Bio-Energy Generation from Synthetic Winery Wastewaters

In Spain, thewinery industry exerts a great influence on the national economy. Proportional to the scale of production, a significant volume of waste is generated, estimated at 2 million tons per year. In this work, a laboratory-scale reactor was used to study the feasibility of the energetic valorization of winery e uents into hydrogen by means of dark fermentation and its subsequent conversion into electrical energy using fuel cells. First, winery wastewater was characterized, identifying and determining the concentration of the main organic substrates contained within it. To achieve this, a syntheticwinery effluentwas prepared according to the composition of thewinerywastewater studied. This e uent was fermented anaerobically at 26 C and pH = 5.0 to produce hydrogen. The acidogenic fermentation generated a gas e uent composed of CO2 and H2, with the percentage of hydrogen being about 55% and the hydrogen yield being about 1.5 L of hydrogen at standard conditions per liter of wastewater fermented. A gas e uent with the same composition was fed into a fuel cell and the electrical current generated was monitored, obtaining a power generation of 1W h L1 of winery wastewater. These results indicate that it is feasible to transform winery wastewater into electricity by means of acidogenic fermentation and the subsequent oxidation of the bio-hydrogen generated in a fuel cell

New Trends in Substrates and Biogas Systems in Poland

The amendment to the Polish Renewable Energy Act creates great opportunities for the development of the biogas market in Poland. Years of experience in biogas production in Western Europe and the development of biogas installations in Poland indicate the requirement to look for alternative substrates to those produced from dedicated crop production (mainly maize silage). Feasible solutions include the use of biodegradable waste from agriculture or industry as well as municipal landfill sites. The usage of these substrates in the methane fermentation process offers low cost, high biogas production and the safe management of biowaste. The arguments for using them in biogas installations are persuasive. This article presents new approaches of biogas plant installation solutions which allows for the effective fermentation of biowaste from animal and vegetable production, from the agro-food industry and from municipal wast

Kogeneracja biogazowa: potencjał i dobre przykłady

Energetyka biomasowa posiada ogromny potencjał w Polsce - zarówno w kwestii wytwarzania energii elektrycznej i ciepła, jak i w aspekcie redukcji emisji gazów cieplarnianych (CO2, CH4, NOx, itp.). Dotyczy to zwłaszcza sektora biogazowego, który jest szczególnie dedykowany do zagospodarowania odpadów z sektora rolnictwa, przetwórstwa oraz organicznych odpadów komunalnych

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF BIOCHAR FOR COMPOSTING

Biochar – also referred to as biocarbon, agrichar – shows similar properties as charcoal but indicates applications for agriculture and environment protection. Biochar was applied in the 19th century agriculture practices in Europe and South America. At present, the properties of biochar are being „redescovered” and new areas of applications include production of bioenergy, waste management or mitigation of climate change. Also, it can be used for sequestration of carbon in soils, remediation of soil contaminated with organic and inorganic compounds. Biochar can be produced through pyrolysis of a wide range of feedstock materials including energy crops, forestry residues, agricultural biomass, sewage sludge, food processing waste, etc. Depending on the initial properties of substrates and parameters of pyrolysis biochars can demonstrate various properties such as high content of stable organic carbon and minerals, high porosity and surface area, and thus increased sorption and nutrient retention properties. Recent studies show that biochar can be also used in composting and production of biochar-based composts and fertilizers. Biochar can function as a bulking agent or an amandment for composting of materials with high moisture and/or nitrogen contents. The addition of biochar to composting mixtures can reduce ammonia emissions, and thus limit nitrogen losses during composting, increase water holding capacity and retention of nutrients. Biochar can also function as a carrier substrate for microbial inoculants and a scrubing material used in biofilters at composting facilities. Due to the fact that the literature does not provide many examples of biochar applications for composting, and there is little known about the effects of biochar added to composting mixtures on composting dynamics and properties of final composts, futher investigations should focus on mechanisms of biochar-composting mixtures interactions and analysis of properties of biochar-based composts. The overall goal of the article is to analyze the potentials of biochars for composting, to report the effects of various biochars on composting dynamics and quality of produced biochar-based composts, and to indicate the areas of further studies on biochar properties that would allow optimization of composting and improve the quality of final products

BIOCHAR AS A SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL FOR BIOGAS PRODUCTION

