse. The results of the environmental Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) show that the alternatives improve the environmental profiles, in both scenarios. The endpoint impact category "Human health" had the highest contribution because of both: the burning of fossil fuel at refinery to supply the required electricity; and the production of Ca(OH)2 when vinasse was fed. The AD of pretreated press mud by LHW in CSTR reactors was the most viable for the scenario of a sugar mill without distillery, while the alternative co-digestion with the vinasse of the press mud without pretreatment was the most viable for the scenario of a sugar mill with distillery. This research shows that both the environmental and energetic profiles and the profitability of methane production can improve when the pretreatment and co-digestion of these wastes from the sugar - alcohol production process are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisbet Mailin López González
- Universidad de Sancti Spíritus "José Martí Pérez" (UNISS), Centro de Estudios de Energía y Procesos Industriales (CEEPI), Avenida de los Mártires 360, CP 60100 Sancti Spíritus, Cuba.
| | - Ileana Pereda Reyes
- Universidad Tecnológica de La Habana "José Antonio Echeverría" (Cujae), Centro de Estudios de Ingeniería de Procesos (CIPRO), Calle 114 No. 11901 e/ Rotonda y Ciclovía, Marianao, CP 19390 La Habana, Cuba
| | - Julio Pedraza Garciga
- Universidad de Sancti Spíritus "José Martí Pérez" (UNISS), Centro de Estudios de Energía y Procesos Industriales (CEEPI), Avenida de los Mártires 360, CP 60100 Sancti Spíritus, Cuba
| | - Ernesto L Barrera
- Universidad de Sancti Spíritus "José Martí Pérez" (UNISS), Centro de Estudios de Energía y Procesos Industriales (CEEPI), Avenida de los Mártires 360, CP 60100 Sancti Spíritus, Cuba
| | - Osvaldo Romero Romero
- Universidad de Sancti Spíritus "José Martí Pérez" (UNISS), Centro de Estudios de Energía y Procesos Industriales (CEEPI), Avenida de los Mártires 360, CP 60100 Sancti Spíritus, Cuba
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Ramírez-Islas ME, Güereca LP, Sosa-Rodriguez FS, Cobos-Peralta MA. Environmental assessment of energy production from anaerobic digestion of pig manure at medium-scale using life cycle assessment. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2020; 102:85-96. [PMID: 31669678 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2019.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/05/2019] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
This study assessed the potential environmental effects of energy production from pig manure treatment by anaerobic digestion at medium-scale based on the Life Cycle Assessment of a farm in Puebla, Mexico. It also compared the results from common practices of biogas flaring and conventional management. The analysis was based on one ton of pig manure in 4 systems: two with energy production, one with biogas flaring, and the last one conventional management. The use of biogas for electricity production combined with composting techniques generated the lowest net impacts on climate change of 272 kg CO2eq and photochemical oxidation of 0.056 kg ethylene eq, while the biogas flaring registered impacts of 344 kg CO2eq and 0.095 kg ethylene eq. The systems with energy production had environmental benefits on fossil resources depletion by avoiding the consumption of -863 MJ and -1608 MJ, but systems that burned biogas required fossil fuel consumption of 246 MJ from the grid. The conventional management generated the greatest environmental impacts, with eutrophication being the most important negative effect due to the manure discharge into water bodies (5.97 kg PO4eq). Sensitivity analysis shown that energy production could generate greater impacts on global warming compared to the case in which manure was used directly in crop fields, if emissions from unintentional releases and a poor digestate management are not avoided. Results are relevant for developing countries in which processes are carried out in rural and semi-industrial areas with lack of technical knowledge and economic resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha E Ramírez-Islas
- Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Av. San Rafael Atlixco No. 186, Col. Vicentina. Iztapalapa, Mexico City CP 09340, Mexico.
| | - Leonor Patricia Güereca
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Ingeniería. Circuito Escolar s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Mexico City CP 04510, Mexico
| | - Fabiola S Sosa-Rodriguez
- Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Azcapotzalco, Av. San Pablo 180 Col. Reynosa-Tamaulipas, Azcapotzalco, Mexico City CP 02200, Mexico
| | - Mario A Cobos-Peralta
- Colegio de Postgraduados Campus Montecillo, Carretera México-Texcoco Km. 36.5, Montecillo, Texcoco, State of Mexico CP 56230, Mexico
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Natividad Pérez-Camacho M, Curry R, Cromie T. Life cycle environmental impacts of biogas production and utilisation substituting for grid electricity, natural gas grid and transport fuels. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2019; 95:90-101. [PMID: 31351658 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2019.05.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In this study, life cycle analysis (LCA) has been applied to evaluate the environmental impacts of biogas production and utilisation substituting for grid electricity, natural gas grid and transport fuels, with a focus on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. The results demonstrate significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions for the biogas as a fuel scenario due to the displacement of fossil petrol and diesel fuels (scenario 3), with savings of between 524 and 477 kg of CO2 equivalent (per MWh of energy provided by the fuels). The utilisation of biogas for electricity generation saves around 300 kg of CO2 equivalent per MWh of electricity injected into the grid (scenario 1), while Scenario 2, the upgrading of biogas to biomethane and its injection into the gas grid for heating saves 191 kg of CO2 equivalent (per MWh of energy generated by the biomethane). The results emphasise the benefits of using life cycle analysis to provide an evidence based for bioenergy policy. The limitations of the research are identified and recommendations made for future research priorities to further the use of LCA in the evaluation of bioenergy systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Natividad Pérez-Camacho
- Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE), David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, Belfast BT9 5AG, Northern Ireland, UK; School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen's University Belfast, David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, BT9 5AG Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Robin Curry
- Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE), David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, Belfast BT9 5AG, Northern Ireland, UK; School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen's University Belfast, David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, BT9 5AG Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
| | - Thomas Cromie
- Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE), David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, Belfast BT9 5AG, Northern Ireland, UK; AgriAD Power LTD, 31 Reservoir Road, Banbridge BT32 4LD, Northern Ireland, UK
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Dahunsi SO, Osueke CO, Olayanju TMA, Lawal AI. Co-digestion of Theobroma cacao (Cocoa) pod husk and poultry manure for energy generation: Effects of pretreatment methods. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2019; 283:229-241. [PMID: 30913431 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.03.093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In this study, biogas was produced from the anaerobic co-digestion of Cocoa pod husk (CPH) and poultry manure. Pretreatment of the CPH was carried out using sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide. The physicochemical, elemental and structural analyses were carried out on the CPH before and after pretreatment. The microbial composition of the fermenting materials were also determined using standard method while the Fourier Transform Infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to identify the structural changes that took place after pretreatments. Use of alkaline hydrogen peroxide caused high solubilization of the lignin component of the CPH and reduced up to 81% of lignin i.e. initial value of 21.7% m.m-1 to final value of 4.2% m.m-1. Similarly, the alkali reduced the hemicellulose content of the CPH from 27.0% m.m-1 to 8.5% m.m-1. Overall, there was 68% increase in biogas volume from the alkaline pretreated CPH.
