Submitted by Marilene Donadel (marilene.donadel@unioeste.br) on 2018-04-20T00:42:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Rayana_Samek_2017.pdf: 1859214 bytes, checksum: ca95c97be3dd9adcb68213c4a99c233f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-20T00:42:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rayana_Samek_2017.pdf: 1859214 bytes, checksum: ca95c97be3dd9adcb68213c4a99c233f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-14 / Parque Tecnológico de Itaipú / The several increase of solid waste production by humanity has become a worldwide concern. Nevertheless, with the appropriate solid waste management the possibility of biogas generation arise, recovered as an energy source then can be applied as even as fuel. The use of biogas as a vehicle fuel is a reality in Brazil and in the world, bearing in mind the initiatives and actions of this nature were already impleaded and practiced. Within this scenario, the current project aimed to evaluate the biomethane potential production in the city Foz do Iguassu, state of Paraná, for usage in urban transport: Buses and cabs. To that end, the biogas, which was produced in the city’s landfill, was quantified, also was its potential for methane emission and generation, the estimate of the waste flux according to the number of citizens and the fuel consumption of the bus and taxi fleets. Due to these data, was sought the potential of replacing diesel vehicles (buses) and gasoline (taxis) by biomethane fuelled-vehicles and the economic viability involved in this process. It is concluded that the landfill has capacity for the bus fleets (50% for 17 years) and for taxis (100% for 19 years) and that the production cost of the biomethane in Foz do Iguassu is low. On the other hand, the vehicles conversion to the use of biomethane is expensive. Therefore, the result obtained was the following situation: the conversion of buses is more costly than cabs, and it is initially recommended that the taxi fleet turn to the use of biomethane as fuel, which one will react in a positive cash flow and a shorter return investment time, demonstrating the feasibility and economy of this process. / O aumento acelerado da produção de resíduos sólidos pela humanidade tem sido alvo de preocupação mundial. Porém, com o gerenciamento adequado destes resíduos, torna-se possível a geração do biogás, recuperado como fonte energética e podendo inclusive ser utilizado como combustível. A utilização do biogás como combustível veicular é uma realidade no Brasil e no mundo tendo em vista as iniciativas desta natureza que já estão sendo implantadas e praticadas. Dentro deste cenário, o presente estudo se propôs a avaliar o potencial do biometano produzido na cidade de Foz do Iguaçu, estado do Paraná, para o uso em transporte urbano de passageiros: ônibus e taxis. Para isso, obteve-se a quantificação do biogás gerado no aterro da cidade, seu potencial de geração e emissão de metano, a estimativa do fluxo de resíduos conforme número de habitantes e consumo combustível das frotas de ônibus e taxis. A partir do levantamento destes dados, buscou-se o potencial de substituição de veículos a diesel (ônibus) e a gasolina (taxis) por veículos movidos a biometano e a viabilidade econômica envolvida neste processo. Conclui-se que o aterro possui capacidade de fornecimento para as frotas de ônibus (50% por 17 anos) e de taxis (100% por 19 anos) e que o custo de produção do biometano em Foz do Iguaçu é baixo. Por outro lado, a conversão dos veículos para o uso do biometano é onerosa. Obteve-se a seguinte situação: a conversão dos ônibus é mais custosa que dos taxis, sendo recomendável incialmente que a frota de taxis seja convertida para o uso do biometano como combustível, o que acarretará em um fluxo de caixa positivo e menor tempo de retorno do investimento, indicando a viabilidade e a economia deste processo.

