The organic waste fractions ratio optimization in the anaerobic co-digestion process for the increase of biogas yield

• Main Authors: Momčilović Ana J., Stefanović Gordana M., Rajković Predrag M., Stojković Nenad V., Milutinović Biljana B., Ivanović Milica P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: VINCA Institute of Nuclear Sciences 2018-01-01
• Series: Thermal Science
• Subjects: anaerobic digestion; biogas yield; multi-criteria optimization; organic waste fraction
• Online Access: http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0354-9836/2018/0354-983618525M .pdf

Biogas obtained by anaerobic digestion process from various organic fractions of waste is increasingly used as a renewable energy sources for the generation of electricity and heat. The quantity of biogas produced by anaerobic digestion depends on many factors: types and characteristics of organic waste, elemental composition of waste, C/N ratio, pH value, inhibitors, retention time, content of nutrients, etc. In addition to the selection of parameters that influence the process of anaerobic digestion, biogas yield can also be influenced by choosing the optimal combination and ratio of organic fractions of waste. In this paper, an analysis of the influential parameters in the process of anaerobic digestion was per-formed on biogas yields and an overview of the essential characteristics of waste (elementary composition, C/N ratio, lignin content, etc.) for different fractions of organic waste (organic municipal waste, various types of waste of animal origin, as well as agricultural waste). In order to choose the optimal mixing ratio of different fractions of organic waste for maximum biogas yield, a mathematical model has been developed using the multi-criteria optimization method. The boundary conditions set for the multi-criteria optimization was the C/N ratio in the range of 20 to 30 and the minimum content of the lignin in the substrate. The application of the developed model was carried out on the case study of the city of Nis, and the optimal mix of different types of organic waste was determined, as well as the optimal amount of each waste fraction and biogas yield. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. III 33051]