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Affiliation(s)
- S O Dahunsi
- Department for Management of Science and Technology Development, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam; Faculty of Environment and Labour Safety, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
| | - C O Osueke
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Landmark University, Nigeria
| | - T M A Olayanju
- Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Landmark University, Nigeria
| | - A I Lawal
- Department of Accounting and Finance, Landmark University, Nigeria
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Kurgankina MA, Nyashina GS, Strizhak PA. Prospects of thermal power plants switching from traditional fuels to coal-water slurries containing petrochemicals. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 671:568-577. [PMID: 30933812 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2019] [Revised: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The amount of thermal and electric energy produced by coal combustion increases nonlinearly, because the production capacities and consumption of the corresponding energy are on the rise. The prospects of excluding coal from the picture are slim, because it has been traditionally considered one of the most attractive fuels in terms of cost and heat of combustion. What we need is major changes in the energy industry towards environmentally effective use of coals and their processing wastes. In this research, we show the possibility of coal-fired thermal power plants and steam shops switching to coal-water slurries containing petrochemicals (CWSP). Extra calculations are made for fuel oil and natural gas. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the comprehensive consideration of all the possible technological modifications in the fuel feeding, storage, and preparation system. We focus on potential benefits of thermal power plants and steam shops switching from coal, gas, and fuel oil to coal-water slurries containing petrochemicals, while taking into account all the main and most important environmental, economic, and energy performance indicators. Using CWSP instead of coal is much more environmentally friendly. By varying the content of water and additives in CWSP, we can lower the proportion of sulfur and nitrogen and slow down their oxidation. It is also possible to reduce temperature in the combustion zone and improve oxide retention in the ash without its release in the form of anthropogenic emissions. Throughout the world, tens of thousands of fuel oil and coal-fired TPPs with the annual gross electric output of 1.8 TW can switch to CWSP. The integrated performance indicators of CWSP fuels are only inferior to those of natural gas but these slurries are prepared from numerous industrial wastes.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Kurgankina
- National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 30, Lenin Avenue, Tomsk 634050, Russia
| | - G S Nyashina
- National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 30, Lenin Avenue, Tomsk 634050, Russia
| | - P A Strizhak
- National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 30, Lenin Avenue, Tomsk 634050, Russia.
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28
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Baena-Moreno FM, Rodríguez-Galán M, Vega F, Reina TR, Vilches LF, Navarrete B. Synergizing carbon capture storage and utilization in a biogas upgrading lab-scale plant based on calcium chloride: Influence of precipitation parameters. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 670:59-66. [PMID: 30903903 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Herein a strategy for biogas upgrading in a continuous flow absorption unit using CaCl2 as capturing agent is reported. This process is presented as an alternative to the standard physical regeneration processes to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from biogas effluents with inherent high energy penalties. This work showcases a systematic study of the main parameters (reaction time, reaction temperature, and molar ratio reactant/precipitator) affecting calcium carbonate (CaCO3) precipitation efficiency in a reaction between sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and CaCl2. In addition, the purity and main characteristics of the obtained product were carefully analysed via in a combined characterization study using Raman, XRD, and SEM. Our results indicate that acceptable precipitation efficiencies between 62 and 93% can be reached by fine tuning the studied parameters. The characterization techniques evidence pure CaCO3 in a calcite structure. These results confirmed the technical feasibility of this alternative biogas upgrading process through CaCO3 production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco M Baena-Moreno
- Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, Technical School of Engineering, University of Seville, C/ Camino de los Descubrimientos s/n, Sevilla 41092, Spain; Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Surrey, GU2 7XH Guildford, United Kingdom.
