Examining the Potential of Biogas: A Pathway from Post-Fermented Waste into Energy in a Wastewater Treatment Plant
Krzysztof Michalski,
Magdalena Kośka-Wolny,
Krzysztof Chmielowski,
Dawid Bedla,
Agnieszka Petryk,
Paweł Guzdek,
Katarzyna Anna Dąbek,
Michał Gąsiorek,
Klaudiusz Grübel,
Wiktor Halecki
Affiliations
Krzysztof Michalski
AQUA S.A. ul. 1 Maja 23, 43-300 Bielsko-Biała, Poland
Magdalena Kośka-Wolny
AQUA S.A. ul. 1 Maja 23, 43-300 Bielsko-Biała, Poland
Krzysztof Chmielowski
Department of Natural Gas Engineering, Faculty of Drilling, Oil and Gas, AGH University of Science and Technology, Al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków, Poland
Dawid Bedla
Department of Ecology, Climatology and Air Protection, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Kraków, Poland
Agnieszka Petryk
Department of Space Management and Social-Economic Geography, Krakow University of Economics, 31-510 Kraków, Poland
Paweł Guzdek
Faculty of Environmental and Energy Engineering, Krakow University of Technology, 31-155 Kraków, Poland
Katarzyna Anna Dąbek
Department of Natural Gas Engineering, Faculty of Drilling, Oil and Gas, AGH University of Science and Technology, Al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków, Poland
Michał Gąsiorek
Department of Soil Science and Agrophysics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Kraków, Poland
Klaudiusz Grübel
Department of Environmental Protection and Engineering, University of Bielsko-Biala, Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biała, Poland
Wiktor Halecki
Institute of Technology and Life Sciences—National Research Institute, Falenty, Al. Hrabska 3, 05-090 Raszyn, Poland
Biogas has improved due to technological advancements, environmental awareness, policy support, and research innovation, making it a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly renewable energy source. The Generalized Linear Model (GLM) was employed to examine the relationship between purchased and generated energy from 2007 to 2023. Metrics such as deviance, log likelihood, and dispersion phi were examined to assess model fit. The Mann–Kendall test was utilized to detect trends in energy datasets. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) reduction was significant, exceeding 97% from 2014 to 2023. However, treated sewage displayed limited susceptibility to biological degradation, with COD to BOD5 ratios increasing from 2.28 to 6.59 for raw sewage and from 2.33 to 7.05 for treated sewage by 2023. Additionally, the efficiency of sewage purification processes was calculated, and multivariate regression analysis was conducted on gas composition data. Principal Coordinate Ordination (PCO) and k-means clustering were used for dimensionality reduction and biogas component clustering, respectively. This research showed that biogas from the waste water treatment process can be used, particularly in methane production. Technological advancements have made biogas production more efficient, enhancing energy generation within a circular economy framework.
