Addition of Different Biochars as Catalysts during the Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion of Mixed Wastewater Sludge

Biochar (BC) recently gained attention as an additive for anaerobic digestion (AD). This work aims at a critical analysis of the effect of six BCs, with different physical and chemical properties, on the AD of mixed wastewater sludge at 37 °C, comparing their influence on methane production and AD kinetics. AD batch tests were performed at the laboratory scale operating 48 reactors (0.25 L working volume) for 28 days with the addition of 10 g L−1 of BC. Most reactors supplemented with BCs exhibited higher (up to 22%) methane yields than the control reactors (0.15 Nm3 kgVS−1). The modified Gompertz model provided maximum methane production rate values, and in all reactors the lag-phase was equal to zero days, indicating a good adaptation of the inoculum to the substrate. The potential correlations between BCs’ properties and AD performance were assessed using principal component analysis (PCA). The PCA results showed a reasonable correlation between methane production and the BCs’ O–C and H–C molar ratios, and volatile matter, and between biogas production and BCs’ pore volume, specific surface area, and fixed and total carbon. In conclusion, the physic-chemical properties of BC (specifically, hydrophobicity and morphology) showed a key role in improving the AD of mixed wastewater sludge

Improving the Anaerobic Digestion of Wine-Industry Liquid Wastes: Treatment by Electro-Oxidation and Use of Biochar as an Additive

Wine lees have a great potential to obtain clean energy in the form of biogas through anaerobic digestion due to their high organic load. However, wine lees are a complex substrate and may likely give rise to instabilities leading to failure of the biological process. This work analysed the digestion of wine lees using two dierent approaches. First, electro-oxidation was applied as pre-treatment using boron-doped diamond-based electrodes. The voltage was 25 V and dierent treatment times were tested (ranging from 0.08 to 1.5 h) at 25 C. Anaerobic digestion of wine lees was evaluated in batch tests to investigate the eect of electro-oxidation on biogas yield. Electro-oxidation exhibited a significant positive eect on biogas production increasing its value up to 330 L kg1 of volatile solids after 1.5 h of treatment, compared to 180 L kg1 of volatile solids measured from raw wine lees. As a second approach, the addition of biochar to the anaerobic digestion of wine lees was investigated; in the experimental conditions considered in the present study, the addition of biochar did not show any positive eect on anaerobic digestion performance

Technical-economic and financial feasibility of new technologies in the energy refurbishment of residential buildings

The revision of the Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD) provides for the construction of zero-emission buildings. The present work investigates possible solutions aimed at phasing out fossil fuel systems in buildings, in accordance with the EPBD requirements. An insulated residential building located in Rome is presented. The proposed refurbishment approach is based on the heating system replacement (heat pump, hydrogen fuel cell, hydrogen-ready boiler), and the use of renewable energy produced by a photovoltaic system. The results show that, although the energy optimal solution consists of the replacement of the heat plant with a heat pump coupled to both a PV and a fuel cell system, from the economicfinancial point of view the proven solution of heat pump coupled with PV is still the only feasible one

Review of biochar application in anaerobic digestion processes

Among a wide variety of promising uses, in recent years the possibility of using biochar (BC) as additive to improve anaerobic digestion (AD) processes has attracted a growing interest. AD is a well-established biochemical process converting biomasses into biogas, a renewable energy source that can be directly used in heating and power generation rather than upgraded to bio-methane. Further, digestate (i.e. AD solid residue) could be valorised as soil improver. However, despite a growing number of full-scale biogas plants in Europe, (from about 6,200 in 2009 to 17,600 in 2016, according to European Biogas Association), some challenges limiting optimal AD performances still exist. They mainly include risks of acidification and/or potential inhibition of methanogenesis, hazards of atmospheric and water pollution derived from digestate addition to soil, as well as high energetic and economic costs for cleaning and upgrading of biogas. Thereby, many inorganic and carbonaceous additives have been investigated to stabilize AD and enhance methane production. Among them, BC is cost-effective and doesn’t need to be separated from digestate at the end of the AD process. Actually BC can improve digestate quality in terms of nutrients retention, increase of carbon to nitrogen ratio and reduction of nutrient leaching to soil. In addition, BC production and AD do not appear as competing processes, since biomasses with high lignocellulosic and low moisture contents, optimal for BC generation, are scarcely biodegradable during AD. Although a growing number of studies has verified the possibility of increasing methane production by BC addition during AD, to date, a clear comprehension of potential interactions between BC and AD process has not been fully reached. Since BC can be produced with a wide variety of physico-chemical properties adapted to specific applications, a proper knowledge of these mechanisms and of the related BC properties represent crucial issues. Therefore, the present study aimed to: 1. analyse the mechanisms by which BC would counteract some of the main AD limitations; 2. to perform an economic and environmental assessment of BC production and application in AD. Around 200 studies were selected and analysed by means of an extensive literature review on Science Direct, Scopus, and other scientific databases. Based on the analysis of the reviewed literature, it can be observed that the positive influence of BC on AD processes may act through different potential mechanisms: (1) increase of the buffering capacity of the AD system; (2) mitigation of potential inhibitors (NH3/NH4+ and others); (3) acting as a support medium for biomass immobilization and acclimation; (4) promotion of interspecies electron transfer between microbial populations; (5) enhancement of digestate quality; (6) in-situ biogas cleaning and upgrading (depletion of CO2 and H2S). In general, some of the key properties of BC for the above-mentioned mechanisms are high alkalinity, adequate sorption capacity for specific compounds, high surface area and porous structure able to promote microbial population immobilization and inhibitors’ adsorption, varied functional groups and superficial chemical properties, large electrical conductivity and electron exchange capacity. The economic and environmental analysis suggested that BC environmental applications are encouraged by the net mitigation of carbon emissions; while the economic feasibility of BC production could be linked to the promising energy content of lignocellulosic feedstocks. Further, the environmental benefits related to BC application to AD processes can be synergistically improved by coupling the use of BC derived from lignocellulosic feedstocks to the carbon neutral AD to optimize biogas productio

Evaluation of the influence of filter medium composition on treatment performances in an open-air green wall fed with greywater.