Os sistemas de produção e utilização do biogás podem envolver externalidades positivas como o tratamento de resíduos, a produção de biofertilizante e a redução de emissões de gases de efeito estufa. Além disso, possibilitam o desenvolvimento do potencial energético desta fonte renovável, que pode ser aproveitada por meio da geração de energia elétrica ou pela produção de biometano, combustível obtido pela purificação do biogás, e que é similar ao gás natural. Nesse contexto, o objetivo desta dissertação é detalhar estas estratégias e compará-las para o caso brasileiro. Busca-se identificar o uso mais desejável do biogás no contexto do setor energético nacional, considerando as características da fonte e sua relação com a situação atual e as perspectivas dos mercados de eletricidade e gás. Para isso, inicialmente é realizada uma revisão das tecnologias de aproveitamento do biogás e são discutidas as vantagens de se identificar um uso que possa se tornar prioritário, capaz de reunir em si os incentivos para a expansão dessa fonte na matriz energética. Argumenta-se que o desenvolvimento de uma indústria local e de projetos bem-sucedidos, necessários ao fortalecimento do biogás no Brasil, podem ser alcançados por meio da criação de mecanismos de fomento específicos para uma estratégia, que sejam claros e de longo prazo. Em seguida, a evolução desse setor na Alemanha e na Suécia é avaliada, observando-se que políticas de direcionamento da utilização do biogás conduziram o mercado, tendo como consequência sistemas voltados, respectivamente, à geração de energia elétrica e à produção de biometano para uso veicular. Baseada na definição de política energética, a comparação entre a produção de eletricidade e de biometano a partir do biogás no Brasil é apresentada segundo os critérios: segurança no abastecimento, preço da energia, balança entre importações e exportações, infraestrutura, e aspectos ambientais. As conclusões apontam para o biometano como um uso promissor da energia do biogás no país em termos da redução de importações e em projetos de grande escala próximos à infraestrutura de gás natural, mas com barreiras a serem superadas principalmente quanto a competitividade em plantas menores e distantes dos gasodutos. A produção de energia elétrica, por outro lado, tem incentivos e mecanismos de comercialização estabelecidos e pode ser competitiva principalmente se exploradas suas características de energia firme e flexibilidade, mesmo em um contexto de concorrentes renováveis de grande potencial e em crescimento. / Biogas production systems may involve positive externalities such as waste treatment, biofertilizer production and the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions. Besides, they enable the use of its renewable energy potential, which can generate electricity or produce biomethane. Biomethane is obtained from biogas upgrading and it is similar to natural gas. This study details these strategies and compare them for the Brazilian case, with the aim of identifying if there is one optimal solution for biogas utilization within the context of the national energy sector, by analyzing the characteristics of biogas and its correlation with the status and the perspectives of the electricity and gas markets in the country. First, the advantages of selecting one alternative of biogas utilization to be the focus of policy instruments and to guide the development of the biogas sector are discussed. It is argued that the development of a local industry and successful projects, required to expand the biogas sector in Brazil, could benefit from technology-specific incentives, designed as clear and long-term mechanisms. The evolution of biogas systems in Germany and Sweden are investigated, and it is observed that the policies implemented in these countries have guided biogas utilization, respectively, to electricity generation and to biomethane use as vehicle fuel. Then, based on the definition of energy policy, five criteria are selected to evaluate and compare electricity and biomethane production from biogas in Brazil: security of supply, energy price, balance of trade, infrastructure, and environmental aspects. It can be concluded that, although biomethane can have a positive impact reducing natural gas imports especially in large-scale projects close to pipeline infrastructure, it also has many barriers to overcome, including its adaptation to small-scale units and the limitation of infrastructure. Electricity generation is a more established alternative that can be feasible if its capacity to provide baseload and flexibility are properly evaluated, even facing the competition of other renewable technologies with low-cost and large potential in the country.

