Written as a practical introduction to biogas plant design and operation, this book fills a huge gap by presenting a systematic guide to this emerging technology -- information otherwise only available in poorly intelligible reports by US governmental and other official agencies. The author draws on teaching material from a university course as well as a wide variety of industrial biogas projects he has been involved with, thus combining didactical skill with real-life examples. Alongside biological and technical aspects of biogas generation, this timely work also looks at safety and legal aspects as well as environmental considerations.

Written as a practical introduction to biogas plant design and operation, this book fills a huge gap by presenting a systematic guide to this emerging technology -- information otherwise only available in poorly intelligible reports by US governmental and other official agencies. The author draws on teaching material from a university course as well as a wide variety of industrial biogas projects he has been involved with, thus combining didactical skill with real-life examples. Alongside biological and technical aspects of biogas generation, this timely work also looks at safety and legal aspects as well as environmental considerations.

Sustainable Food Waste-to-Energy Systems assesses the utilization of food waste in sustainable energy conversion systems. It explores all sources of waste generated in the food supply chain (downstream from agriculture), with coverage of industrial, commercial, institutional and residential sources. It provides a detailed analysis of the conventional pathways for food waste disposal and utilization, including composting, incineration, landfilling and wastewater treatment. Next, users will find valuable sections on the chemical, biochemical and thermochemical waste-to-energy conversion processes applicable for food waste and an assessment of commercially available sustainable food waste-to-energy conversion technologies. Sustainability aspects, including consideration of environmental, economic and social impacts are also explored. The book concludes with an analysis of how deploying waste-to-energy systems is dependent on cross-cutting research methods, including geographical information systems and big data. It is a useful resource for professionals working in waste-to-energy technologies, as well as those in the food industry and food waste management sector planning and implementing these systems, but is also ideal for researchers, graduate students, energy policymakers and energy analysts interested in the most recent advances in the field. Provides guidance on how specific food waste characteristics drive possible waste-to-energy conversion processes Presents methodologies for selecting among different waste-to-energy options, based on waste volumes, distribution and properties, local energy demand (electrical/thermal/steam), opportunities for industrial symbiosis, regulations and incentives and social acceptance, etc. Contains tools to assess potential environmental and economic performance of deployed systems Links to publicly available resources on food waste data for energy conversion

Substitute Natural Gas from Waste: Technical Assessment and Industrial Applications of Biochemical and Thermochemical Processes provides an overview of the science and technology of anaerobic digestion and thermal gasification for the treatment of biomass and unrecyclable waste residues. The book provides both the theoretical and practical basis for the clean and high-efficiency utilization of waste and biomass to produce Bio-Substitute Natural Gas (SNG). It examines different routes to produce bio-SNG from waste feedstocks, detailing solutions to unique problems, such as scale up issues and process integration. Final sections review waste sourcing and processing. This book is an ideal and practical reference for those developing, designing, scaling and managing bio-SNG production and utilization systems. Engineering students will find this to be a comprehensive resource on the application of fundamental concepts of bio-SNG production that are illustrated through innovative, recent case studies. Presents detailed scientific and technical information Describes up-to-date concepts, processes and plants for efficient anaerobic digestion and gasification of wastes and syngas utilization Compares gasification with anaerobic digestion for different situations Proposes alternative strategies to increase efficiency and overcome energy balance limitations Includes benchmarking data and industrial real-life examples to demonstrate the main process features and implementation pathways of bio-SNG systems from dry and wet waste, both in developed and developing countries

The global demand for energy is met mainly by fossil fuels. Their excessive and indiscriminate use, coupled with increasing demand for energy, will soon deplete their existing reserves. Therefore, it is extremely important to find alternative, environment-friendly, and ecologically sound sources of energy for meeting the present and future energy requirements. Biogas Technology: Towards Sustainable Development makes an attempt to explore the potential of utilizing biodegradable biomass as fuel and manure.

Biogas Production covers the most cutting-edge pretreatment processes being used and studied today for the production of biogas. As an increasingly important piece of the "energy pie," biogas and other biofuels are being used more and more around the world in every conceivable area of industry and could be a partial answer to the energy problem and the elimination of global warming. This book will highlight the recent advances in the pretreatment and value addition of lignocellulosic wastes (LCW) with the main focus on domestic and agro-industrial residues. Mechanical, physical, and biological treatment systems are brought into perspective. The main value-added products from lignocellulosic wastes are summarized in a manner that pinpoints the most recent trends and the future directions. Physico-chemical and biological treatment systems seem to be the most favored options while biofuels, biodegradable composites, and biosorbents production paint a bright picture of the current and future bio-based products. Engineered microbes seem to tackle the problem of bioconversion of substrates that are otherwise nonconvertible by conventional wild strains. Although the main challenge facing LCW utilization is the high costs involved in treatment and production processes, some recent affordable processes with promising results have been proposed. Future trends are being directed to nanobiotechnology and genetic engineering for improved processes and products.