Title : Integration of a biogas pilot plant in a spanish rural environment: Challenges and opportunities
Abstract:
Rural communities can significantly benefit from biogas plants as sustainable solutions for waste management and local energy generation. The Micro4Biogas project, a collaboration between Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV) and the municipality of Aras de los Olmos, investigates innovative microbiome management strategies in anaerobic digestion systems to enhance biogas production efficiency. This presentation discusses the detailed analysis and integration of a pilot-scale biogas plant specifically designed to assess microbiome augmentation's effects on biogas quality, production efficiency, operational stability, and electricity generation. The plant includes two anaerobic digesters, each with a 3.4 m³ capacity: a control digester operating with native microbiomes and a test digester enriched with external microbiomes. Key metrics such as methane (CH?), carbon dioxide (CO?), and hydrogen sulfide (H?S) concentrations were systematically monitored throughout multiple weeks of experiments.
Results highlighted that bioaugmentation significantly improved biogas quality by increasing methane content and reducing overall biogas consumption required for electricity production. However, the higher H?S concentration introduced challenges related to equipment corrosion, necessitating advanced purification solutions. Additionally, tests involving incremental electrical loads demonstrated stable operation up to 725 W yet revealed practical limitations at higher loads, particularly around 1200 W, reflecting real-world constraints compared to the generator's nominal rating. The presentation will explore operational challenges encountered, solutions implemented, and economic feasibility, emphasizing crucial issues such as substrate selection, operating temperature control, and effective H?S management. Furthermore, it will discuss the potential replicability of this model in other rural communities, highlighting economic and environmental benefits and outlining considerations for broader implementation within distributed, sustainable energy systems.
