REVISTA DYNA ENERGÍA

Key words:

digestión anaerobia, ecuación de Buswell y Muller, estrategias de valorización, potencial metanogénico, residuos agroalimentarios, agro-food waste, anaerobic digestion, Buswell and Muller´s equation, methanogenic potential, valorization strategies

Article type:

ARTICULO DE INVESTIGACION / RESEARCH ARTICLE

Section:

RESEARCH ARTICLES

An inventory of organic waste streams generated in the agro-food industry, with the focus on those with higher potential for biogas production, was carried out in a logistically viable area of Castilla y León (Spain). 23 wastes and their mixtures were analyzed and the methane potential was evaluated theoretically and in laboratory batch assays.
Methane yields ranged from 290-725 mLCH4 gVS-1 waste, while the methane content in the biogas ranged from 46-72% for raw wastes.
The estimation of the regional waste fluxes and their methane potentials suggest that anaerobic digestion in a centralized plant could be a sustainable solution for the valorization of organic wastes generated in this area, where up to 5% of the primary energy demand can be covered by the calculated total biogas energy potential.
Sector-specific waste streams (livestock and agro-food industry) could cover up to 24% of regional total energy demand. Logistical aspects are critical in the area under study due to the high dispersion of the population and the existing industrial facilities.
The results of this paper show essential and practical knowledge on the process of anaerobic co-digestion in a centralized plant in a low populated area, which would be important for the practice of waste treatment in other regions with similar characteristics to Castilla y León, including a list of significant measures to turn the use of livestock and agro-food waste into a preferential energy option in these regions.