Biomethanation: study of the influence of sludge and sawdust in the anaerobic treatment of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW)

Abstract

The municipal solid waste treatment from an environmental point of view, remains a challenge. The final disposal in landfill is increasingly restricted to that fraction of waste that has already been pre-treated or that do not have reuse alternative.Restrictions to waste grounding, as noted in the National Policy on Solid Waste - Law 12,305 - 2 August 2010, have focused the adoption of technologies for recovery of solid organic waste. Among the possible technologies, biomethanization or anaerobic digestion (AD) emerges as an option alternative treatment to the existing solutions, as it provides an effective reduction of the volume of such wastes that after aerobic biostabilization (composting), has direct application in agriculture as organic fertilizer or soil corrector, because it promotes waste stabilization. Moreover, the produced biogas can be used as a renewable energy source, contributing to the protection of the environment and sustainable development. This work aims at the optimization of dry biomethanization for the treatment of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), in order to investigate various operating configurations in four digesters, analyzing the best performance based on energy valorization from the biogas production and the removal efficiency of the organic load from solid and liquid fractions. This research will identify the necessary requirements for the improvement and adaptation of the biomethanization process, allowing municipalities to adopt this technique as an alternative treatment of organic matter.