Abstract According to the European Research and Innovation Policy Agenda, nature-based solutions (NBSs) are key technologies to improve the sustainability of urban areas. Among NBSs, green walls have been recently studied for several applications, among the others the treatment of lowly polluted wastewater flows as greywater (GW, e.g. domestic wastewater excluding toilet flushes). This work is aimed at the evaluation of the influence of four additives (compost, biochar, granular activated carbon, polyacrylate) mixed with a base filter medium made of coconut fibre and perlite, on the performances of a green wall fed in batch mode with synthetic GW. The green wall was operated with a high hydraulic loading rate of GW (740.8 L/m2/day) in open-air winter conditions (3.5–15 °C measured for GW) between January and April. The performances of the green wall have been assessed though the monitoring every 1–2 weeks of physicochemical and biological parameters (pH, electric conductivity, total suspended solids, dissolved oxygen, BOD5 and COD, nitrogen and phosporus compounds, chlorides and sulphates, anionic surfactants and E. coli). Removal performances were excellent for BOD5 (>95%) and E.coli (>98%) for all additives; compared to the base medium, biochar was the best performing additive over the highest number of parameters, achieving removals equal to 51% for COD, 47% for TKN and nitric nitrogen and 71% for anionic surfactants. Compost also achieved high removal performances, but the frequent clogging events occurred during the monitoring period do not make its use recommendable. Granular activated carbon and the combination of biochar and polyacrylate performed better than the base medium, but only about the removal of nitric nitrogen. These results demonstrated that, in the considered experimental boundaries, biochar could improve the overall treatment performances of a green wall fed by GW and operated in challenging conditions

Estrategia de divulgación y enseñanza para fomentar el interés en las tecnologías espaciales

Mediante el presente proyecto, se propone analizar el impacto y el efecto multiplicador que proporciona la incorporación de una plataforma tecnológica de vanguardia, como son los dispositivos CANSAT, en el sistema educativo de nivel medio. Dicho de otro modo, la inclusión de las plataformas CANSAT manifiesta el deseo de posicionar a las instituciones, universitaria y de nivel medio, en el punto más avanzado de la tecnología educativa, con el objetivo de despertar e incentivar vocaciones científicas y tecnológicas entre los jóvenes alumnos. Se entiende como plataforma CANSAT a un pequeño satélite, no orbital, con las dimensiones de una lata de gaseosa, como medio diseñado especialmente para permitir a los alumnos de nivel medio insertarse en el mundo de las tecnologías espaciales a través de la programación, la electrónica, el uso de estadísticas, la interpretación de datos, etc.Eje: Innovación en Educación en Informática.Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informátic

Estrategia de divulgación y enseñanza para fomentar el interés en las tecnologías espaciales

Mediante el presente proyecto, se propone analizar el impacto y el efecto multiplicador que proporciona la incorporación de una plataforma tecnológica de vanguardia, como son los dispositivos CANSAT, en el sistema educativo de nivel medio. Dicho de otro modo, la inclusión de las plataformas CANSAT manifiesta el deseo de posicionar a las instituciones, universitaria y de nivel medio, en el punto más avanzado de la tecnología educativa, con el objetivo de despertar e incentivar vocaciones científicas y tecnológicas entre los jóvenes alumnos. Se entiende como plataforma CANSAT a un pequeño satélite, no orbital, con las dimensiones de una lata de gaseosa, como medio diseñado especialmente para permitir a los alumnos de nivel medio insertarse en el mundo de las tecnologías espaciales a través de la programación, la electrónica, el uso de estadísticas, la interpretación de datos, etc.Eje: Innovación en Educación en Informática.Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informátic

Review of biochar role as additive in anaerobic digestion processes

because of the urgent need to provide renewable energy sources and efficiently manage the continuously growing amount of organic waste. Biochar (BC) is an extremely versatile material, which could be produced by carbonization of organic materials, including biomass and wastes, consistently with Circular Economy principles, and “tailor-made” for specific applications. The potential BC role as additive in the control of the many wellknown critical issues of AD processes has been increasingly explored over the past few years. However, a clear and comprehensive understanding of the connections between BC and AD is still missing. This review paper analyses and discusses significant references (review articles, research papers and international databases and reports), mostly published in the last 10 years. This review is aimed at addressing three key issues related to the better understanding of the BC role in AD processes: 1. Investigation of the influence of BC properties on AD performances and of their ability to counteract its main challenges; 2. Assessment of the optimal BC production chain (i.e. feedstock-pyrolysis-activation) to achieve the desired features; 3. Evaluation of the economic and environmental advantages connected to BC use in AD processes, compared to conventional solutions applied to address AD challenges

Application of biochar as additive in Anaerobic Digestion

L'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen