Evaluation of biomethane potential from by-products and agricultural residues co-digestion in southern Italy

Valenti, Francesca; Selvaggi, Roberta; Pecorino, Biagio

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.06.098

Cited by 35 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Furthermore, some researchers have demonstrated that, while OFMSW management is complex, OFMSW can be valorized through transformation into biomethane [38]. The co-digestion of multiple feedstocks is technically feasible, and the best method for enhancing biogas production is to combine the potential results of biomethane with continuous AD testing [39]. Energy crops present a significant methane potential, and they have been widely used in biogas plants; however, their use may determine a change in land use, which would penalize agriculture [40].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Italian Cities: The Added Value of Biomethane from Organic Waste

2019

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This work focuses on the profitability of biomethane plants and the environmental benefits obtained recovering the organic fraction of municipal solid waste in Italy. The economic model is based on the calculations of the net present value, considering multiple capacities of biomethane production (ranging from 50 to 500 m3/h) and alternative scenarios based on the variation in subsidies, the selling price of biomethane, and the net revenues from the treatment of organic waste. The environmental analysis quantifies the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions obtained by natural gas vehicles fueled by biomethane. The economic and environmental results encourage energy change that can be achieved by municipalities that support the transformation of natural resources into green fuels. Across 15 Italian municipalities, the potential biomethane production varies from 80.4 million m3/year to 102.8 million m3/year, with an overall net present value ranging from 135 to 187 million €. In addition, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions varies from 127 to 162 thousand-ton CO2eq/year. Both the economic and environmental results demonstrate that biomethane is a renewable resource with added value for municipalities.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Italian Cities: The Added Value of Biomethane from Organic Waste

2019

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“…This could be considered an interesting result because the annual electricity obtainable from anaerobic digestion of the two by-products examined in this study could be improved by enlarging the number of possible feedstocks coming from other agricultural residues and/or agro-industrial by-products [79,80]. Furthermore, in view of a growing development of the biogas sector in Southern Italy, this study could contribute to planning a sustainable localization of biogas plants in the three geographical areas where transportation cost due to logistic and supply phase of the two by-products could be minimized.…”

Section: By-productsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Net Electricity and Heat Generated by Reusing Mediterranean Agro-Industrial By-Products

Valenti

Porto

2019

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The necessity to investigate suitable alternatives to conventional fossil fuels has increased interest in several renewable energy resources, especially in biomasses that are widely available and make it possible to reach environmental and socio-economic improvements. Among solutions for bioenergy production, anaerobic digestion technology allows biogas production by reusing agricultural residues and agro-industrial by-products. By considering the basic concepts of the Biogasdoneright® method, the objective of this study was to estimate the theoretical potential net electricity and heat production from anaerobic digestion of citrus pulp and olive pomace highly available worldwide. A model was developed and applied in a study area of the Mediterranean basin, where the biogas sector is still very limited despite the importance of both agricultural and agro-industrial activities, especially with regard to citrus and olive cultivation processing. Firstly, the application of a geographical information system (GIS) software tool allowed the estimation of the biogas potentially produced from citrus pulp and olive pomace re-use. Then, the development of a technical assessment demonstrated that 15.9 GWh electricity and 88,000 GJ heat per year could be generated from these by-products, satisfying approximate 17% of the electricity demand of the agricultural sector of the study area (90.2 GWh y−1). The achieved results could be relevant with regard to the intervention priorities established by the European Union related to the planning activities supported by the European Structural and Investment Funds within the Smart Specialisation Strategy.

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“…In fact, even if it was already remarked that the national biogas production is concentrated in North Italy, and in particular in Lombardia, Veneto, and Emilia Romagna (Figure 1), Tables 1 and 2 show that agricultural and animal farm activities are very strong in the Central and South regions of Italy, with a consequent by-products production which can be exploited by biorefinery for biogas production. Southern Italian regions are leaders in unique agriculture products, which are exported around the world, such as extra virgin olive oil [42] and citrus productions [43].…”

Section: Future Feedstocksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Valenti et al [43] focused their attention on the most abundant agro-wastes in Sicily: the by-products of lemon (citrus pulp), olive oil (olive pomace), poultry manure, Italian sainfoin and nopals of prickly pears (opuntia indica). The BMP tests investigated different mix of these substrates and showed that all these substrates can be used as feedstock in biogas plants, with methane production between 240 and 260 LCH4/kgVS.…”

Section: Future Feedstocksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy and Nutrients’ Recovery in Anaerobic Digestion of Agricultural Biomass: An Italian Perspective for Future Applications

2019

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Anaerobic digestion (AD) is the most adopted biotechnology for the valorization of agricultural biomass into valuable products like biogas and digestate, a renewable fertilizer. This paper illustrates in the first part the actual situation of the anaerobic digestion sector in Italy, including the number of plants, their geographical distribution, the installed power and the typical feedstock used. In the second part, a future perspective, independent of the actual incentive scheme, is presented. It emerged that Italy is the second European country for the number of anaerobic digestion plants with more than 1500 units for a total electricity production of about 1400 MWel. More than 60% of them are in the range of 200 kW–1 MW installed power. Almost 70% of the plants are located in the northern part of the Country where intensive agriculture and husbandry are applied. Most of the plants are now using energy crops in the feedstock. The future perspectives of the biogas sector in Italy will necessarily consider a shift from power generation to biomethane production, and an enlargement of the portfolio of possible feedstocks, the recovery of nutrients from digestate in a concentrated form, and the expansion of the AD sector to southern regions. Power to gas and biobased products will complete the future scenario.

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Evaluation of biomethane potential from by-products and agricultural residues co-digestion in southern Italy

Cited by 35 publications

References 54 publications

Sustainable Italian Cities: The Added Value of Biomethane from Organic Waste

Sustainable Italian Cities: The Added Value of Biomethane from Organic Waste

Net Electricity and Heat Generated by Reusing Mediterranean Agro-Industrial By-Products

Energy and Nutrients’ Recovery in Anaerobic Digestion of Agricultural Biomass: An Italian Perspective for Future Applications

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