| | - Mónica Rodríguez-Galán
- Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, Technical School of Engineering, University of Seville, C/ Camino de los Descubrimientos s/n, Sevilla 41092, Spain
| | - Fernando Vega
- Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, Technical School of Engineering, University of Seville, C/ Camino de los Descubrimientos s/n, Sevilla 41092, Spain
| | - T R Reina
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Surrey, GU2 7XH Guildford, United Kingdom
| | - Luis F Vilches
- Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, Technical School of Engineering, University of Seville, C/ Camino de los Descubrimientos s/n, Sevilla 41092, Spain
| | - Benito Navarrete
- Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, Technical School of Engineering, University of Seville, C/ Camino de los Descubrimientos s/n, Sevilla 41092, Spain
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29
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Lamnatou C, Nicolaï R, Chemisana D, Cristofari C, Cancellieri D. Biogas production by means of an anaerobic-digestion plant in France: LCA of greenhouse-gas emissions and other environmental indicators. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 670:1226-1239. [PMID: 31018437 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The present article assesses the environmental profile of a real-scale anaerobic-digestion plant that has been developed in France. The system utilises 13652 t of different types of feedstock related to food industry, agriculture, etc. The study is based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) according to Global Warming Potential (GWP), Cumulative Energy Demand (CED), ReCiPe midpoint/endpoint and USEtox. The life-cycle inventory includes real data from various sources of waste as well as the transportation distances. By considering the impact of both anaerobic digestion and transportation for the whole system, the following findings have been found: 6430 t CO2.eq (GWP 100a); 67194 GJprim (CED); 231100 Pts (ReCiPe endpoint single-score: Human health), 146932 Pts (ReCiPe endpoint single-score: Ecosystems), 171568 Pts (ReCiPe endpoint single-score: Resources). Furthermore, USEtox results, for the whole system and by taking into account both anaerobic digestion and transportation, show that based on: 1) Human toxicity/cancer, anaerobic-digestion phase has around 21 times higher value comparing to transportation, 2) Ecotoxicity, anaerobic-digestion phase presents about 77 times higher value than transportation. Regarding the impact of both phases (anaerobic digestion; transportation) per t of waste or per MWh of electricity, the findings show values of 0.5-0.6 t CO2.eq per t of feedstock (or digestate) or per MWh of electricity produced (not net). A separate subsection with comparisons of the present findings with literature studies about LCA of anaerobic-digestion plants has been included. In general, a good agreement has been observed. Moreover, comparisons of the impact of the electricity produced by means of the present biogas system with the impact of conventional electricity mixes of several countries are presented and discussed, proving the environmental benefits of the proposed anaerobic-digestion plant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chr Lamnatou
- Applied Physics Section of the Environmental Science Department, University of Lleida, Jaume II 69, 25001 Lleida, Spain.
| | - R Nicolaï
- University of Corsica, UMR CNRS 6134, Research Centre George Peri, Route des Sanguinaires, F-20000 Ajaccio, France.
| | - D Chemisana
- Applied Physics Section of the Environmental Science Department, University of Lleida, Jaume II 69, 25001 Lleida, Spain.
| | - C Cristofari
- University of Corsica, UMR CNRS 6134, Research Centre George Peri, Route des Sanguinaires, F-20000 Ajaccio, France.
| | - D Cancellieri
- University of Corsica, UMR CNRS 6134, Research Centre George Peri, Route des Sanguinaires, F-20000 Ajaccio, France.
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30
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Cabrera F, Serrano A, Torres Á, Rodriguez-Gutierrez G, Jeison D, Fermoso FG. The accumulation of volatile fatty acids and phenols through a pH-controlled fermentation of olive mill solid waste. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 657:1501-1507. [PMID: 30677916 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Revised: 11/23/2018] [Accepted: 12/09/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This work aims to compare the use of olive mill solid waste as substrate in pH-controlled fermentation at acid (pH = 5), neutral (uncontrolled, pH ≈ 7) and alkaline (pH = 9) operating pH levels. The results obtained in this study indicate that operating pH strongly affected the anaerobic microorganisms and, hence, different target compounds could be obtained by adjusting the operating pH. Fermentation at neutral pH resulted in the conversion of 93.5% of the fed chemical oxygen demand to methane. However, fermentations at pH 5 and 9 resulted in the inhibition of the methanogenic activity. At pH 9, volatile fatty acids reached a maximum concentration of 3.69 g O2/L, where acetic acid represented up to 79.3% of the total volatile fatty acids. Unlike volatile fatty acid production, an optimal operation of fermentation at pH 5 could allow the recovery of phenols such as vanillin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Cabrera
- Centro de manejo de residuos y bioenergía, Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | - Antonio Serrano
- Instituto de Grasa, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Seville, Spain; School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, QLD, Australia.
| | - Álvaro Torres
- Centro de manejo de residuos y bioenergía, Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile; Departamento Ingeniería Química, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | | | - David Jeison
- Escuela de Ingeniería Bioquímica, Pontifica Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaiso, Chile
| | - Fernando G Fermoso
- Instituto de Grasa, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Seville, Spain
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31
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D'Imporzano G, Pilu R, Corno L, Adani F. Arundo donax L. can substitute traditional energy crops for more efficient, environmentally-friendly production of biogas: A Life Cycle Assessment approach. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2018; 267:249-256. [PMID: 30025321 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.07.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Maize silage contributes to biogas production in Lombardy Region (400 anaerobic digestion plants) employing 47,000 Ha (Production Model - PM1). Reducing the area devoted to this energy crop is a goal to free soil for food production. Double cropping (PM2) and Arundo donax L. (PM3) have been proposed and tested to measure the impacts for the three Production Models by Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The impact category related to Climate Change remained stable for PM2 while it decreased by 17% for Arundo donax L. (PM3) in comparison with PM1. Impact categories related to nutrient management (acidification, particulate matter eutrophication) showed an increase in the range of 3-5% for PM2 in comparison with PM1, while Arundo donax L. allowed the same impact categories to be reduced by 31%, 24%, 17% and 33%, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Roberto Pilu
- Gruppo Ricicla - DiSAA, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Luca Corno
- Gruppo Ricicla - DiSAA, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Adani
- Gruppo Ricicla - DiSAA, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.
