The Advantage of Citrus Residues as Feedstock for Biogas Production: A Two-Stage Anaerobic Digestion System

Camilo Andrés Guerrero-Martin (), Angie Natalia Rojas-Sanchez, David Fernando Cruz-Pinzón, Harvey Andres Milquez-Sanabria (), David Leonardo Sotelo-Tobon, Ana Laura Ribeiro da Cunha, Raúl Salinas-Silva, Stefanny Camacho-Galindo, Vando José Costa Gomes and Diego Cunha Malagueta
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Camilo Andrés Guerrero-Martin: Energy and Sea Research Group (Grupo de Pesquisa em Energia e Mar), Universidade Federal do Pará, Campus Universitário de Salinópolis, Salinópolis-Pará 68721-000, Brazil
Angie Natalia Rojas-Sanchez: Non-Conventional Separation Processes Research Group (GPS), Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de América, Av. Circunvalar #20-53, Bogotá 110311, Colombia
David Fernando Cruz-Pinzón: Non-Conventional Separation Processes Research Group (GPS), Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de América, Av. Circunvalar #20-53, Bogotá 110311, Colombia
Harvey Andres Milquez-Sanabria: Non-Conventional Separation Processes Research Group (GPS), Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de América, Av. Circunvalar #20-53, Bogotá 110311, Colombia
David Leonardo Sotelo-Tobon: Non-Conventional Separation Processes Research Group (GPS), Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de América, Av. Circunvalar #20-53, Bogotá 110311, Colombia
Ana Laura Ribeiro da Cunha: Energy and Sea Research Group (Grupo de Pesquisa em Energia e Mar), Universidade Federal do Pará, Campus Universitário de Salinópolis, Salinópolis-Pará 68721-000, Brazil
Raúl Salinas-Silva: Fundación de Educación Superior San José—Usanjose, Bogotá 110311, Colombia
Stefanny Camacho-Galindo: Fundación de Educación Superior San José—Usanjose, Bogotá 110311, Colombia
Vando José Costa Gomes: Energy and Sea Research Group (Grupo de Pesquisa em Energia e Mar), Universidade Federal do Pará, Campus Universitário de Salinópolis, Salinópolis-Pará 68721-000, Brazil
Diego Cunha Malagueta: Mechanical Engineering (IPoli/UFRJ) and Energy Planning (Coppe/UFRJ), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 6, 1-13

Abstract: Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an important step in waste recovery. In Colombia, the production of citrus food significantly contributes to environmental impact via waste generation. In 2021, the waste produced, specifically citrus rind, amounted to 725,035 tons/year. During degradation, wastes generate leachate and greenhouse gases (GHGs), which negatively impact water sources (leachate), soil, and human and animal health. This article describes the design of a two-phase biodigestion system for the degradation of organic matter and biogas production. The system uses citrus waste to produce biogas with neutral emissions. The biodigestion process begins with the stabilization of the methanogenesis reactor (UASB), which takes approximately 19 days. During this period, the biogas produced contains approximately 60% methane by volume. Subsequently, the packed bed reactor operates for 7 days, where hydrolytic and acetogenic bacteria decompose the citrus waste, leading to the production and accumulation of volatile fatty acids. The final step involves combining the two phases for 5 days, resulting in a daily biogas production ranging from 700 to 1100 mL. Of this biogas, 54.90% is methane ( C H 4 ) with a yield of 0.51 L C H 4 g S V − 1 . This study assesses the methane production capacity of citrus waste, with the process benefiting from the pH value of the leachate, enhancing its degradability. Consequently, this approach leads to a notable 27.30% reduction in solids within the digestion system. The two-phase anaerobic biodigestion system described in this article demonstrates a promising method to mitigate the environmental impact of citrus waste while concurrently producing a renewable source of energy.

Keywords: biomethane; biogas; food waste; GHG; biodigestion (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: 2024
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