RT Book,_Section
T1 Maximizing sustainability by energy recovery in anaerobic treatment systems
A1 van Haandel, Adrianus
A1 Santos, Silvânia Lucas
A1 Allegue, Tomás
A1 Garrido Fernández, Juan Manuel
K1 Sustainability
K1 Energy recovery
K1 Anaerobic wastewater treatment
K1 Biogas production and composition
K1 Electric power from biogas and sludge
K1 Influence of sulphate in the influent
K1 Volatile solids production
AB Traditionally, wastewater treatment systems require considerable energy input, but this has changed since modernanaerobic treatment systems were developed in the second half of the last century. The production of biogas opensthe possibility to produce electric power, which may make these systems independent of external energy and mayeven become net energy producers. A second source of energy production in wastewater treatment systems is sludgeproduction. After drying the sludge its combustion can generate energy, though less than the energy potential frombiogas, not only due to the reduced sludge mass, but also because solid fuel has a lower conversion efficiency thangaseous fuel. It has been demonstrated that in an efficient anaerobic treatment system operating under favourableconditions (warm climate, low-sulphate concentration in the influent) ∼1/6 of the influent organic material is convertedinto sludge whereas 4/6 is converted into biogas and 1/6 leaves the anaerobic treatment system with the treatedeffluent. Normally, the production of electric power from the biogas is more than sufficient to run the treatmentsystem and an external source energy is not required. However, this does not mean that energy production is alwaysa sound economic solution. Economic feasibility depends on the price of electric power and generally requires theoperation of a large treatment system. In this chapter, equations are derived to estimate the composition of biogasand sludge in anaerobic wastewater treatment systems and specifically the influence of sulphate in the influent isdiscussed. Moreover, the processes for collection and treatment of biogas and sludge are presented. The potentialfor useful energy generation from anaerobic treatment systems is analysed and several examples are presented inorder to highlight the feasibility of the energy recovery under different operating conditions.
PB IWA Publishing
YR 2024
FD 2024-05
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10347/34044
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10347/34044
LA eng
NO Haandel,  A.V. ; Santos, S.L. ; Allegue, T. ; Garrido, J.M. (2024). Maximizing sustainability by energy recovery in anaerobic treatment systems. En: Tomei, Maria Concetta ; Garrido, Juan Manuel. "Anaerobic Treatment of Domestic Wastewater: Present Status and Potentialities" (pp. 167-206). London: IWA Publishing
DS Minerva
RD 26 abr 2026