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32
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Zhang K, Gu J, Wang X, Yin Y, Zhang X, Zhang R, Tuo X, Zhang L. Variations in the denitrifying microbial community and functional genes during mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of cattle manure. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 634:501-508. [PMID: 29631139 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2018] [Revised: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the anaerobic digestion (AD) of cattle manure was conducted at two temperatures (mesophilic: 35 °C; thermophilic: 55 °C) to analyze the dynamics of the denitrifying functional microbial community and functional genes. The cumulative N2O production under thermophilic conditions was 130.3% higher than that under mesophilic conditions. Thermophilic AD decreased the abundance of nosZ, which was more functional than other denitrifying genes. Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were the main phyla, and they were also related to denitrification during AD. Redundancy analysis indicated that pH, temperature, and NH4+-N mainly affected the functional bacterial community. Temperature altered the co-occurrence patterns of the bacterial community and the keystone genera in AD. Desulfovibrio in mesophilic AD and Thiobacillus in thermophilic AD were closely related to nitrogen transformation among the keystone genera. The variations in the abundances of members of the denitrifying microbial community and functional genes during AD suggest that thermophilic AD may have caused greater nitrogen losses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaiyu Zhang
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Jie Gu
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Research Center of Recycle Agricultural Engineering and Technology of Shaanxi Province, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
| | - Xiaojuan Wang
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Research Center of Recycle Agricultural Engineering and Technology of Shaanxi Province, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Yanan Yin
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- College of Science, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Ranran Zhang
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Xiaxia Tuo
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
| | - Li Zhang
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
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33
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Styles D, Adams P, Thelin G, Vaneeckhaute C, Chadwick D, Withers PJA. Life Cycle Assessment of Biofertilizer Production and Use Compared with Conventional Liquid Digestate Management. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2018; 52:7468-7476. [PMID: 29847107 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b01619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Handling of digestate produced by anaerobic digestion impacts the environment through emission of greenhouse gases, reactive nitrogen, and phosphorus. Previous life cycle assessments (LCA) evaluating the extraction of nutrients from digestate using struvite precipitation and ammonia stripping did not relate synthetic fertilizer substitution (SFS) to nutrient use efficiency consequences. We applied an expanded LCA to compare the conventional management of 1 m3 of liquid digestate (LD) from food waste against the production and use of digestate biofertilizer (DBF) extracted from LD, accounting for SFS efficacy. Avoidance of CH4, N2O, and NH3 emissions from LD handling and enhanced SFS via more targeted use of nutrients in the versatile DBF product could generate environmental savings of up to 0.129 kg Sb eq, 4.16 kg SO2 eq, 1.22 kg PO4 eq, 33 kg CO2 eq, and 20.6 MJ eq per m3 LD, for abiotic resource depletion, acidification, eutrophication, global warming, and cumulative energy demand burdens, respectively. However, under worst-case assumptions, DBF extraction could increase global warming and cumulative energy demand by 7.5 kg CO2e and 251 MJ eq per m3 LD owing to processing inputs. Normalizing these results against per capita environmental loadings, we conclude that DBF extraction is environmentally beneficial.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Styles
- School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography , Bangor University , Bangor , Wales LL57 2UW
- Plant and AgriBiosciences Centre , Ryan Institute, National University Ireland Galway , Galway , Ireland H91TK33
| | - Paul Adams
- Department of Mechanical Engineering , Bath University , North East Somerset BA2 7AY , U.K
| | - Gunnar Thelin
- EkoBalans Fenix AB, Scheelevägen 22 , 223 63 Lund , Sweden
| | - Céline Vaneeckhaute
- Chemical Engineering Department , Université Laval , 1065 avenue de la Médecine , Québec , Québec , Canada G1V 0A6
| | - David Chadwick
- School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography , Bangor University , Bangor , Wales LL57 2UW
| | - Paul J A Withers
- School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography , Bangor University , Bangor , Wales LL57 2UW
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34
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Venanzi S, Pezzolla D, Cecchini L, Pauselli M, Ricci A, Sordi A, Torquati B, Gigliotti G. Use of agricultural by-products in the development of an agro-energy chain: A case study from the Umbria region. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 627:494-505. [PMID: 29426172 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Revised: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/18/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Use of agricultural and livestock by-products for anaerobic digestion (AD), in total or partial substitution of the maize silage was evaluated from an environmental and economical point of view. The evaluation process included three methodological interdependent and consequential steps: the chemical stage at laboratory and plant level, the environmental and economic steps developing the Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing jointly. The laboratory test showed that the two mixtures prepared with by-products, in partial (MIX A) and total (MIX B) substitution of maize silage, did not show differences in bio-methane production compared to a reference mixture with the 33% of maize silage. All mixtures tested at full-scale plant, showed the same performances, resulting in a similar energy production. Environmentally, MIX B increased greenhouse gas credits derived from the avoided production of mineral fertiliser for the energetic crops, resulting also in better economic performances. The break-even transport distances follow the positive environmental pattern result, in contrast to what was found for the break-even transport distances from the economic point of view.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Venanzi
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy
| | - D Pezzolla
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 93, 06125 Perugia, Italy.
| | - L Cecchini
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy
| | - M Pauselli
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy
| | - A Ricci
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 93, 06125 Perugia, Italy
| | - A Sordi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 93, 06125 Perugia, Italy
| | - B Torquati
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy
| | - G Gigliotti
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 93, 06125 Perugia, Italy
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35
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Li Y, Manandhar A, Li G, Shah A. Life cycle assessment of integrated solid state anaerobic digestion and composting for on-farm organic residues treatment. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2018; 76:294-305. [PMID: 29571569 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2018.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Revised: 03/10/2018] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Driven by the gradual changes in the structure of energy consumption and improvements of living standards in China, the volume of on-farm organic solid waste is increasing. If untreated, these unutilized on-farm organic solid wastes can cause environmental problems. This paper presents the results of a life cycle assessment to compare the environmental impacts of different on-farm organic waste (which includes dairy manure, corn stover and tomato residue) treatment strategies, including anaerobic digestion (AD), composting, and AD followed by composting. The input life cycle inventory data are specific to China. The potential environmental impacts of different waste management strategies were assessed based on their acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), global warming potential (GWP), ecotoxicity potential (ETP), and resource depletion (RD). The results show that the preferred treatment strategy for dairy manure is the one that integrated corn stover and tomato residue utilization and solid state AD technologies into the system. The GWP of integrated solid state AD and composting was the least, which is -2900 kg CO2 eq/ t of dairy manure and approximately 14.8 times less than that of current status (i.e., liquid AD of dairy manure). Solid state AD of dairy manure, corn stover and tomato residues is the most favorable option in terms of AP, EP and ETP, which are more than 40% lower than that of the current status (i.e., AP: 3.11 kg SO2, EP: -0.94 kg N, and ETP: -881 CTUe (Comparative Toxic Units ecotoxicity)). The results also show that there is a significant potential for AP, EP, ETP, and GWP reduction, if AD is used prior to composting. The scenario analysis for transportation distance showed that locating the AD plant and composting facility on the farm was advantageous in terms of all the life cycle impact categories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangyang Li
- Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691, USA; College of Resource and Environmental Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Pollution Prevention-control and Remediation, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Ashish Manandhar
- Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691, USA
| | - Guoxue Li
- College of Resource and Environmental Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Pollution Prevention-control and Remediation, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Ajay Shah
- Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691, USA.