As the microbrewery industry expands, disposal of brewery wastewater is becoming more of a concern, both for brewery operators and for local municipal wastewater authorities. Brewery wastewater is characterized as containing high strength organics and high variability in both organic and hydraulic loading. This high variability increased the challenge of treating brewery wastewater properly. Therefore, it is significant for optimizing the operation condition for the small-scale wastewater treatment system. This study conducted a batch study and a field study for optimizing a craft brewery on-site wastewater treatment system, which is equipped with two moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBR). In the batch study, a two-factor Box-Wilson central composite design (CCD) was adopted to find optimum biomethane production conditions for the digestion of brewery wastewater with a dairy manure inoculum. The effects of two major influencing factors of temperature (T) (25-49°C) and brewery wastewater concentration (BWC) (2-9 g VS/L) on biochemical methane potential (BMP) (CH₄ yield) and CH₄ maximum production rate (Rmax) were evaluated by applying response surface methodology (RSM). All of the trials presented a high organic removal efficiency with volatile solid (VS) 82-91%, soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) 77-88%, and total chemical oxygen demand (tCOD) between 47% -76%. The experiment result suggested that the first-order kinetic rate constant and biogas content (methane percentage in the biogas) can be affected by the temperature. The mesophilic regime had the highest average rate constant, and the psychrophilic regime rate constant was significantly lower than the mesophilic and thermophile regime. The conditions in the thermophile range present a high variability for the first-order rate constant. The methane ratio in the biogas increased and stabilized by the operation time. Mesophilic and thermophilic regimes obtained a stabile biogas content around 25 days, and the psychrophilic regime spent extra time to stabilized. At the end of the anaerobic digestion, the psychrophilic, mesophilic, and thermophilic regimes had an average methane percentage of 47%,65%, and 67% respectively. Optimum BMP and Rmax were achieved under conditions of 49 °C and BWC of 5g VS/L. Correspondingly, the BMP and Rmax were 141.40 mL CH₄/g VS added and 36.5 mL CH₄/ day, respectively. However, by pursuing stability the preferable operational condition T=35℃ and BWC=5 g/L is recommended, at this condition methane yield is 110.07 CH₄/g VS added and maximum methane daily production is 28.06 CH₄/ day, which is similar to the maximum result. In field study, an on-site brewery wastewater treatment system equipped with two MBBR reactors was evaluated from October 12th, 2018 to February 10th, 2020 in Beau`s All-Natural Brewing Company, Vankleek Hill, Ontario, Canada. The aim of the study was to characterize the wastewater production (flow and organic loading rate), evaluate the operating conditions and performance of the MBBR system, and recommend improvements. Discharge from the brewery is highly variable for both organic and hydraulic loading with flow balancing recommended. The MBBR full-scale reactors operated at relatively stable conditions at a surface area loading rate (SALR) of less than 25 g/m2.d and dissolved oxygen (DO) greater than 2mg/L. Kinetic rate constants for suspended growth and attached growth biomass in the reactors were found to be similar at 0.0764-0.0908 h-1, however, a much larger attached growth mass in the reactors suggests that only a fraction of the attached growth biofilm is active. Effluent recycle was shown to be effective at controlling filamentous bacteria (type-0041) sludge bulking, reducing suspended solid concentration, and sCOD concentration.

Even though the Brazilian ethanol and sugar production system (based on sugarcane industry) have been providing large amounts of bioenergy, the extensive amounts of organic wastes generated cannot be ignored when it comes to sustainability. Using these biomasses to produce biomethane through anaerobic digestion has been proven as a promising way to tackle this issue. This study investigated the biomethane potential of the co-digestion of these biomasses: SF (sugarcane straw : filter cake = 8:2), SFV (sugarcane straw : filter cake : vinasse = 1:4:45), and D (digestate separated from AD of SFV). Three treatments autoclaving (AU), alkaline (AL) treatment using 6% (w/w) NaOH and the combination of these two (AUAL) were then conducted on SF and SFV as pre-treatments; on D as post- treatments. In the biomethane potential tests of untreated material, the