Improvement of Biogas Quality and Quantity for Small-Scale Biogas-Electricity Generation Application in off-Grid Settings

Improvement of Biogas Quality and Quantity for Small-Scale Biogas-Electricity Generation Application in off-Grid Settings: A Field-Based Study

Wasajja, H. (TU Delft Sanitary Engineering; Ndejje University)
Al-Muraisy, S.A.A. (TU Delft Sanitary Engineering)
Piaggio, A.L. (TU Delft Sanitary Engineering)
Ceron Chafla, P.S. (TU Delft Sanitary Engineering)
Aravind, P.V. (TU Delft Energy Technology; Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)
Spanjers, H. (TU Delft Sanitary Engineering)
van Lier, J.B. (TU Delft Sanitary Engineering)
Lindeboom, R.E.F. (TU Delft Sanitary Engineering)

2021

Small-scale electrical power generation (<100 kW) from biogas plants to provide off-grid electricity is of growing interest. Currently, gas engines are used to meet this demand. Alternatively, more efficient small-scale solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) can be used to enhance electricity generation from small-scale biogas plants. Most electricity generators require a constant gas supply and high gas quality in terms of absence of impurities like H ₂S. Therefore, to efficiently use the biogas from existing decentralized anaerobic digesters for electricity production, higher quality and stable biogas flow must be guaranteed. The installation of a biogas upgrading and buffer system could be considered; however, the cost implication could be high at a small scale as compared to locally available alterna-tives such as co-digestion and improved digester operation. Therefore, this study initially describes relevant literature related to feedstock pre-treatment, co-digestion and user operational practices of small-scale digesters, which theoretically could lead to major improvements of anaerobic digestion process efficiency. The theoretical preamble is then coupled to the results of a field study, which demonstrated that many locally available resources and user practices constitute frugal innovations with potential to improve biogas quality and digester performance in off-grid settings.

biogas quality
biogas quantity
anaerobic digestion
electricity generation
pre-treatment
co-digestion
user practices

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1b29cf09-c7b9-48bd-9a53-f41bf5334430

https://doi.org/10.3390/en14113088

1996-1073

Energies, 14 (11)

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2021 H. Wasajja, S.A.A. Al-Muraisy, A.L. Piaggio, P.S. Ceron Chafla, P.V. Aravind, H. Spanjers, J.B. van Lier, R.E.F. Lindeboom