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36
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Wang Q, Sun J, Song K, Zhou X, Wei W, Wang D, Xie GJ, Gong Y, Zhou B. Combined zero valent iron and hydrogen peroxide conditioning significantly enhances the dewaterability of anaerobic digestate. J Environ Sci (China) 2018; 67:378-386. [PMID: 29778171 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2017.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2017] [Revised: 04/06/2017] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The importance of enhancing sludge dewaterability is increasing due to the considerable impact of excess sludge volume on disposal costs and on overall sludge management. This study presents an innovative approach to enhance dewaterability of anaerobic digestate (AD) harvested from a wastewater treatment plant. The combination of zero valent iron (ZVI, 0-4.0g/g total solids (TS)) and hydrogen peroxide (HP, 0-90mg/g TS) under pH3.0 significantly enhanced the AD dewaterability. The largest enhancement of AD dewaterability was achieved at 18mg HP/g TS and 2.0g ZVI/g TS, with the capillary suction time reduced by up to 90%. Economic analysis suggested that the proposed HP and ZVI treatment has more economic benefits in comparison with the classical Fenton reaction process. The destruction of extracellular polymeric substances and cells as well as the decrease of particle size were supposed to contribute to the enhanced AD dewaterability by HP+ZVI conditioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qilin Wang
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Griffith School of Engineering, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, QLD 4111, Australia
| | - Jing Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Kang Song
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Institute of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
| | - Xu Zhou
- Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Wei Wei
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Dongbo Wang
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Guo-Jun Xie
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Yanyan Gong
- School of Environment, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Beibei Zhou
- Institute of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
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37
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Pérez-Camacho MN, Curry R, Cromie T. Life cycle environmental impacts of substituting food wastes for traditional anaerobic digestion feedstocks. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2018; 73:140-155. [PMID: 29291908 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2017.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Revised: 12/10/2017] [Accepted: 12/16/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In this study, life cycle assessment has been used to evaluate life cycle environmental impacts of substituting traditional anaerobic digestion (AD) feedstocks with food wastes. The results have demonstrated the avoided GHG emissions from substituting traditional AD feedstocks with food waste (avoided GHG-eq emissions of 163.33 CO2-eq). Additionally, the analysis has included environmental benefits of avoided landfilling of food wastes and digestate use as a substitute for synthetic fertilisers. The analysis of the GHG mitigation benefits of resource management/circular economy policies, namely, the mandating of a ban on the landfilling of food wastes, has demonstrated the very substantial GHG emission reduction that can be achieved by these policy options - 2151.04 kg CO2 eq per MWh relative to UK Grid. In addition to the reduction in GHG emission, the utilization of food waste for AD instead of landfilling can manage the leakage of nutrients to water resources and eliminate eutrophication impacts which occur, typically as the result of field application. The results emphasise the benefits of using life-cycle thinking to underpin policy development and the implications for this are discussed with a particular focus on the analysis of policy development across the climate, renewable energy, resource management and bioeconomy nexus and recommendations made for future research priorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Natividad Pérez-Camacho
- Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE), David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, Belfast BT9 5AG, Northern Ireland, UK; School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen's University Belfast, David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, BT9 5AG Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Robin Curry
- Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE), David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, Belfast BT9 5AG, Northern Ireland, UK; School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen's University Belfast, David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, BT9 5AG Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
| | - Thomas Cromie
- Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE), David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, Belfast BT9 5AG, Northern Ireland, UK; AgriAD Power LTD, 31 Reservoir Road, Banbridge BT32 4LD, Northern Ireland, UK
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Vasco-Correa J, Khanal S, Manandhar A, Shah A. Anaerobic digestion for bioenergy production: Global status, environmental and techno-economic implications, and government policies. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2018; 247:1015-1026. [PMID: 28918346 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Revised: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a mature technology that can transform organic matter into a bioenergy source - biogas (composed mainly of methane and carbon dioxide), while stabilizing waste. AD implementation around the world varies significantly, from small-scale household digesters in developing countries to large farm-scale or centralized digesters in developed countries. These differences in the implementation of AD technology are due to a complex set of conditions, including economic and environmental implications of the AD technology, and stimulus provided by a variety of polices and incentives related to agricultural systems, waste management, and renewable energy production. This review explores the current status of the AD technology worldwide and some of the environmental, economic and policy-related drivers that have shaped the implementation of this technology. The findings show that the regulations and incentives have been the primary factor influencing the steady growth of this technology, in both developing and developed countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Vasco-Correa
- Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University/Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691-4096, USA
| | - Sami Khanal
- Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University/Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691-4096, USA
| | - Ashish Manandhar
- Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University/Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691-4096, USA
| | - Ajay Shah
- Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University/Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691-4096, USA.
