Abstract
AbstractBiogas production is an established technology that is suitable for small-scale decentralized solutions, for example, on dairy cattle farms where manure is formed all year round. Cattle slurry can be co-digested with other organic biomasses to boost the production of renewable energy. The aim of this study was to outline the suitability of locally available co-substrates that are characteristic to the northern rural area in Lapland, Finland. Twelve different co-substrates originating from agriculture, reindeer meat production, fisheries and food processing were studied for their chemical characteristics and biochemical methane potential (BMP) in laboratory tests. As a result, all the tested co-substrates had a higher BMP than the cattle slurry, which could be a useful boost for farm-scale energy production. The BMP was the highest for used vegetable oil (851 l/kg VS) followed by the rainbow trout by-products (728 l/kg VS). BMP was the lowest for spoiled grass silage (265 l/kg VS) and the rumen contents of reindeer (289 l/kg VS). All substrates had high concentrations of the main nutrients, and small fish especially were rich in phosphorus (7.4 g/kg) and nitrogen (24.2 g/kg). Nutrient rich co-substrates increase the fertilizer value of digestate and the nutrient self-sufficiency of the farm.
Highlights
Decentralized renewable energy production could be increased in sparsely populated areas as in Lapland, the Biogas production through anaerobic digestion is an established technology producing nutrient-rich digestate and energy in the form of methane (CH4) gas
The evaluation was accomplished by determining the chemical characteristics and CH4 production potential of materials in laboratory tests
The slurry had low concentrations of the main nutrients (N 2.7 g/kg and P 0,4 g/kg) and the total solids (TS) (7.8%) and volatile solids (VS) (6.8%) values were lower than the average values for Finnish dairy cattle slurry, in the Finnish Normative Manure System (TS 9.7%, VS 7.5%, Ntot 5.3 g/kg and Ptot 1.0 g/kg, Luostarinen et al 2017)
Summary
Decentralized renewable energy production could be increased in sparsely populated areas as in Lapland, the Biogas production through anaerobic digestion is an established technology producing nutrient-rich digestate and energy in the form of methane (CH4) gas. Cattle slurry maintains a buffer capacity and mineral balance for microbes during digestion. It has a relatively low CH4 yield as it is digested within the animal metabolism. The co-digestion of slurry with other biomasses rich in biodegradable organic matter has been shown to have many advantages, e.g., enhanced CH4 production and improved farm income (Asam et al 2011; Banks et al 2011).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