In view to numerous physical and chemical properties biochars can be used in many applications in the area of environmental protection and engineering. Recent findings show that biochar can be also applied in biogas production. Relatively high chemical stability and low susceptibility to degradation, high specific surface area, microporosity and the presence of functional groups indicate that biochar can have a potential for production of biogas. The available results from laboratory studies show that biochar can facilitate mineralization of organic matter and increase the yield of methane. Due to relatively high cost of biochar, the most favourable solution would include the following applications of biochar: (1) production of biomass for biogas production (as an additive to animal feed and bedding, a soil conditioner), (2) preparation of mixture (as an amendment), (3) inoculation of microorganisms (as an inoculum carrier), (4) treatment of biogas (as an absorbent), (5) treatment of liquid fraction of digestate (as a sorbent), (6) management of solid fraction of digestate (as a substrate for biochar production). However, the conducted studies need further work and confirmation in larger scale. Also, the effects of biochar on anaerobic fermentation dynamics should be investigated and explained

Influence of the Harvesting and Ensilage Technology on the Quality of Maize Straw Silage

The aim of the study was to assess how the harvesting and ensilage technology influenced the quality of maize straw silages. The research findings showed that it was best to make maize straw silage in a flexible silo, whereas it was least favourable to make it in a film-covered field prism. The choice of the adequate ensilage method results in a high quality silage even if there is high content of dry matter in maize straw

Influence of the Harvesting and Ensilage Technology on the Quality of Maize Straw Silage

The aim of the study was to assess how the harvesting and ensilage technology influenced the quality of maize straw silages. The research findings showed that it was best to make maize straw silage in a flexible silo, whereas it was least favourable to make it in a film-covered field prism. The choice of the adequate ensilage method results in a high quality silage even if there is high content of dry matter in maize straw

TECHNOLOGIES TO REDUCE EMISSIONS OF NOXIOUS GASES RESULTING FROM LIVESTOCK FARMING

During the animal production, which is increasingly expanding, it comes to harmful gas emissions. These emissions relate to both greenhouse and odorous gases emissions. The resulting volatile compounds also contribute to the formation of acid rain, eutrophication of water aquens and soils, corrosion in livestock buildings and damage of the ozone layer. Considering the existing problem, solutions neutralizing the impact of animal production on the environment, are being looked for. Moreover, numerous activities in the way of nutritional and technological solutions are undertaken. Nutritional techniques are based on diet modification and require continuous monitoring of livestock animals. On the other hand, technological solutions are taking action to reduce emissions of gases from livestock buildings and slurry management. The proposed ways of disposing slurry result in different effects in terms of reduction of dangerous gases. They require the implementation of additional actions leading, among other things, to the proper animal waste disposal

Wpływ różnych technologii obróbki gnojowicy na emisję metanu po aplikacji gnojowicy do gleby

W artykule opisano wpływ stosowanych technologii obróbki gnojowicy na wielkość emisji metanu po aplikacji doglebowej. Do badań użyto gnojowicy świńskiej i bydlęcej, poddanej następującym technologiom: dodatek PRP, dodatek Efektywnych Mikroorganizmów, poddanie napowietrzaniu, ozonowaniu oraz fermentacji metanowej. Do badań użyto również gnojowicy bez żadnej obróbki podczas przechowywania (grupa kontrolna). Przygotowane próbki gnojowicy aplikowano do gleby brunatnej, która występuje na przeważającej powierzchni województwa wielkopolskiego. Skład emitowanego gazu po aplikacji doglebowej gnojowicy zbadano na chromatografie gazowym. Wykazano, że najskuteczniejszą metodą obróbki gnojowicy była aeracja, zarówno dla gnojowicy świńskiej, jak i bydlęcej. Zauważa się, iż gnojowica świńska wykazała wyższy potencjał biogazowy, aniżeli gnojowica bydlęca. Wskazuje się również na konieczność przechowywania przefermentowanej gnojowicy w komorach zamkniętych i nie aplikowanie jej bezpośrednio po procesie fermentacji, w celu ograniczenia emisji metanu. Spośród badanych technologii najmniejszą efektywnością w odniesieniu do gnojowicy okazały się Efektywne Mikroorganizmy

Economic Assessment of the Technology Harvesting Maize Straw for Biogas Production

The aim of the study was to determine and analyse the costs of harvesting and storage of maize straw for biogas production. The investigations showed that it was the most economical to harvest maize straw with a self-loading wagon equipped with a cutting system and to store it in a field prism. The cost of this technology amounts to €12.5 per Mg d.m. The cost of maize straw harvest with a field chopper and storage in a flexible silo was the highest, amounts to €126.9 per Mg d.m. The research findings can be used for estimating the profitability of harvesting maize straw for energy production and other industrial purposes