VALUATION OF APPLE POMACE BY ANAEROBIC DIGESTION TECHNOLOGY IN A BIOREFINERY CONCEPT

• Grant number: 21/07986-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): May 01, 2023
• Status: Discontinued
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Tânia Forster Carneiro
• Grantee: Larissa Castro Ampese
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (FEA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/14938-4 - Waste2energy: integration of supercritical technologies and anaerobic digestion through an automated system for the production of biofuel precursors, AP.JP2

Abstract

Technologies for the reuse of lignocellulosic residues from the food industry to obtain new energy products are emerging. Of the total amount of apples used for processing, 65% are destined for juice production and only a portion of this material is reused for animal feed, with the rest becoming an environmental and economic constraint for the apple juice industry. In this sense, the general objective of this research is to evaluate the applicability and efficiency of anaerobic digestion for valorization of apple pomace, with the objectives of developing and comparing routes for obtaining (a) methane and (b) hydrogen, in a biorefinery concept. Trials with anaerobic reactors fed with apple pomace will be carried out under dry type conditions and mesophilic temperature, aiming for higher methane/hydrogen and biofertilizer production. The use of supplementation of the anaerobic reactors will be evaluated in comparison to non-supplemented reactors, as well as different products for the alkalinization of the medium will be tested. All experiments will be evaluated technically, economically, and environmentally, allowing to verify the possibility of implementing industrial reactors for the valorization of apple pomace. Finally, a biorefinery of apple pomace with different technological processes will be designed, and technological routes for the production of bioenergy and biofuels will be developed and identified, with the application of circular economy and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.