The practices and management of excreta and farm waste composting. Treatment of livestock manure and human waste for reuse. The two-partition-three-tank hygienic toilet. Construction of the fixed top fully enclosed biogas plant. Research results on the effectiveness of excreta treatment in biogas plants. Biogas production and reuse from farm and human wastes.

This book derives an explicit analytical pattern (or framework) that permits the examination and optimization of biogas production systems. It provides a concise overview of the current status of biogas and biogas coupled agricultural systems in China, and introduces evaluation methods for energy efficiency, environmental emissions, economic performance and sustainability assessment approaches. Based on empirical studies, it also explores future options for the system development by focusing on emissions mitigation, biogas energy efficiency and system sustainability. Systematic methods of life cycle assessment and thermodynamic analysis may provide new angles for biogas system evaluation. The system discussed is not only a biogas producer, but also a biogas-linked ecological agricultural system, which has the potential to broaden the applicable scopes of renewable energy and eco-agricultural management. The comprehensive, in-depth knowledge and experience presented provide new analytical approaches for researchers in relevant fields and shed light on the construction and operation of emerging anaerobic digestion and biogas industries. This book is a valuable resource for researchers focusing on biogas system modeling, project managers and policymakers.

The production of biogas, which is regarded in many countries as a by-product of an efficient system of energy production, has become in China a comprehensive, controlled method of waste disposal, recycling resources, supplying energy and fertilizer and improving rural health, as the digesting of wastes in a closed container kills many of the pathogens responsible for common human diseases.There are already approximately seven million biogas pits in opertion, with Sichuan (Szechuan) province leading the country in a movement to extend the practice throughout the countryside. This manual describes in detail how to build the pit, and covers a full range of designs to suit various soils from sandstone to sheer rock. It also includes a description of how the original manual was used.

The limited available of fossil energy carriers and the environmental impacts of energy consumtion demand mid-and long-term strategies both for the rational use of energy and for increased renewable energy utilization. Concepts of renewable energy conversion have been proposed and implemented during recent decades allover the world and their remarkable potential has been demonstrated. However, large scale implementation in the context of the requirements above has not yet taken place. The EUREC (European Renewable Energy Centres) Agency - an association of 25 European research centres from 11 EC countries, provides a framework of leading experts in the field of renewable energies, focusing on assessment studies, joint projects in research and development and on proposing future strategies in a European context. Under the leadership of Professor Wrixon, with the assistance and contributions of experts from the EUREC Agency, the document 'Renewable Energy - 2000' has been elaborated. This document critically evaluates the potential of renewable energies, focusing on the most relevant sources and methodologies, namely: wind energy, solar heating, cooling and daylighting, photovoltaics and biomass. It also proposes strategies for implementing components and systems to achieve economic operation in different regions of the European Community. It thereby makes use of the expert knowledge and experience concentrated in EUREC Agency member institutions.

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.