Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Food Waste with Livestock Manure at Ambient Temperature: A Biogas Based Circular Economy and Sustainable Development Goals

Bipasyana Dhungana, Sunil Prasad Lohani and Michael Marsolek
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Bipasyana Dhungana: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel 6250, Nepal
Sunil Prasad Lohani: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel 6250, Nepal
Michael Marsolek: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Seattle University, Seattle, WA 98122, USA

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-16

Abstract: A shift from a linear economy to a circular economy of resource consumption is vital for diverting the value from lost resources to resource-efficient products towards developing a sustainable system. Household digesters provide one opportunity to create a biogas-based circular economy. Because household digesters are typically fed a wide and variable range of substrates, it is important to determine the ideal mixing ratios for them. In this study, an anaerobic digester startup process was analyzed and an assessment of anaerobic co-digestion of food waste with different livestock manures was carried out at ambient temperatures. Food waste (FW), cow manure (CM), poultry litter (PL) and goat manure (GM) were co-digested at mixing ratios (FW:PL:CM) of 2:1:1, 2:2:1, 1:1:2, 1:1:1 (wt/wt) and FW:PL:GM at mixing ratios of 2:1:1 and 1:1:2, at an organic loading rate of 1 g volatile solid (VS)/L/day, and 8% total solids. A maximum methane yield was obtained from co-digestion of FW:PL:GM at a mixing ratio of 2:1:1 in autumn-to-winter conditions, 21–10 °C, while the mixing ratio of FW:PL:CM at 2:2:1, showed negligible methane production under the same temperature condition. This study suggests that co-digestion of food waste and poultry litter with goat manure yields more biogas than other substrate combinations. Therefore, selecting suitable co-substrates with an optimized mixing ratio can promote several key indicators of a biogas-based circular economy towards achieving sustainable development goals 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 13 and 15.

Keywords: anaerobic co-digestion; start-up; circular economy; biogas yield; food waste; SDGs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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