Life cycle and technical-financial assessment of the integration of anaerobic digestion and hydrothermal technologies for waste recovery

Abstract

This research and technological innovation project is part of the context of the rational use of renewable energy through biomass. Currently, technical solutions for the purpose of biomass and/or wastes enabling the production of fuels, energy, and chemical inputs are already regularized. However, the market for the consumption of new biomaterials from processes involving green technologies, such as Anaerobic Digestion and Supercritical Hydrolysis in industrial chains, is not yet fully developed, and its potential has not however been fully assessed. Hydrothermal Technology uses water as a solvent or reaction medium, and it is a clean and efficient process. In addition to being sustainable, due to the properties of water in sub/supercritical conditions of temperature and pressure, it can be applied in several applications, such as extraction, hydrolysis, and gasification. Anaerobic Digestion has been widely used for the treatment of domestic organic waste and wastewater, at the same time as it produces biogas, consisting mainly of high calorific methane. To evaluate the integration of these two technologies through the use of liquid and solid wastes, it is proposed to carry out a study of technical-financial and life cycle assessments based on data obtained in laboratory scale hydrolysis and anaerobic digestion reactors, operating in the continuous regime. The economic feasibility and sustainability assessment of the proposed processes and innovations will be produced, using technical, theoretical data and developments generated during the execution of this project. From these technical, quantitative, and qualitative data and the use of advanced tools for project evaluation and development strategies (Life Cycle Analysis and Technical-Financial Assessments), a flourishing bioeconomy can be leveraged. As the main result of this project, alternatives for the production of biomaterials and their technical, financial, and ecological aspects will be evaluated to support the establishment of viable business models that strengthen the Clean Development Mechanisms.