Abstract
The article examines the possibility of using residues from greenhouse cucumber and tomato cultivation as biomass for energy and CO2 production in order to meet greenhouse needs. Methane fermentation and combustion were compared. Moreover, the legitimacy of ensiling as a storage method for biogas plant was evaluated. The tested waste was found to be an unsuitable feedstock for the production of silage due to low sugar and high protein content. Fresh waste had a higher biogas yield than silage; however, its fermentation lasted longer. Furthermore, the results showed that, in the case of fresh residues, the methane fermentation proved to be a more energy-efficient process, while air-dry biomass is a more sustainable feedstock for combustion. The energy and CO2 balance showed that, regardless of the method used, the available quantity of waste is too small to meet the greenhouse needs.
Highlights
In Poland, horticulture is a growing sector of exported raw materials
The results indicate that the fermentation of fresh tomato residues was most effective (606.9 ml g−1VS), while ensiled cucumber waste was least effective (327.3 ml g−1 volatile solids (VS)) (Table 2)
The results imply that the wastes of cucumber and tomato cultivation provide a suitable feedstock for methane fermentation, but unsuitable material for silage
Summary
In Poland, horticulture is a growing sector of exported raw materials. The total production of vegetables is dominated by the cultivation of tomato (810.6 thousand tonnes) and cucumber (532.0 thousand tonnes), of which as much as 538.7 thousand tonnes of tomatoes and 265.1 thousand tonnes of Biogas production from this type of biomass or combustion thereof could solve the problem with the disposal of waste, as well as satisfy the need for energy and CO2. Biogas production is a multi-step process of biological decomposition of organic matter. It consists of the following phases: hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis and methanogenesis. The most common substrate for biogas production is maize silage, especially in central Europe, due to its high biomass yield per hectare (20–30 t TS ha−1) [7]. In Poland, the mean maize yield in 2014 was ca.
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