Results in Engineering (Sep 2024)
Investigation of solid waste generation rate and biogas production
Abstract
Anaerobic Digestion (AD) of organic waste is one of the most promising processes and is the ideal solution for the disposal of organic waste (OW) and at the same time, the production of methane gas which may be used as a sustainable energy resource. An anaerobic biodigester with a volume of (20) liters has been used to digest organic waste and to trace the changes that occur during the AD process. Operating parameters such as temperature, pH, total solids, and volatile solids (TS, VS) have been measured which have a significant impact on the rate and quality of biogas production. Experiments on anaerobic biodegradation of OW-SS were monitored under mesophilic conditions (temperature 37 °C, retention time 30–31 days). The pH value varied between (4.2–5.8) for OW-SS. During 30 days of the detection period, the maximum methane production (corrected) occurred on day 21 which was equal to 254.3-ml. The cumulative volume of the produced methane was recorded as (3409 ml), OW-SS, and these results were corrected to the standard conditions, where after correction, it became (2929 ml). The highest rate of methane concentration was estimated at (52 %) for OW-SS, while the rate of decrease in the TS and VS was (54 %, and 45 %), respectively. It is recommended to examine the changes that occur if a larger digester is used than the one used in the current study, such as 50 L, 100 L …. Etc. To compare the data obtained in this study with the results of larger digestions to allow for the opportunity to build anaerobic digesters at the plant level with the benefit of renewable energy production. It is also recommended to investigate the impact of some types of pretreatments on biogas production such as the use of alkali, enzymatic, ultrasonic treatment or acid ton the solid waste feed.
