Anaerobic Digestion as a Component of Circular Bioeconomy—Case Study Approach

Przemysław Seruga (), Małgorzata Krzywonos, Emilia den Boer, Łukasz Niedźwiecki, Agnieszka Urbanowska and Halina Pawlak-Kruczek
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Przemysław Seruga: Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Faculty of Production Engineering, Wrocław University of Economics and Business, Komandorska 118/120, 53-345 Wroclaw, Poland
Emilia den Boer: Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wyb. Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
Łukasz Niedźwiecki: Department of Boilers, Combustion and Energy Processes, Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wyb. Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
Agnieszka Urbanowska: Department of Environment Protection Engineering, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wyb. Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
Halina Pawlak-Kruczek: Department of Boilers, Combustion and Energy Processes, Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wyb. Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland

Energies, 2022, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Current and future trends in the world population lead to the continuous growth of municipal waste volumes. Only in the EU-28 approx. 86 million tons of biowaste is produced yearly. On the other hand, the recent energy crisis calls for a fast transition towards more local and renewable energy sources. Most of this stream could be recycled through anaerobic digestion (AD) to produce energy and high-quality fertilizers. This paper presents a balance of dry anaerobic digestion of municipal biowaste based on three years of system monitoring in an industrial-scale AD plant. The results indicate that the average biogas production rate of 120 Nm 3 /ton of fresh waste can be achieved. Biogas utilization in combined heat and power (CHP) units leads to an overall positive energy balance at significantly reduced CO 2 emissions. The overall CO 2 emission reduction of 25.3–26.6% was achieved, considering that biogas utilization is environmentally neutral. Moreover, biowaste conversion allows digestate production to substitute mineral fertilizers in agriculture and other applications. It is beneficial for soil protection and a broader environmental perspective.

Keywords: bioenergy; biogas; fermentation; fertilizer; greenhouse gas; waste management; zero waste (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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