Evaluating the Potential of Renewable Energy Sources in a Full-Scale Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor Treating Municipal Wastewater in Ghana
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Description of the Wastewater Treatment Plant Used in the Study
2.2. Biogas Quantification and Characterisation
2.3. Excess Sludge Quantification and Characterisation
2.3.1. Sludge Quantification
2.3.2. Sludge Characterisation Technique
- Proximate Analysis
- Ultimate Analysis
- Calorific Value (CV) Analysis
2.4. Evaluation of Energy Balance at the Mudor WWTP
2.4.1. Energy Demand at the Mudor WWTP
2.4.2. Energy Recovery Potential of the Mudor WWTP Biogas and Sludge By-Products
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Wastewater Characteristics and Biogas Energy Recovery Potential
Unitary Relationships between CH4, Biogas and Energy Generation for the UASB Reactors
3.2. Characteristics of Sewage Sludge for Energy Recovery Potential Evaluation
3.3. Sewage Sludge Energy Generation Potential
3.4. Actual Energy Demand of the Mudor WWTP
3.5. Energy Self-Sufficiency of the Mudor WWTP through Biogas and Sludge Energy Recovery
3.6. Perspectives on Energy Recovery from Full-Scale WWTPs in Ghana
4. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Characteristics | UASB Reactors | Trickling Filters | Secondary Clarifiers |
---|---|---|---|
Population equivalent (Inhab) | 100,000 | ||
Flow (m3/h) | 180.5 | 90.2 | - |
Hydraulic retention time (h) | 47.6 | - | 18.1 |
Organic loading rate (kgBOD5/m3/d) | 0.81 | 0.19 | - |
Hydraulic loading rate (m3/m2//h) | - | 0.19 | - |
Number of Units | 6 | 3 * | 2 |
Shape | Modular | Circular | Circular |
Dimension of each unit (m) | 20 × 10 | D = 24.5 | D = 24.5 |
Depth of each unit (m) | 6.5 | 3.0 | 4.2 |
Volume of each unit (m3) | 1300.0 | 1414.0 | 1540.0 |
Descriptive Statistics | Raw Sewage (m3/d) | CODinf (mg/L) | CODrem (kg/d) | Biogas Flow (Nm3/d) | CH4 (%) | N2 (%) | CO2 (%) | O2 (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maximum | 6054 | 8150 | 34,194 | 1809 | 76.5 | 28.2 | 9.1 | 14.6 |
Minimum | 1572 | 450 | 889 | 100 | 54.0 | 19.9 | 3.2 | 1.4 |
Average | 4096 | 2007 | 6303 | 611 | 65.0 | 24.6 | 4.7 | 5.7 |
SD * | 837 | 1061 | 4826 | 275 | 9.0 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 4.6 |
Unit Relationships | Units | Current Study | Simulated Values * |
---|---|---|---|
CH4 volume per volume of sewage | m3CH4/m3 sewage | 0.09 | 0.07–0.14 |
Specific CH4 yield | m3CH4/kgCODremoved | 0.10 | 0.11–0.19 |
Biogas volume per volume of sewage | m3biogas/m3 sewage | 0.17 | 0.06–0.10 |
Specific biogas yield | m3biogas/kgCODremoved | 0.14 | 0.16–0.24 |
Energy production potential per kg of COD removed | MJ/kgCODremoved | 2.19 | 4.10–7.00 |
Energy production potential per volume of sewage | MJ/m3 sewage | 3.37 | 1.50–2.90 |
Energy production potential per volume of biogas produced | MJ/m3 biogas | 20.17 | 25.1–28.7 |
Parameter | Current Study | Reported Ranges in the Literature | References | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Range | Average | |||
Proximate Analysis | ||||
Moisture content (wt %) | 63.00–82.00 | 75.00 ± 2.60 | 73.40–86.40 | [38] |
Volatile matter (wt %) a | 50.50–80.90 | 62.90 ± 5.50 | 21.70–82.30 | [35,37] |
Ash content (wt %) a | 19.00–49.50 | 36.60 ± 5.10 | 10.80–76.80 | [35] |
Fixed carbon (wt %) a | 2.40–5.20 | 3.10 ± 1.20 | 1.81–21.80 | [35] |
Ultimate Analysis | ||||
Carbon (wt %) | 22.30–32.80 | 28.5 ± 5.27 | 32.1–69.3 | [35,37] |
Hydrogen (wt %) | 11.02–12.69 | 11.8 ± 0.64 | 3.85–8.60 | [35,37] |
Nitrogen (wt %) | 2.68–3.82 | 3.33 ± 0.33 | 2.25–9.08 | [35] |
Sulphur (wt %) | 0.31–1.56 | 1.14 ± 0.32 | 0.60–2.05 | [35] |
Oxygen (wt %) | 15.9–36.20 | 27.50 ± 6.50 | 18.20–56.30 | [35,37] |
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Arthur, P.M.A.; Konaté, Y.; Sawadogo, B.; Sagoe, G.; Dwumfour-Asare, B.; Ahmed, I.; Bayitse, R.; Ampomah-Benefo, K. Evaluating the Potential of Renewable Energy Sources in a Full-Scale Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor Treating Municipal Wastewater in Ghana. Sustainability 2023, 15, 3743. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043743
Arthur PMA, Konaté Y, Sawadogo B, Sagoe G, Dwumfour-Asare B, Ahmed I, Bayitse R, Ampomah-Benefo K. Evaluating the Potential of Renewable Energy Sources in a Full-Scale Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor Treating Municipal Wastewater in Ghana. Sustainability. 2023; 15(4):3743. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043743
Chicago/Turabian StyleArthur, Philomina Mamley Adantey, Yacouba Konaté, Boukary Sawadogo, Gideon Sagoe, Bismark Dwumfour-Asare, Issahaku Ahmed, Richard Bayitse, and Kofi Ampomah-Benefo. 2023. "Evaluating the Potential of Renewable Energy Sources in a Full-Scale Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor Treating Municipal Wastewater in Ghana" Sustainability 15, no. 4: 3743. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043743