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Using Chemically Enhanced Primary Treatment (CEPT) as a Pretreatment Option for Anaerobic Digestate from Cattle Manure Digestion System. WATER 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/w9070487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Morero B, Vicentin R, Campanella EA. Assessment of biogas production in Argentina from co-digestion of sludge and municipal solid waste. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2017; 61:195-205. [PMID: 27955887 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2016.11.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2016] [Revised: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 11/23/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In Argentina, there is an important potential to utilize organic waste to generate bioenergy. This work analyzes the environmental impacts and the energetic and economic requirements of the biogas produced by digesting the sewage sludge (SS) produced in a wastewater treatment plant in a medium city in Argentina. The SS is co-digested with the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), and the basis of this study is the life cycle assessment (LCA). The LCA is performed according to ISO 14040-44 using the SimaPro simulator. First, the transport of the raw materials to the biogas plant was defined. Then, the co-digestion and the biogas treatment for final use were evaluated. The co-digestion was improved with glycerol, and the generation of biogas was estimated using the GPS-X software. Two alternatives for the end use of biogas were considered: combined heat and power (CHP) and biomethane generation. For the first, H2S and water vapor were removed from the raw biogas stream, and for the second, also CO2 was removed. The H2S removal process was simulated in the SuperPro software by anaerobic biofiltration. The same software was used to simulate the removal of CO2 absorption-desorption with water as solvent. Finally, the environmental impacts related to the end use of biogas (CHP and biomethane) were evaluated. The environmental, energetic and economic analyses showed that the co-digestion of SS and OFMSW has great potential for reducing the environmental impacts and increasing the economic and energetic value of the substances via the production of biomethane, electricity and, potentially, fertilizer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betzabet Morero
- Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química (INTEC), Universidad Nacional del Litoral-CONICET, Güemes 3450, 3000 Santa Fe, Argentina.
| | - Rocio Vicentin
- Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química (INTEC), Universidad Nacional del Litoral-CONICET, Güemes 3450, 3000 Santa Fe, Argentina.
| | - Enrique A Campanella
- Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química (INTEC), Universidad Nacional del Litoral-CONICET, Güemes 3450, 3000 Santa Fe, Argentina; Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Hídricas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Ruta Nacional N° 168 km 472.4, 3000 Santa Fe, Argentina.
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Iordan C, Lausselet C, Cherubini F. Life-cycle assessment of a biogas power plant with application of different climate metrics and inclusion of near-term climate forcers. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2016; 184:517-527. [PMID: 27789091 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.10.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Revised: 10/14/2016] [Accepted: 10/16/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
This study assesses the environmental sustainability of electricity production through anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge and organic wastes. The analysis relies on primary data from a biogas plant, supplemented with data from the literature. The climate impact assessment includes emissions of near-term climate forcers (NTCFs) like ozone precursors and aerosols, which are frequently overlooked in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and the application of a suite of different emission metrics, based on either the Global Warming Potential (GWP) or the Global Temperature change Potential (GTP) with a time horizon (TH) of 20 or 100 years. The environmental performances of the biogas system are benchmarked against a conventional fossil fuel system. We also investigate the sensitivity of the system to critical parameters and provide five different scenarios in a sensitivity analysis. Hotspots are the management of the digestate (mainly due to the open storage) and methane (CH4) losses during the anaerobic co-digestion. Results are sensitive to the type of climate metric used. The impacts range from 52 up to 116 g CO2-eq./MJ electricity when using GTP100 and GWP20, respectively. This difference is mostly due to the varying contribution from CH4 emissions. The influence of NTCFs is about 6% for GWP100 (worst case), and grows up to 31% for GWP20 (best case). The biogas system has a lower performance than the fossil reference system for the acidification and particulate matter formation potentials. We argue for an active consideration of NTCFs in LCA and a critical reflection over the climate metrics to be used, as these aspects can significantly affect the final outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Iordan
- Industrial Ecology Programme, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Carine Lausselet
- Industrial Ecology Programme, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Francesco Cherubini
- Industrial Ecology Programme, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.
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Junne S, Kabisch J. Fueling the future with biomass: Processes and pathways for a sustainable supply of hydrocarbon fuels and biogas. Eng Life Sci 2016; 17:14-26. [PMID: 32624725 DOI: 10.1002/elsc.201600112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2016] [Revised: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 08/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Global economic growth, wealth and security rely upon the availability of cheap, mostly fossil-derived energy and chemical compounds. The replacement by sustainable resources is widely discussed. However, the current state of biotechnological processes usually restricts them to be used as a true alternative in terms of economic feasibility and even sustainability. Among the rare examples of bioprocesses applied for the energetic use of biomass are biogas and bioethanol production. Usually, these processes lack in efficiency and they cannot be operated without the support of legislation. Although they represent a first step towards a greater share of bio-based processes for energy provision, there is no doubt that tremendous improvements in strain and process development, feedstock and process flexibility as well as in the integration of these processes into broader supply and production networks, in this review called smart bioproduction grids, are required to make them economically attractive, robust enough, and wider acceptance by society. All this requires an interdisciplinary approach, which includes the use of residues in closed carbon cycles and issues concerning the process safety. This short review aims to depict some of the promising strategies to achieve an improved process performance as a basis for future application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Junne
- Department of Biotechnology Chair of Bioprocess Engineering Technische Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Johannes Kabisch
- Institute of Biochemistry Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald Greifswald Germany
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Ertem FC, Martínez-Blanco J, Finkbeiner M, Neubauer P, Junne S. Life cycle assessment of flexibly fed biogas processes for an improved demand-oriented biogas supply. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2016; 219:536-544. [PMID: 27522120 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2016.07.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2016] [Revised: 07/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/28/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
This paper analyses concepts to facilitate a demand oriented biogas supply at an agricultural biogas plant of a capacity of 500kWhel, operated with the co-digestion of maize, grass, rye silage and chicken manure. In contrast to previous studies, environmental impacts of flexible and the traditional baseload operation are compared. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed to detect the environmental impacts of: (i) variety of feedstock co-digestion scenarios by substitution of maize and (ii) loading rate scenarios with a focus on flexible feedstock utilization. Demand-driven biogas production is critical for an overall balanced power supply to the electrical grid. It results in lower amounts of emissions; feedstock loading rate scenarios resulted in 48%, 20%, 11% lower global warming (GWP), acidification (AP) and eutrophication potentials, and a 16% higher cumulative energy demand. Substitution of maize with biogenic-waste regarding to feedstock substitution scenarios could create 10% lower GWP and AP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Funda Cansu Ertem
- Chair of Bioprocess Engineering, Department of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Berlin, Ackerstr. 76, ACK24, 13355 Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia Martínez-Blanco
- Sustainable Engineering, Department of Environmental Technology, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthias Finkbeiner
- Sustainable Engineering, Department of Environmental Technology, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Peter Neubauer
- Chair of Bioprocess Engineering, Department of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Berlin, Ackerstr. 76, ACK24, 13355 Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Junne
- Chair of Bioprocess Engineering, Department of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Berlin, Ackerstr. 76, ACK24, 13355 Berlin, Germany.
