Study of the techno-economic and environmental feasibility of biogas integrated production from the anaerobic codigestion of organic waste in the Center-South region of Brazil

Abstract

Harnessing waste to produce energy seems to be one of the most attractive options for the future of energy supply. The use of this material allows us to deal with two global challenges; the increasing levels of waste generated due to world population growth and urbanization and the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, which are still driven by fossil fuels. The Brazilian territory is home to almost all possible types of primary sources for energy generation, yet even so it has advanced when compared to other countries in the search for lower levels of carbon emission. Faced with this new scenario, unconventional sources such as biogas produced from urban and agro-industrial wastes have attracted attention for their growing participation in the Brazilian energy matrix. However, there is a need to improve the current Brazilian technological development in terms of generating and using renewable energy, adapting them to an effective, secure, and competitive scale. Among the existing alternatives, anaerobic digestion represents a technology with solutions connected to the growing needs of sustainable development, since it can be used both in the treatment of waste (organic fraction) and in the production of bioenergy, in addition to contributing to the reduction of emissions greenhouse gases and the disposal of biodegradable waste in landfills. Agricultural waste, urban solid waste (household and public), biomass, and animal waste are among the most important sources for biogas production. Taking this into account, this project aims to assess the technical, economic, and environmental feasibility of integrated biogas production from anaerobic co-digestion of organic waste. For the development of this study, two scenarios will be considered. The first scenario will consider the co-digestion of domestic urban waste, generated in some metropolitan regions of the State of São Paulo, with sugarcane vinasse, a by-product of ethanol production. In the second scenario, the co-digestion of domestic urban waste will be considered, generated in some cities (> 200,000 inhabitants) in the southern region of the country, with waste from swine production. With the results of this study, it will be sought to evaluate the reduction of environmental impacts related to the emission of greenhouse gases, using these residues in the production of biogas, as well as to evaluate the potential of biogas production in the Center-South region of Brazil. (AU)