highest methane yield was achieved by SFV with 275.28 ± 11 N ml CH4/g VS, followed by SF with 223.25 ± 10 N ml CH4 g-1 VS, substrate D also resulted in a methane potential of 144.69 ± 2 N ml CH4 g-1 VS. As pre-treatments, AL and AUAL both showed increase in methane yield (between 36.0% and 49.1%) and methane production rate. As post-treatments, AU, AL and AUAL showed distinctive results in methane production, with 33.8%, 99.8% and 128.8% increase, respectively. In comparison with pre-treatment, post-treatment showed a better performance in increasing methane production. The following feeding experiments performed in continuous stirred-tank reactors showed that AL treatment led to an average of 248% increase in methane yield. / Sugarcane waste: towards a zero C emission in the Brazilian bioenergy sector

Biogas solutions offer many benefits for the environment and society, including organic waste treatment as well as being an enabler for energy and nutrient recovery. The products of anaerobic digestion are a biogas, which contains a share of 30 to 50% carbon dioxide (CO2) and 50 to 70% methane, and a liquid remanent, rich in nutrients. The biogas can be upgraded by removing the CO2 to increase the energy content, producing biomethane. At present, CO2 is considered a waste in biomethane production systems, and hence it is emitted into the atmosphere. Nevertheless, biogas upgrading technologies separate a pure-grade CO2 and, likewise, carbon capture processes, providing a pure CO2 flow that can be stored or utilized. Compared to storage, carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies deliver valuable carbon-based products required to sustain human activities. The valorization of green CO2 could aid the transition towards defossilization of the economy. Indeed, several CO2 utilization technologies could be incorporated into biomethane production systems, but there is still a limited understanding of the available alternatives and their potential impacts on biomethane systems. This thesis aims to investigate the integration of CO2 utilization technologies in biomethane production systems by revealing its potential, identifying alternatives, and assessing the impacts of the integration. Using Sweden as an example, scenarios of future biomethane production were employed to estimate the potential CO2 available for utilization. To complement the analysis, a qualitative approach made possible the identification of aspects that could affect CO2 utilization in biomethane production. Moreover, a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) framework was developed to identify relevant indicators for assessment and available alternatives for CO2 utilization. The research also includes a life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the climate performance of relevant CCU alternatives in the biomethane production system. Results show that 160 kt of CO2 could be obtained from biomethane production in Sweden, which could potentially increase threefold from 2020 to 2030. The evaluation of alternatives for CO2 utilization includes environmental, technical, economic, and social criteria with sound indicators within an MCA framework. Indicators to evaluate each criterion provide valuable information to identify feasible and sustainable alternatives that can be integrated into biomethane plants. The identified alternatives with a high readiness level are additional methane through methanation, horticulture, mineral carbonates, fuels, pH control, bulk chemicals, and liquefied CO2 for direct use. The results provide information to decision-makers in relation to considerations to take before implementation, like energy requirements, the existence of regulations and standards, and uncertainty. In terms of the climate performance of biomethane with the inclusion of CCU alternatives, the results show a possible reduction of CO2 emissions that depends on the possibility of substituting fossil-based products. The investigated alternatives all result in lower emissions, but concrete curing and methanation using renewable hydrogen produce the best results. To conclude, the potential future increase of green CO2 from biomethane in Sweden creates opportunities to substitute fossil carbon in current applications and mature conversion pathways. Moreover, the inclusion of CCU in biomethane production contributes to reducing biomethane system emissions and diversifying its products. Possible alternatives of CCU that can be integrated into biomethane production systems in the short term include methanation and concrete curing. Other alternatives could be possible but present lower performance and higher uncertainties at the