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Styles D, Dominguez EM, Chadwick D. Environmental balance of the UK biogas sector: An evaluation by consequential life cycle assessment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 560-561:241-253. [PMID: 27101461 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2016] [Revised: 03/30/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is expanding rapidly in the UK. Previous life cycle assessment (LCA) studies have highlighted the sensitivity of environmental outcomes to feedstock type, fugitive emissions, biomethane use, energy conversion efficiency and digestate management. We combined statistics on current and planned AD deployment with operational data from a survey of biogas plant operators to evaluate the environmental balance of the UK biogas sector for the years 2014 and 2017. Consequential LCA was applied to account for all major environmental credits and burdens incurred, including: (i) substitution of composting, incineration, sewer disposal, field decomposition and animal feeding of wastes; (ii) indirect land use change (ILUC) incurred by the cultivation of crops used for biogas production and to compensate for bakery and brewery wastes diverted from animal feed. In 2014, the UK biogas sector reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 551-755Gg CO2e excluding ILUC, or 238-755Gg CO2e including ILUC uncertainty. Fossil energy depletion was reduced by 8.9-10.8PJe, but eutrophication and acidification burdens were increased by 1.8-3.4Gg PO4e and 8.1-14.6Gg SO2e, respectively. Food waste and manure feedstocks dominate GHG abatement, largely through substitution of in-vessel composting and manure storage, whilst food waste and crop feedstocks dominate fossil energy credit, primarily through substitution of natural gas power generation. Biogas expansion is projected to increase environmental credits and loadings by a factor of 2.4 by 2017. If all AD bioelectricity replaced coal generation, or if 90% of biomethane replaced transport diesel or grid natural gas, GHG abatement would increase by 131%, 38% and 20%, respectively. Policies to encourage digestion of food waste and manures could maximize GHG abatement, avoiding the risk of carbon leakage associated with use of crops and wastes otherwise used to feed livestock. Covering digestate stores could largely mitigate net eutrophication and acidification burdens.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Styles
- School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK.
| | | | - Dave Chadwick
- School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
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Comparative Advantage of Maize- and Grass-Silage Based Feedstock for Biogas Production with Respect to Greenhouse Gas Mitigation. SUSTAINABILITY 2016. [DOI: 10.3390/su8070617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Negri M, Bacenetti J, Fiala M, Bocchi S. Evaluation of anaerobic degradation, biogas and digestate production of cereal silages using nylon-bags. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2016; 209:40-49. [PMID: 26946439 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2016.02.101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Revised: 02/19/2016] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the degradation efficiency and the biogas and digestate production during anaerobic digestion were evaluated for the cereal silages most used to feed biogas plants. To this purpose, silages of: maize from the whole plant, maize from the ear, triticale and wheat were digested, inside of nylon bags, in laboratory scale digesters, for 75days. Overall, the test involved 288 nylon bags. After 75days of digestion, the maize ear silage shows the highest degradation efficiency (about 98%) while wheat silage the lowest (about 83%). The biogas production ranges from 438 to 852Nm(3)/t of dry matter for wheat and ear maize silage, respectively. For all the cereal silages, the degradation as well as the biogas production are faster at the beginning of the digestion time. Digestate mass, expressed as percentage of the fresh matter, ranges from 38% to 84% for wheat and maize ear silage, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Negri
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Production, Landscape, Agronomy, Università degli studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Jacopo Bacenetti
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Production, Landscape, Agronomy, Università degli studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, Milan 20133, Italy.
