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Waste as substrates for agricultural biogas plants: A case study from Poland
Energy production from renewable sources is one of the main ways to fight against global warming. Anaerobic digestion process can be used to produce biogas containing methane. In the light of the growing demand for substrates, a variety of raw materials are required. These substrates should be suitable for anaerobic digestion, and processing them need to provide the desired amount of energy. This paper aims to discuss the agricultural biogas market in Poland, its current state, and the possibility of development during energy transformation, in particular in terms of using waste as a substrate for energy production. In February 2022, there were 130 agricultural biogas plants registered in Poland. On the other hand, in 2020, 4,409,054.898 Mg of raw materials were used to produce agricultural biogas in Poland. Among all the substrates used, waste played a special role. With the right amount of raw materials and proper management of a biogas plant, it is possible to produce electricity and provide stable and predictable heat supply. Bearing in mind the development of the Polish and European biogas markets, attention should be paid to ensure access to raw materials from which chemical energy in the form of biogas can be generated. Due to limited access to farmland and the increasing demand for food production, one should expect that waste will be increasingly often used for biogas production, especially that with high energy potential, such as waste related to animal production and the meat industry.
Water, Wastewater, Waste Management in Agriculture and Agri-Food Industry
Attaining sustainable development is one of the most important challenges of the 21st century [...]
Influence of the Parameters of Used Biochar on the Dark Fermentation Process
The aim of the work was to analyze the impact of biochar produced under various production conditions on the course of the dark (hydrogen) fermentation process. A series of experiments were planned, in which the starting material was digestate from a functioning agricultural biogas plant. Changes in the physicochemical properties and microstructure of biochar obtained in the manufacturing process with different parameters were also analyzed. Another issue analyzed was the size and dynamics of the gas production during dark fermentation with the use of various types of auxiliary material. This work showed that increasing the temperature and holding time during the production of biochar from digestion pulp improved the dynamics of biohydrogen production during the process of dark fermentation. The results of this research can be used in industrial research to optimize the process of biohydrogen production using biochar.