The Biogas Handbook

With pressure increasing to utilise wastes and residues effectively and sustainably, the production of biogas represents one of the most important routes towards reaching national and international renewable energy targets. The biogas handbook: Science, production and applications provides a comprehensive and systematic guide to the development and deployment of biogas supply chains and technology. Following a concise overview of biogas as an energy option, part one explores biomass resources and fundamental science and engineering of biogas production, including feedstock characterisation, storage and pre-treatment, and yield optimisation. Plant design, engineering, process optimisation and digestate utilisation are the focus of part two. Topics considered include the engineering and process control of biogas plants, methane emissions in biogas production, and biogas digestate quality, utilisation and land application. Finally, part three discusses international experience and best practice in biogas utilisation. Biogas cleaning and upgrading to biomethane, biomethane use as transport fuel and the generation of heat and power from biogas for stationery applications are all discussed. The book concludes with a review of market development and biomethane certification schemes. With its distinguished editors and international team of expert contributors, The biogas handbook: Science, production and applications is a practical reference to biogas technology for process engineers, manufacturers, industrial chemists and biochemists, scientists, researchers and academics working in this field. Provides a concise overview of biogas as an energy option Explores biomass resources for production Examines plant design and engineering and process optimisation

This practical manual provides basic theoretical knowledge about fermentative processes, biochemical laboratory techniques, and an arsenal of practical tricks, recipes, do’s, and don’ts for the biogas plant manager. It explains why some popular tests and techniques are unreliable, how to optimize the feedstock’s cost and the energy self-consumption of the digester, and how to analyze experimental error propagation and judge whether a marketing claim or a test result from the literature is correct. All examples are taken from the author’s experience as consultant in managing biogas plants in Italy and Spain. It features a glossary of technical jargon and useful reference tables and formulae. By following the procedures described in this manual, anybody can learn in short time how to become a "bacteria farmer."

The book guides specialists and non-specialists from around the world on how or whether anaerobic processes can be part of solutions for the management of municipal and industrial solid, semi-solid, and liquid residues. The simple self-learning presentation style is designed to encourage deep understanding of the process principles, plant types and system configurations, performance capabilities, operational and maintenance requirements, post-treatment needs, and management options for coproducts without complex biochemical terminologies and equations. It describes key aerobic biological treatment processes used in conjunction with anaerobic biological treatment in feedstock pre-treatment and in post-treatment of by-products. Practical pre-treatment processes, techniques and operations are described alongside additional treatment techniques of biogas, digestates and treated effluents for various end use options. Effective applications in developing countries are also considered, enabling practitioners and plant operators to effectively apply technology in temperate and warm climatic conditions.

Biogas is a renewable energy resource that can be an alternative solution for the world's insatiable energy demands while helping in managing waste and reducing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It is also regarded as carbon neutral as the carbon in biogas comes from organic matter (feedstock) that captured this carbon from atmospheric CO2 over a relatively short timescale. This book has been written and compiled to collate latest information on biogas technology to help readers, researchers and extension workers alike to understand the fruitful exploitation of the process. It has fourteen chapters, primarily in three major categories: 01. the first category dealing with the basic biomethanation process including its ecology, microbiology, biochemistry and molecular biology. 02. the second category dealing with the evolution of the technology in Indian/global scenario from the lab to the land 03. the last category is dealing with the economics of the technology. All the various known and active names in this field of research and development have put their hearts and minds into their contributed chapters. The additional details provided in the Annexures (viz., Model bankable scheme for biogas commercialisation venture; Frequently asked questions in adopting biogas technology; Common terminologies in biogas research; Glossary of abbreviations and symbols frequently used in biogas research; and Prominent global entities in biogas R&D and commercialisation) double the usefulness of the compilation.

This book presents the state of the art in biogas production using anaerobic digestion technology, with an emphasis on waste utilization/valorization. Offering a comprehensive reference guide to biogas production from different waste streams, it covers various aspects of anaerobic digestion technology from the basics, i.e., microbiological aspects to prominent parameters governing biogas production systems, as well as major principles of their operation, analysis, process control, and troubleshooting. Written and edited by internationally recognized experts in the field of biogas production from both academia and industry, it provides in-depth and cutting-edge information on central developments in the field. In addition, it discusses and reviews major issues affecting biogas production, including the type of feedstock, pretreatment techniques, production systems, design and fabrication of biogas plants, as well as biogas purification and upgrading technologies. ‘Biogas: Fundamentals, Process, and Operation’ also addresses the application of advanced environmental and energy evaluation tools including life cycle assessment (LCA), exergy, techno-economics, and modeling techniques. This book is intended for all researchers, practitioners and students who are interested in the current trends and future prospects of biogas production technologies.