LAPSE:2023.11132
Published Article
LAPSE:2023.11132
Biogas Production from Microalgal Biomass Produced in the Tertiary Treatment of Urban Wastewater: Assessment of Seasonal Variations
February 27, 2023
Abstract
The valorization of microalgal biomass produced during wastewater treatment has the potential to mitigate treatment costs. As contaminated biomass (e.g., with pharmaceuticals, toxic metals, etc.) is often generated, biogas production is considered an effective valorization option. The biomass was obtained from a pilot facility of photobioreactors for tertiary wastewater treatment. The pilots were run for one year with naturally formed microalgal consortia. The biogas was generated in 70 mL crimp-top vials at 35 °C, quantified with a manometer and the methane yield measured by gas chromatography. A maximum biogas production of 311 mL/g volatile solids (VS) with a methane yield of 252 mL/g VS was obtained with the spring samples. These rather low values were not improved using previous thermo-acidic hydrolysis, suggesting that the low intrinsic biodegradable organic matter content of the consortia might be the cause for low yield. Considering the total volume of wastewater treated by this plant and the average amount of methane produced in this study, the substitution of the current tertiary treatment with the one here proposed would reduce the energy consumption of the plant by 20% and create an energy surplus of 2.8%. The implementation of this system would therefore contribute towards meeting the ambitious decarbonization targets established by the EU.
The valorization of microalgal biomass produced during wastewater treatment has the potential to mitigate treatment costs. As contaminated biomass (e.g., with pharmaceuticals, toxic metals, etc.) is often generated, biogas production is considered an effective valorization option. The biomass was obtained from a pilot facility of photobioreactors for tertiary wastewater treatment. The pilots were run for one year with naturally formed microalgal consortia. The biogas was generated in 70 mL crimp-top vials at 35 °C, quantified with a manometer and the methane yield measured by gas chromatography. A maximum biogas production of 311 mL/g volatile solids (VS) with a methane yield of 252 mL/g VS was obtained with the spring samples. These rather low values were not improved using previous thermo-acidic hydrolysis, suggesting that the low intrinsic biodegradable organic matter content of the consortia might be the cause for low yield. Considering the total volume of wastewater treated by this plant and the average amount of methane produced in this study, the substitution of the current tertiary treatment with the one here proposed would reduce the energy consumption of the plant by 20% and create an energy surplus of 2.8%. The implementation of this system would therefore contribute towards meeting the ambitious decarbonization targets established by the EU.
Record ID
Keywords
biomethane, energy potential, microalgal composition, thermo-acidic hydrolysis
Subject
Suggested Citation
Barros R, Raposo S, Morais EG, Rodrigues B, Afonso V, Gonçalves P, Marques J, Cerqueira PR, Varela J, Teixeira MR, Barreira L. Biogas Production from Microalgal Biomass Produced in the Tertiary Treatment of Urban Wastewater: Assessment of Seasonal Variations. (2023). LAPSE:2023.11132
Author Affiliations
Barros R: CIMA—Centre for Marine and Environmental Research, FCT, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Raposo S: CIMA—Centre for Marine and Environmental Research, FCT, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal [ORCID]
Morais EG: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Rodrigues B: CIMA—Centre for Marine and Environmental Research, FCT, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Afonso V: CIMA—Centre for Marine and Environmental Research, FCT, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal [ORCID]
Gonçalves P: CIMA—Centre for Marine and Environmental Research, FCT, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Marques J: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Cerqueira PR: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal [ORCID]
Varela J: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; GreenCoLab—Green Ocean Technologies and Products Collaborative Laboratory, CCMAR, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal [ORCID]
Teixeira MR: CENSE—Centre for Research on the Environment and Sustainability & CHANGE—Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal [ORCID]
Barreira L: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; GreenCoLab—Green Ocean Technologies and Products Collaborative Laboratory, CCMAR, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal [ORCID]
Raposo S: CIMA—Centre for Marine and Environmental Research, FCT, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal [ORCID]
Morais EG: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Rodrigues B: CIMA—Centre for Marine and Environmental Research, FCT, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Afonso V: CIMA—Centre for Marine and Environmental Research, FCT, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal [ORCID]
Gonçalves P: CIMA—Centre for Marine and Environmental Research, FCT, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Marques J: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Cerqueira PR: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal [ORCID]
Varela J: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; GreenCoLab—Green Ocean Technologies and Products Collaborative Laboratory, CCMAR, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal [ORCID]
Teixeira MR: CENSE—Centre for Research on the Environment and Sustainability & CHANGE—Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal [ORCID]
Barreira L: CCMAR—Centre of Marine Sciences, Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; GreenCoLab—Green Ocean Technologies and Products Collaborative Laboratory, CCMAR, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal [ORCID]
Journal Name
Energies
Volume
15
Issue
15
First Page
5713
Year
2022
Publication Date
2022-08-05
ISSN
1996-1073
Version Comments
Original Submission
Other Meta
PII: en15155713, Publication Type: Journal Article
Record Map
Published Article
LAPSE:2023.11132
This Record
External Link
https://doi.org/10.3390/en15155713
Publisher Version
Download
Meta
Record Statistics
Record Views
249
Version History
[v1] (Original Submission)
Feb 27, 2023
Verified by curator on
Feb 27, 2023
This Version Number
v1
Citations
Most Recent
This Version
URL Here
https://psecommunity.org/LAPSE:2023.11132
Record Owner
Auto Uploader for LAPSE
Links to Related Works