Abstract. Recently, the idea of biogas production has become a popular topic in Poland. Biogas is a valuable source of renewable energy with a potential application in electricity and heat production. Numerous types of technological solutions of biogas production are closely linked to the availability of substrates in the area, as well as their quantity and their properties. The paper presents the assessment of application in biogas production selected wastes such as communal and household sewage sludge and waste from a paper production in Opole region (Poland). The annual productions of methane, biogas and electricity were estimated. Chosen physico-chemical properties important in fermentation process were taken into consideration in the assessment. The highest value of potential energy was obtained using waste from the paper industry but the most appropriate parameters for this process has sewage sludge from the municipal sewage treatment plant. The use of sewage sludge from domestic and municipal sewage and waste from the paper industry creates the opportunity to reduce the amount of waste materials.

One of the basic aspects of sustainable development strategy involves investments in green technologies, including energy production from renewable sources. Biomass, special organic waste which belongs to “green sources” of energy can be used in the methane fermentation process of biogas production to generate heat and electricity.Biogas power plants have functioned in the Polish energy industry for many years now. On the basis of the data available from Central Statistical Office, in 2014 the ratio of biogas accounted for 7.6% of the structure of primary energy derived from renewable sources in the EU and 2.6% in Poland. An important consideration related to the production of biogas is associated with the applicability of waste resources derived from agricultural production and from the food industry, including pig slurry, slaughterhouse waste, brewing and distilling dregs as well as others. The operation of biogas plants provides considerable benefits to the environment, resulting from the controlled fermentation process and its application in the production of useful energy, as it can provide reduction of the emission of methane and other greenhouse gases. The aspects including the reduction of the volume of waste, environmental protection, fulfillment of the EU obligations and local energy security, form the reasons why communes in Poland should focus their attention on the use of biogas.This paper presents the results of SWOT analysis of biogas production in the context of sustainable development. The assessment of the aspects (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) and the intensity of their impact were undertaken on the basis of a point scale developed by the authors. The analysis shows that the process demonstrates a number of strengths, which can promote the implementation of positive changes in the environmental and social aspects undertaken on a local scale.

The use of algae is gaining popularity in recent years. Algae can form a suitable substrate for biogas production because they are low in cellulose and have low lignin content. The paper contains a summary with the list of the algae species applied for the biogas production process to this date, coupled with the description of the characteristic conditions in which the process is conducted. The key importance factors during the production of biogas include, among others, grade of algae species used, temperature of the process, mode in which the material is supplied into the tank, mixing method, use of co-substrate, etc. This paper reports the results of the study involving the effect of various temperature conditions on the characteristics of the growth rate of algal biomass. The research was performed for the Chlorella vulgaris BA-0167 strain in the temperature range corresponding to the mesophilic fermentation processes in anaerobic conditions.

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