Anaerobic Digestion as a Component of Circular Bioeconomy—Case Study Approach
Przemysław Seruga,
Małgorzata Krzywonos,
Emilia den Boer,
Łukasz Niedźwiecki,
Agnieszka Urbanowska,
Halina Pawlak-Kruczek
Affiliations
Przemysław Seruga
Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Faculty of Production Engineering, Wrocław University of Economics and Business, Komandorska 118/120, 53-345 Wroclaw, Poland
Małgorzata Krzywonos
Department of Process Management, Faculty of Management, Wroclaw University of Economics and Business, Komandorska 118/120, 53-345 Wroclaw, Poland
Emilia den Boer
Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wyb. Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
Łukasz Niedźwiecki
Department of Boilers, Combustion and Energy Processes, Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wyb. Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
Agnieszka Urbanowska
Department of Environment Protection Engineering, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wyb. Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
Halina Pawlak-Kruczek
Department of Boilers, Combustion and Energy Processes, Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wyb. Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
Current and future trends in the world population lead to the continuous growth of municipal waste volumes. Only in the EU-28 approx. 86 million tons of biowaste is produced yearly. On the other hand, the recent energy crisis calls for a fast transition towards more local and renewable energy sources. Most of this stream could be recycled through anaerobic digestion (AD) to produce energy and high-quality fertilizers. This paper presents a balance of dry anaerobic digestion of municipal biowaste based on three years of system monitoring in an industrial-scale AD plant. The results indicate that the average biogas production rate of 120 Nm3/ton of fresh waste can be achieved. Biogas utilization in combined heat and power (CHP) units leads to an overall positive energy balance at significantly reduced CO2 emissions. The overall CO2 emission reduction of 25.3–26.6% was achieved, considering that biogas utilization is environmentally neutral. Moreover, biowaste conversion allows digestate production to substitute mineral fertilizers in agriculture and other applications. It is beneficial for soil protection and a broader environmental perspective.
