Wet anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste: experience with long-term pilot plant operation and industrial scale-up

Abstract

This paper presents the analysis of a pilot anaerobic digestion plant that operates with organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) from a wholesale market and can treat up to 500 kg d−1. The process was monitored for a period of 524 days during which the residue was characterized and the biogas production and methane content were recorded. The organic load rate (OLR) of volatile solids (VS) was 0.89 kg m−3 d−1 and the Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) was 25 d during the process. The yield was 82 Nm3 tons OFMSW−1 biogas, equivalent to 586 Nm3 tons CH4 VS−1. The results obtained in the pilot plant were used to carry out a technical–economic evaluation of a plant that treats 50 tons of OFMSW from wholesale markets. A production of 3769 Nm3 d−1 of biogas and 2080 Nm3 d−1 of methane is estimated, generating 35.1 MWh d−1 when converted to electricity.