| | - Marco Fiala
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Production, Landscape, Agronomy, Università degli studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Stefano Bocchi
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Production, Landscape, Agronomy, Università degli studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, Milan 20133, Italy
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Rana R, Ingrao C, Lombardi M, Tricase C. Greenhouse gas emissions of an agro-biogas energy system: Estimation under the Renewable Energy Directive. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 550:1182-1195. [PMID: 26738686 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.10.164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2015] [Revised: 10/14/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Agro-biogas from energy crops and by-products is a renewable energy carrier that can potentially contribute to climate change mitigation. In this context, application of the methodology defined by the Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC (RED) was performed in order to estimate the 100-year Global Warming Potential (GWP100) associated with an agro-biogas supply chain (SC) in Southern Italy. Doing so enabled calculation of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission saving in order to verify if it is at least equal to 35% compared to the fossil fuel reference system, as specified by the RED. For the assessment, an attributional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach (International Organization for Standardization (ISO), 2006a,b) was integrated with the RED methodology applied following the guidelines reported in COM(2010)11 and updated by SWD(2014)259 and Report EUR 27215 EN (2015). Moreover, primary data were collected with secondary data extrapolated from the Ecoinvent database system. Results showed that the GWP100 associated with electricity production through the biogas plant investigated was equal to 111.58gCO2eqMJe(-1) and so a 40.01% GHG-emission saving was recorded compared to the RED reference. The highest contribution comes from biomass production and, in particular, from crop cultivation due to production of ammonium nitrate in the overall amount used for crop cultivation. Based upon the findings of the study, the GHG saving calculated slightly exceeds the related minimum proposed by the RED: therefore, improvements are needed anyway. In particular, the authors documented that through replacement of ammonium nitrate with urea the GHG-emission saving would increase to almost 68%, thus largely satisfying the RED limit. In addition, the study highlighted that conservation practices, such as NT, can significantly enable reduction of the GHG-emissions coming from agricultural activities. Therefore, those practices should be increasingly adopted for cultivation of energy crops, because the latter significantly contribute to biogas production yield enhancement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Rana
- University of Foggia, Department of Economics, Via R. Caggese, 1-71121 Foggia, Italy.
| | - Carlo Ingrao
- University of Foggia, Department of Economics, Via R. Caggese, 1-71121 Foggia, Italy
| | - Mariarosaria Lombardi
- University of Foggia, Department of Economics, Via R. Caggese, 1-71121 Foggia, Italy
| | - Caterina Tricase
- University of Foggia, Department of Economics, Via R. Caggese, 1-71121 Foggia, Italy
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Fusi A, Bacenetti J, Fiala M, Azapagic A. Life Cycle Environmental Impacts of Electricity from Biogas Produced by Anaerobic Digestion. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2016. [PMID: 27014689 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2016.00026.] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate life cycle environmental impacts associated with the generation of electricity from biogas produced by the anaerobic digestion (AD) of agricultural products and waste. Five real plants in Italy were considered, using maize silage, slurry, and tomato waste as feedstocks and cogenerating electricity and heat; the latter is not utilized. The results suggest that maize silage and the operation of anaerobic digesters, including open storage of digestate, are the main contributors to the impacts of biogas electricity. The system that uses animal slurry is the best option, except for the marine and terrestrial ecotoxicity. The results also suggest that it is environmentally better to have smaller plants using slurry and waste rather than bigger installations, which require maize silage to operate efficiently. Electricity from biogas is environmentally more sustainable than grid electricity for seven out of 11 impacts considered. However, in comparison with natural gas, biogas electricity is worse for seven out of 11 impacts. It also has mostly higher impacts than other renewables, with a few exceptions, notably solar photovoltaics. Thus, for the AD systems and mesophilic operating conditions considered in this study, biogas electricity can help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to a fossil-intensive electricity mix; however, some other impacts increase. If mitigation of climate change is the main aim, other renewables have a greater potential to reduce GHG emissions. If, in addition to this, other impacts are considered, then hydro, wind, and geothermal power are better alternatives to biogas electricity. However, utilization of heat would improve significantly its environmental sustainability, particularly global warming potential, summer smog, and the depletion of abiotic resources and the ozone layer. Further improvements can be achieved by banning open digestate storage to prevent methane emissions and regulating digestate spreading onto land to minimize emissions of ammonia and related environmental impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Fusi
- Sustainable Industrial Systems, School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester , Manchester , UK
| | - Jacopo Bacenetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali - Produzione, Territorio, Agroenergia, Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan , Italy
| | - Marco Fiala
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali - Produzione, Territorio, Agroenergia, Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan , Italy
| | - Adisa Azapagic
- Sustainable Industrial Systems, School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester , Manchester , UK
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Fusi A, Bacenetti J, Fiala M, Azapagic A. Life Cycle Environmental Impacts of Electricity from Biogas Produced by Anaerobic Digestion. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2016; 4:26. [PMID: 27014689 PMCID: PMC4786543 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2016.00026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2015] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate life cycle environmental impacts associated with the generation of electricity from biogas produced by the anaerobic digestion (AD) of agricultural products and waste. Five real plants in Italy were considered, using maize silage, slurry, and tomato waste as feedstocks and cogenerating electricity and heat; the latter is not utilized. The results suggest that maize silage and the operation of anaerobic digesters, including open storage of digestate, are the main contributors to the impacts of biogas electricity. The system that uses animal slurry is the best option, except for the marine and terrestrial ecotoxicity. The results also suggest that it is environmentally better to have smaller plants using slurry and waste rather than bigger installations, which require maize silage to operate efficiently. Electricity from biogas is environmentally more sustainable than grid electricity for seven out of 11 impacts considered. However, in comparison with natural gas, biogas electricity is worse for seven out of 11 impacts. It also has mostly higher impacts than other renewables, with a few exceptions, notably solar photovoltaics. Thus, for the AD systems and mesophilic operating conditions considered in this study, biogas electricity can help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to a fossil-intensive electricity mix; however, some other impacts increase. If mitigation of climate change is the main aim, other renewables have a greater potential to reduce GHG emissions. If, in addition to this, other impacts are considered, then hydro, wind, and geothermal power are better alternatives to biogas electricity. However, utilization of heat would improve significantly its environmental sustainability, particularly global warming potential, summer smog, and the depletion of abiotic resources and the ozone layer. Further improvements can be achieved by banning open digestate storage to prevent methane emissions and regulating digestate spreading onto land to minimize emissions of ammonia and related environmental impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Fusi
- Sustainable Industrial Systems, School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Jacopo Bacenetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali – Produzione, Territorio, Agroenergia, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Fiala
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali – Produzione, Territorio, Agroenergia, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Adisa Azapagic
- Sustainable Industrial Systems, School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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