moment. / Biogaslösningar kan ge en mängd positiva miljömässiga och samhällsviktiga effekter, inklusive behandling av organiskt avfall och framställning av energi och näringsämnen. Produkterna från anaerob rötning är dels biogas, som består från 30 till 50% av koldioxid (CO2) och 50 till 70% av metan, dels en flytande rötrest med högt näringsinnehåll. Biogasen kan uppgraderas genom att ta bort CO2 för att öka energiinnehållet, och på så vis framställs biometan. CO2 ses för närvarande som en restprodukt i produktionssystemet och släpps därför vanligtvis ut i atmosfären. Tekniker för uppgradering av biogas liknar dock processer för infångning av CO2, där högkoncentrerade flöden av CO2 lagras (CCS) eller används (CCU). Till skillnad från lagring bidrar tekniken för CCU till att skapa produkter som behövs för att upprätthålla samhällsviktiga funktioner. Dessa valoriseringar av grön CO2 skulle kunna stödja övergången mot ett fossilfritt ekonomiskt system. Faktum är att det finns ett flertal tekniker som skulle kunna integreras i produktionssystem för biometan, men kunskapen om dessa tekniker och deras inverkan på biometansystemet är begränsad. Denna avhandling syftar till att undersöka integrationen av tekniska lösningar för nyttiggörande av CO2 vid framställning av biometan genom att påvisa dess potential, identifiera alternativa tekniska lösningar, och utvärdera integrationens följder. Med Sverige som exempel skapades scenarier för framtida biometanproduktion för att uppskatta mängden CO2 som skulle kunna tas om hand. Som ett komplement till dessa uppskattningar tillämpades ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt som identifierade aspekter som skulle kunna påverka CO2-användningen vid biometanproduktion. Dessutom utvecklades ett multikriterieanalytiskt (MCA) ramverk för att identifiera relevanta indikatorer för utvärdering och möjliga alternativ för CO2-användning. En livscykelanalys (LCA) tillämpades även för att utvärdera klimatprestandan för relevanta CCU-alternativ inom produktionssystem för biometan. Forskningsresultaten visar att 160 kt skulle kunna erhållas från biometanproduktion i Sverige. För Sveriges del finns det en potential att öka den insamlade mängden CO2 från biometan upp till tre gånger under perioden 2020 till 2030. I utvärderingen av de tekniska lösningarna inkluderas miljömässiga, tekniska, ekonomiska och regulatoriska kriterier för indikatorer inom ett MCA-ramverk. Dessa indikatorer användes för att utvärdera hur respektive kriterium bidrar till att identifiera realiserbara tekniska lösningar som kan integreras i biometananläggningar. De identifierade teknikerna med hög mognadsgrad är framställning av ytterligare metan genom metanisering, biomassa, karbonatmineral, bränslen, pH-värdesreglering, baskemikalier och flytande CO2 för direkt användning. Varje alternativ har dock faktorer som skulle kunna hindra implementering, såsom höga energikrav, lagstiftningar och standarder samt hög osäkerhet. När det gäller klimatprestandan för biometan med olika CCU-alternativ visar resultaten på en möjlig minskning av CO2-utsläpp som beror på möjligheten att substituera fossilbaserade produkter. Alla de undersökta alternativen resulterar i lägre utsläpp, men härdning av betong och metanisering med förnybar vätgas ger bäst resultat. Slutsatsen som dras är att det finns en stor potential i Sverige att framställa grön CO2 från biometan vilken skulle skapa flera möjligheter att byta fossilbaserade produkter i nuvarande tillämpningar. Införandet av CCU i biometanproduktion kan dessutom bidra till att minska biogassystemets utsläpp och diversifiera produktutbudet. Möjliga alternativ för CCU som kan integreras med biometanproduktionssystem på kort sikt inkluderar metanisering och betonghärdning. Andra alternativ kan också vara aktuella, men uppvisar för närvarande lägre prestanda och högre osäkerhet. / <p>Funding agency: The Kamprad Family Foundation</p>

More than 16,000 tons of olive cake was produced in the United States in 2017. Olive cake is a by-product of olive oil extraction, which has limited animal feed potential, and poses an environmental threat when landfilled due to its high organic load and polyphenol content. This residue has potential for biofuel (bioethanol and biomethane) production because it is rich in polysaccharides such as pectin, hemicellulose, and cellulose. Yet, olive cake contains olive stones that can impede its conversion to biofuel. Therefore, two methods of destoning, centrifugation and screening by horizontal screw press, were first compared. Both methods removed an equal percentage of stones (95%), but centrifugation partitioned the majority (57 – 79%) of digestible solids (olive pulp) with