Sizing of an anaerobic biodigester for the organic fraction of municipal solid waste
- Authors: Kigozi, R. , Aboyade, A. O. , Muzenda, Edison
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Anaerobic digestion , Biogas digesters , Clean energy , Municipal solid waste management
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:4982 , ISSN 2078-0966 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/13114
- Description: The anaerobic digestion (AD) of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) for biogas production is a potential solution to the growing challenges associated with municipal solid waste (MSW) management while simultaneously providing an alternative clean energy source. Biogas is produced by the anaerobic digestion (AD) of biomass using microorganisms in specifically designed plants called biogas digesters under controlled conditions or naturally in marshes and landfills. It is a rather clean and versatile fuel as opposed to fossil fuels. To design an efficient AD system, a proper understanding of the quality and quantity of available feedstock must be made as well as prevailing operating conditions. This paper represents steps that were taken to come up with an optimal size of biodigester to treat OFMSW produced at the University of Johannesburg’s Doornfontein Campus in downtown Johannesburg. The campus generates 232.2kg of OFMSW per day which required 30m3 of biodigester capacity.
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Biogas technology : current trends, opportunities and challenges
- Authors: Kigozi, R. , Muzenda, Edison , Aboyade, A. O.
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Anaerobic digestion , Biogas technology , Biomass
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:4984 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/13116
- Description: Biogas is the gaseous product of the biogenic fermentation of biomass. It has an approximate composition of 50-70% Methane (a combustible gas), 30-50% Carbon dioxide and other trace gasses depending on the nature of the biomass. It typically has a calorific value of 21–24 MJ/m3. Anaerobic digestion of biomass can artificially be achieved under controlled conditions in specifically designed plants known as anaerobic digesters or naturally at the bottom of marshes. Biogas, a versatile energy source can be used for heating, cooking, lighting, electricity and if purified further, it can be used as a vehicle fuel among other applications. The digestate is a widely sought after organic agricultural fertilizer. The first notable use of biogas technology dates back as far as 1859, there has been several advancements over the years in its application as well as production which are presented in this paper.
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Technology selection of biogas digesters for OFMSW via multi-criteria decision analysis
- Authors: Kigozi, R. , Aboyade, A. O. , Muzenda, Edison
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Multi-criteria decision analysis , Municipal biowaste - South Africa , Biogas digesters
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:4788 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/11971
- Description: Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) techniques are becoming increasingly popular in decision making for technology selection because of their ability to capture the multi-dimensionality of technologies. Biogas typically refers to an odourless gas produced by anaerobic digestion of biomass using microorganisms. Its production can occur naturally in marshes and landfills or more commonly, in specifically designed plants called biogas digesters under controlled conditions. For techno-economic efficiency of a biodigester, several factors such as cost of plant are taken into consideration. This paper examines various available technologies for biogas digesters using defined selection criteria via MCDA and chooses the best alternatives at various scales of biogas production for a case study in South Africa with municipal biowaste as the target feedstock. 14 biogas plants were analysed in this study and the Puxin and Bio4gas digesters were the best alternatives for small and large scale biogas production respectively.
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Technology selection and siting of a biogas plant for OFMSW via multi-criteria decision analysis
- Authors: Kigozi, R. , Aboyade, A. O. , Muzenda, E.
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Biogas , Digester gas , Municipal solid waste
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://ujcontent.uj.ac.za8080/10210/384643 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/56250 , uj:16347 , Citation: Kigozi, R., Muzenda, E. & Aboyade, A. 2015. Technology selection and siting of a biogas plant for OFMSW via multi-criteria decision analysis. South African Journal of Chemical Engineering, 20(1):1-15 , ISSN:1026-9185
- Description: Abstract: Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) techniques were applied to choose a biogas digester technology and a site from a list of potential alternatives for an anaerobic digestion (AD) system utilising the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) based on a case study at the University of Johannesburg’s Doornfontein campus in South Africa. The simple multi-attribute rating technique (SMART) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) techniques of MCDA were used to select a suitable biodigester model and site respectively. From a list of 14 biodigester technologies to be established at 1 of 3 potential sites in the study area, the most preferred model was the Puxin digester to be sited near the Aurum ladies’ residence within the school campus to supply biogas for heating purposes.
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Biogas production using the organic fraction of municipal solid waste as feedstock
- Authors: Kigozi, R. , Aboyade, A. , Muzenda, Edison
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Anaerobic digestion , Biogas , Organic fraction of municipal solid waste
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:4900 , ISSN 2349-1442 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/12995
- Description: Biogas typically refers to an odourless gas produced by anaerobic digestion (AD) of biomass using microorganisms. It has an approximate composition of 70-50% Methane (a combustible gas), 30-50% Carbon dioxide and other trace gases depending on the nature of the biomass. The idea of using the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) or simply municipal biowaste as feedstock for biogas production represents an environmentally sustainable energy source since it improves solid waste management while simultaneously providing an alternative clean energy source. Among other applications, the gas can be used for heating, cooking and electricity generation. However, notwithstanding, OFMSW as a feedstock for AD comes with its own unique challenges compared to other forms of biomass. This paper therefore reviews the specific opportunities, challenges and techno-economics of using OFMSW as sole feedstock supply for biogas production.
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Bio-methane potential of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste
- Authors: Mojapelo, N. , Muzenda, Edison , Kigozi, R. , Aboyade, A. O.
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Biogas , Bio-methane , Municipal solid waste
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:5022 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/13165
- Description: Biogas is a gas formed from the breakdown of biomass by microorganisms in an anaerobic environment composed of methane (50%–70%) and carbon dioxide (30%–50%). The upgrading of biogas by the removal of carbon dioxide to increase the percentage of methane to over 92% produces bio-methane which is a potent versatile clean fuel. This paper represents a study that was carried out at the University of Johannesburg’s Doornfontein Campus (UJ DFC) to ascertain the potential of bio-methane recovery from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) collected at the campus’ cafeteria and student residences. ...
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