Identification and Characterization of Potential Feedstock for Biogas Production in South Africa

Biogas is produced during anaerobic digestion (AD) of biodegradable organic materials and is considered a promising renewable energy resource. Feedstocks are essential to ensure successful anaerobic digestion in biogas digesters. Therefore, the search of appropriate substrates has come into focus. I...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nathaniel Sawyerr, Cristina Trois, Tilahun Workneh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Polish Society of Ecological Engineering (PTIE) 2019-06-01
Series:Journal of Ecological Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.journalssystem.com/jeeng/Identification-and-Characterization-of-Potential-Feedstock-for-Biogas-Production,108652,0,2.html
Description
Summary:Biogas is produced during anaerobic digestion (AD) of biodegradable organic materials and is considered a promising renewable energy resource. Feedstocks are essential to ensure successful anaerobic digestion in biogas digesters. Therefore, the search of appropriate substrates has come into focus. In this study, we examined the potential substrates that could be used as feedstock for successful operation of an anaerobic digester. The approach used in this study was to identify the potential feedstocks that can be converted into value-added products. The identification of the feedstocks was done based on classification and by evaluating the theoretical biogas and methane production during the digestion process. Results show that all the substrate considered exhibited biogas theoretical yield, with cattle manure producing the highest yield (0.999 m3/kg VS), whereas the lowest biogas yield (0.949 m3/kg VS) was obtained from cassava peels. It was concluded that the use of cassava co-digested with fruit and vegetable waste as an alternative feedstock offer greater potential in terms of biogas production and could thus be implemented in biogas projects running with cow dungs inside South Africa especially in rural communities.
ISSN:2299-8993