Dry Anaerobic Digestion of Food Industry by-Products and Bioenergy Recovery: A Perspective to Promote the Circular Economy Transition

Author(s)

Sganzerla, William Gustavo ; Tena-Villares, Miriam ; Buller, Luz Selene ; Mussatto, Solange, I ; Forster-Carneiro, Tania

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: WASTE AND BIOMASS VALORIZATION; v. 13, n. 5, p. 15-pg., 2022-01-13.

Abstract

Anaerobic digestion (AD) can be a suitable alternative for agro-industrial by-products energy recovery, contributing to reducing environmental side effects caused by incorrect disposal of these materials. In this study, dry AD reactors were started-up with acai seeds, brewer's spent grains (BSG), and poultry feathers, all solid by-products generated from the food industry. The results demonstrated that during 22 days of dry AD, the BSG reactor presented the best operational performance, as follows: (i) highest solids biodegradation (up to 70%); (ii) accumulated biogas volume (up to 10 L); (iii) methane composition (57.49%); and (iv) methane yield (39.51 L -CH(4)kg(-1) total volatile solids). The biogas combustion in a combined heat and power engine could locally generate electric (0.101 MWh -ton(-1) BSG) and thermal energy (455.21 MJ -ton(-1) BSG), which could be used to self-supply the industrial facility, avoiding greenhouse gas emissions (0.03 ton -CO2eq -ton(-1) BSG) from the traditional energy sources. Based on the experimental dataset, the dry AD of agro-industrial by-products can be a promising approach to produce methane-rich biogas, being mainly of interest for the beer industry, as an alternative for energy recovery in a circular economy concept. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/05999-0 - Waste2energy: integration of the supercritical and anaerobic digestion technologies for the management of water and food waste
• Grantee: Tânia Forster Carneiro
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 19/26925-7 - Development of an automated system for biofuel precursor production using sub-critical technology
• Grantee: William Gustavo Sganzerla
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• FAPESP's process: 18/14938-4 - Waste2energy: integration of supercritical technologies and anaerobic digestion through an automated system for the production of biofuel precursors
• Grantee: Tânia Forster Carneiro
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants - Phase 2
• FAPESP's process: 20/10323-5 - Life cycle and technical-financial assessment of the integration of anaerobic digestion and hydrothermal technologies for waste recovery
• Grantee: Luz Selene Buller
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral