Techno-Economic Assessment of Solid–Liquid Biogas Treatment Plants for the Agro-Industrial Sector

Roberto Eloy Hernández Regalado, Jurek Häner, Elmar Brügging and Jens Tränckner
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Roberto Eloy Hernández Regalado: Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, 18059 Rostock, Germany
Jurek Häner: Faculty of Energy Building Services Environmental Engineering, Münster University of Applied Sciences, Stegerwaldstr. 39, 48565 Steinfurt, Germany
Elmar Brügging: Faculty of Energy Building Services Environmental Engineering, Münster University of Applied Sciences, Stegerwaldstr. 39, 48565 Steinfurt, Germany
Jens Tränckner: Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 6, 18059 Rostock, Germany

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 12, 1-20

Abstract: The urgent need to meet climate goals provides unique opportunities to promote small-scale farm anaerobic digesters that valorize on-site wastes for producing renewable electricity and heat, thereby cushioning agribusinesses against energy perturbations. This study explored the economic viability of mono-digestion of cow manure (CWM) and piglet manure (PM) in small manured-based 99 kW el plants using three treatment schemes (TS): (1) typical agricultural biogas plant, (2) a single-stage expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactor, and (3) a multistage EGSB with a continuous stirred tank reactor. The economic evaluation attempted to take advantage of the financial incentives provided by The Renewable Energy Sources Act in Germany. To evaluate these systems, batch tests on raw and solid substrate fractions were conducted. For the liquid fraction, data of continuous tests obtained in a laboratory was employed. The economical evaluation was based on the dynamic indicators of net present value and internal return rate (IRR). Sensitivity analyses of the electricity and heat selling prices and hydraulic retention time were also performed. Furthermore, an incremental analysis of IRR was conducted to determine the most profitable alternative. The most influential variable was electricity selling price, and the most profitable alternatives were TS1 (CWM) > TS1 (PM) > TS3 (CWM). However, further studies on co-digestion using TS3 are recommended because this scheme potentially provides the greatest technical flexibility and highest environmental sustainability.

Keywords: cow manure; pig manure; biogas production; anaerobic digestion costs; the economic viability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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