the stones. Then, two strategies were compared to maximize both biomethane and bioethanol production; enzymatic conversion of insoluble to soluble carbohydrates and destoning by screening. After 30 days of anaerobic digestion at 35 °C, both the enzymatically pretreated and the destoned olive cakes produced similar amounts of methane (~295 mL CH4/g VS), 42% more than the control (209.5 mL CH4/g VS). The biogas produced was composed of 60-70% methane. A comparison of biomethane yields with a broad range of agricultural residues demonstrated olive cake’s suitability for biomethane production. The digestate, residue from the anaerobic digestion, have high Kjeldahl nitrogen content (3.6%, db) and low polyphenol concentration (0.02 mg GAE/g), which then qualify it as an ingredient for soil amendment. Ethanol production investigations showed that after 3 days of fermentation at 32 °C, only the destoned and enzymatically pretreated olive cake produced ethanol (1.3 mg/mL). Acetic acid, an inhibitor of ethanol production, was present in all samples broth, suggesting microbial contamination was present. These results provide evidence that olive cake can be diverted from landfills to be converted into a biofuel. Sustainable pretreatments such as destoning and enzymatic pretreatment increase biomethane yield. The digestate created from the anaerobic digestion of olive cake can be used as a soil amendment, adding further value to olive cake.

Population growth, climate change and increased global energy demand has led to the search for environment friendly energy sources. Ragunda Municipality’s major producers of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions are transport, agriculture, and work machines. This research is motivated by a goal set by Ragunda Municipality to produce 15% of their own energy consumption and wider regional goal of reducing GHG emissions by 10% year on year to towards 2030. The study explores the potential for using bioenergy/biogas and climatic effects of its local production in Ragunda from agriculture, forestry, food, municipal, and sewage waste for one year. The method calculated tonne of waste, energy production in MWh, biogas volumes in Nm3 and climate impact of the bioenergy as carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2-eq). The study showed total local bioenergy production from waste materials for Ragunda of 58 092 MWh/year, total biogas production from waste materials for Ragunda of 427 079 Nm3/year. The study also concluded that best use of biogas from a climate impact perspective was to upgrade it to vehicle fuels to offset fossil fuel in the transport sector. The potential for local production of bioenergy/biogas in Ragunda was shown to be financially feasible provided investment aid and subsidies are granted in the case of biogas production. / <p>2023-06-02</p>

Food waste is a desirable feedstock for anaerobic digestion because it is high in moisture and is an easily degradable material. However, mono-digestion of food waste often fails due to the accumulation of volatile fatty acids. Supplementing trace elements is one strategy to combat this issue. This study examined the effect of supplementing trace elements (iron, nickel, selenium, molybdenum, magnesium, zinc, calcium, copper, manganese, cobalt) on the methane yield and organic waste destruction of anaerobically digested food waste. Methane yield of food waste with and without the inorganic salt trace element was determined by the gas density-based biomethane potential method at mesophilic (37°C) conditions over 30 days. The three treatments were inoculum only, food waste and inoculum, and food waste and inoculum with an added trace element solution. There was no significant difference between treatments in terms of waste stabilization (percent volatile solids, total solids, and total chemical oxygen demand reduction) between treatments. The average cumulative biogas produced was 41% higher, and the average total cumulative methane produced was 23% higher in the treatment with the trace element supplement. Mean methane yield was not different (p > 0.05) between treatments over the 30 days, and there was no difference (p > 0.05) in biomethane potential between treatments. In addition, greenhouse gas reduction potential was estimated from food waste streams in Montgomery, VA using anaerobic digestion. The purpose of this work was to (1) estimate the total mass of food waste produced in Montgomery, VA in a year, (2) use the results from the biomethane potential analyses to inform the sizing of a theoretical community digester in Montgomery, VA, and (3) estimate the greenhouse gas reduction potential of anaerobically digesting the food waste instead of sending it to landfill. Greenhouse gas reduction was calculated using the Climate Action Reserve Organic Waste Digestion Project Protocol guidelines. The greenhouse gas reduction potential was estimated as 6,532 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year (tCO2e/year), with approximately 693 m3 methane produced per day. In one year, the digester would generate an estimated 7370 kWh of energy which has the potential to power 149 homes for a year in Montgomery, VA. In addition, 4130 tonnes/year of composted digestate would be available as fertilizer for surrounding farms. / Master of Science / Currently, about one-third of the entire U.S. food supply is lost or wasted. A large portion of that food waste is sent to landfills, where it produces methane, a greenhouse gas. Instead, food waste can be broken down to produce biogas during anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion is a process in which microorganisms break down organic materials in the absence of oxygen to produce biogas and digestate, a material used as a soil amendment or fertilizer. However, anaerobically digesting food waste often leads to process instability and failure due to a buildup of undesirable intermediates. Microorganisms in anaerobic digestion require certain trace elements (i.e., iron, copper) that food waste often lacks; therefore, supplementing key trace elements may improve the anaerobic digestion of food waste. This research aimed to assess the effect of supplementing key trace elements (iron, copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium, nickel, manganese, selenium, molybdenum, cobalt) on organic matter degradation and methane yield. Methane yield of food waste with and without the inorganic salt trace element was determined by the gas density-based biomethane potential method at mesophilic (37°C) conditions over 30 days. The average cumulative biogas produced was 41% higher, and the average total cumulative methane produced was 23% higher in the bottles containing a trace element supplement. No significant difference was seen in the two groups when comparing organic matter degradation. These results demonstrate that supplementing trace elements can improve biogas and methane production. Greenhouse gas reductions from anaerobically digesting food waste instead of sending it to landfills were determined for Montgomery, VA. The results from the biomethane potential test informed the design of a theoretical community digester. Greenhouse gas reduction was calculated using the Climate Action Reserve Organic Waste Digestion Project Protocol equations. The greenhouse gas reduction was determined as 6,532 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year (tCO2e/year). The digester would produce approximately 693 m3 methane/day, which has the potential to power 149 homes for a year in Montgomery, VA. In addition, 4130 tonnes/year of compost would be produced and available as a fertilizer for surrounding farms.

Le biogaz est une énergie renouvelable issue de la digestion anaérobique de matières organiques. Sa composition varie en fonction de la source organique et des conditions de production et récolte. Néanmoins on peut distinguer deux types de biogaz :• biogaz de digesteur, issue de la fermentation dans des méthaniseurs des matières organiques provenant de cultures, effluents d'élevages, boues des stations d'épuration d’eaux, effluents des industries agroalimentaires. Il est généralement composé de 35% CO2 et 65% CH4. Il contient aussi des traces de H2S.• biogaz de décharge, créé durant la décomposition anaérobique des substances organiques dans les déchets solides ménagers et déchets commerciaux et industriels. Par rapport au biogaz de digesteur, il peut contenir de l’azote (N2) jusqu’à 20%, de l’oxygène (O2) jusqu’à 5% et des traces d’autres contaminants, comme les siloxanes. Les gaz de l’air sont introduits dans le biogaz après fermentation, lors de la récolte par aspiration, à cause des défauts d'étanchéité du système de captage du gaz. Le rapport CH4/CO2 reste de l’ordre de 1.5.Après avoir enlevé les impuretés tels que l’ H2S, siloxanes etc., le biogaz peut être utilisé pour la production d'énergie électrique et de chaleur, ou être valorisé en appliquent un traitement ultérieur qui le transforme en biométhane. Le biométhane est un mélange gazeux équivalent au gaz naturel, qui peut donc être utilisé comme carburant pour véhicules ou être injecté dans les réseaux de gaz naturel. Le passage du biogaz au biométhane est appelé « upgrading » et consiste en le captage et séparation du CO2 et de l’N2 afin que sa composition puisse satisfaire aux prescriptions techniques du gaz naturel. Le biométhane peut être stocké et utilisé sous forme de Biométhane comprimé à une pression qui dépende de son utilisation: la pression du réseau de transport du gaz naturel varie de 4 à 60 bar, alors que le gaz pour voitures (BioGNV) est stocké à 300 bar pour alimenter les réservoirs des voitures à 200 bar. Une solution pour réduire la taille et cout des réservoirs, ainsi que le transport du biométhane, est la production de biométhane liquide (BioGNL), qui demande une étape de liquéfaction.Le CO2 est un gaz inerte et n’apporte donc pas de pouvoir calorifique au biométhane. De plus il cause des problèmes quand il solidifie, suite, par exemple, à une détente. Pour ces raisons, sa concentration dans le biométhane est soumise à des spécifications. En France, la limite est de 2.5% pour l’injection dans le réseau du gaz naturel. Dans le cas de la liquéfaction du biométhane, la concentration maximale est généralement considérée de 50 ppm, afin d’éviter la formation du solide pendant la liquéfaction.L’N2, comme le CO2 doit être présent en quantité limité dans le biogaz car sa présence baisse le pouvoir calorifique du combustible. La concentration de N2 maximale n’est pas indiquée directement dans la réglementation du réseau, mais à partir des spécifications de l’index de Wobbe on peut en déduire que la quantité de N2 doit être inferieure à 3% molaire.Les enjeux technologiques concernent donc la séparation du CO2, la liquéfaction du biométhane et l’enlèvement de l’N2. / In the field of non-fossil energy sources and exploitation of wasted energies, this PhD project aims to improve the availability of the alternative and renewable resource that is the upgraded biogas, also calledbiomethane. A particular type of biogas is here studied: landfill gas, produced in landfills from the anaerobic digestion of wastes. Depending on the final use, landfill gas need to be treated in order to remove impurities and increase the methane content (upgrading). Carbon dioxide (CO2 ), nitrogen (N2 ) and oxygen (O2 ) need thus to be separated from methane. Because upgrading process is fundamental for further applications of the landfill gas, suitable separationtechniques have to be studied. The objective of the thesis is the study and simulation of an optimized cryogenic technology applied to a landfill upgrading process. The base of the study is the knowledge of the thermodynamic behavior of mixtures constituted of methane and minor compositions of N2 , O2 andCO2 . At this purpose, thermodynamic model will be developed for determining the phase diagrams of methane with the other gases present in the landfill gas. Moreover, in order to validate and calibrate the thermodynamic models, phase equilibrium data involving a CO2 solid phase are needed: an extended bibliographic research on existing data is performed and original measurements are provided where data from literature are missing.

The possibility to extract bio-SNG from the product gas obtained from gasification of biofuel with a pressurized, oxygen-blown CFB gasifier connected to a heat and power station using only membrane separation was theoretically investigated. Selling the methane, instead of feeding it to the plant’s turbine(s), might mean that overall profitability is increased. The considered product gas mainly consists of H2, CO, CO2, H2O and CH4. By doing a literature review different membrane types were studied and it was concluded that for now only polymers may be of interest, due to high production costs for other membranes or for the fact they are still at laboratory stage. It was further determined though that neither membranes made of glassy polymers (fixed polymer chains) nor rubbery polymers (mobile polymer chains) are probably capable of separating the methane from the other gas components on their own. Glassy membranes will most likely have trouble separating CO from CH4 due to similarity in size of the two molecules, while a separation using rubbery membranes will result in at least H2 accompanying the methane. The rubbery polymers’ incapability of separating H2 from CH4 despite greatly differing condensation temperatures between the two components can be explained by the fact that rubbery membranes, apart from condensation temperature, also separate according to molecular diffusivity. If a multistep process with recirculation that combines both glassy and rubbery polymers is applied, satisfying results may be obtained. This, however, builds on a higher separation of CH4 and CO with rubbery membranes than condensation data indicates and needs to be further investigated with help of real life experiments and more advanced computation programs than used in this study.