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17 pages, 1515 KB

Open AccessArticle

Leveraging Potato Chip Industry Residues: Bioenergy Production and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

by Patrícia V. Almeida, Luís M. Castro, Anna Klepacz-Smółka, Licínio M. Gando-Ferreira and Margarida J. Quina

Sustainability 2025, 17(11), 5023; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17115023 - 30 May 2025

Viewed by 839

Abstract

Anaerobic digestion (AD) offers a sustainable solution by treating biodegradable waste while recovering bioenergy, enhancing the share of renewable energy. Thus, this study aims to investigate the AD for managing and valorizing residues from the potato chip industry: potato peel (PP), potato offcuts [...] Read more.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) offers a sustainable solution by treating biodegradable waste while recovering bioenergy, enhancing the share of renewable energy. Thus, this study aims to investigate the AD for managing and valorizing residues from the potato chip industry: potato peel (PP), potato offcuts (OC), waste cooking oil (WCO), wastewater (WW), and sewage sludge (SS). In particular, the biochemical methane potential (BMP) of each residue, anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD), and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of an AD plant are assessed. WW, OC, and SS present a BMP of around 232–280 NmL_CH4/kg of volatile solids (VS). PP and WCO reach a BMP slightly lower than the former substrates (174–202 NmL_CH4/g_VS). AcoD results in methane yields between 150 and 250 NmL_CH4/g_VS. An up-scaled anaerobic digester is designed to manage 1.60 Mg/d of PP. A residence time of 12 days and a digester with 165 m³ is estimated, yielding 14 Nm³_CH4/Mg_VS/d. A simulated AD plant integrated with a combined heat and power unit results in a carbon footprint of 542 kg of CO₂-eq/Mg_db PP, primarily from biogenic GHG emissions. These findings highlight the potential of AD to generate renewable energy from potato industry residues while reducing fossil fuel-related GHG emissions and promoting resource circularity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Energy Technologies and Sustainable Agricultural Waste Utilization)

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17 pages, 1355 KB

Open AccessArticle

Supplemental Sewage Scum and Organic Municipal Solid Waste Addition to the Anaerobic Digestion of Thickened Waste Activated Sludge: Biomethane Potential and Microbiome Analysis

by Adewale Aromolaran, Majid Sartaj and Mohamed Abdallah

Fermentation 2023, 9(3), 237; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9030237 - 28 Feb 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3075

Abstract

Sewage scum (SS) is collected from sedimentation tanks in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Despite its huge biogas potential, there is limited information on its potential as a co-substrate and microbial ecology, especially during anaerobic co-digestion (ACo-D) of the organic fraction of municipal solid [...] Read more.

Sewage scum (SS) is collected from sedimentation tanks in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Despite its huge biogas potential, there is limited information on its potential as a co-substrate and microbial ecology, especially during anaerobic co-digestion (ACo-D) of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and thickened waste activated sludge (TWAS). In this biomethane potential (BMP) study, the bioenergy yield achieved by the supplemental addition of SS and OFMSW to TWAS was investigated, along with the microbial ecology. Compared with the digestion of TWAS alone, which produced 184.6 mLCH4 gVS⁻¹, biomethane yield was enhanced by as much as 32.4–121.6% in trinary mixtures with SS and OFMSW, mainly due to the positive synergistic effect. Furthermore, a mixture of 40%SS + 10%TWAS + 50%OFMSW produced the highest biogas yield of 407 mLCH₄ gVS⁻¹, which is proof that existing WWTPs can produce additional energy by incorporating external bioresources, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Modified Gompertz and logistic function estimates showed that methane production rate improved by as much as 60% in a trinary mixture compared with the digestion of TWAS alone. The genus Methanosaeta, capable of generating methane by the acetoclastic methanogenic pathway among all the archaeal communities, was the most prominent, followed by hydrogenotrophic methanogen Methanospirillum. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anaerobic Fermentation of Organic Waste Materials and Valorisation)

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13 pages, 4294 KB

Open AccessArticle

Triple-Band Terahertz Chiral Metasurface for Spin-Selective Absorption and Reflection Phase Manipulation

by Hang Zhang, Liming Si, Tianyu Ma, Lin Dong, Rong Niu, Xiue Bao, Houjun Sun and Jun Ding

Electronics 2022, 11(24), 4195; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11244195 - 15 Dec 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3243

Abstract

In this paper, a triple-band terahertz chiral metasurface is proposed, which could realize spin-selective absorption (SSA) effect and efficient independent phase manipulation in three distinct frequency bands. Through the simulation of the surface current distribution, we explain the mechanism of the triple-band SSA [...] Read more.

In this paper, a triple-band terahertz chiral metasurface is proposed, which could realize spin-selective absorption (SSA) effect and efficient independent phase manipulation in three distinct frequency bands. Through the simulation of the surface current distribution, we explain the mechanism of the triple-band SSA effect. Furthermore, the introduction of Pancharatnam–Berry phase endows the metasurface with the ability to manipulate the reflection phase at the chiral resonance frequencies, which enabled simultaneous amplitude and phase manipulation of CP waves through different phase coding strategies. To test this concept, two terahertz SSA-coding metasurfaces were designed and simulated, which have the function of four-beam splitting and vortex wave anomalous reflection, respectively. These simple-structured multifunctional devices demonstrate the application prospects of the metasurface in terahertz chiral sensing, imaging, secure communications, etc. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Microwave and Terahertz Engineering)

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16 pages, 3821 KB

Open AccessArticle

Temporal Variation of Nitrogen and Sulfur Species of Food Waste and Sludge during Anaerobic Co-Digestion

by Pengzhou Kang, Yuxiu Zhang, Xiaopeng Ge and Zhi Qian

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 4982; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14094982 - 21 Apr 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2483

Abstract

Anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) has been a widely accepted method to treat food waste (FW) and sewage sludge (SS). However, there is a knowledge gap regarding the key speciation transformation of nitrogen and sulfur in AcoD. Here, we explored the changes of nitrogen (N) [...] Read more.

Anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) has been a widely accepted method to treat food waste (FW) and sewage sludge (SS). However, there is a knowledge gap regarding the key speciation transformation of nitrogen and sulfur in AcoD. Here, we explored the changes of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) compounds in liquid digestion and biogas, as well as the composition of microbial community structure and related metabolic functions. The results showed that H₂S in the biogas was the main form of S in the early stage, and then, it was converted into SO₄²⁻ and SO₃²⁻, while NH₃ and NH₄⁺ were the main forms of N during the AcoD. In addition, bacterial diversity was associated with N and S compounds; Syntrophomonas and Aminobacterium were positively correlated to H₂S, NH₃, NH₄⁺ and SO₃²⁻, and Saccharibacteria_genera_incertae_sedis, Candidatus_Cloacamonas and Thermomonas were positively correlated to SO₄²⁻ and NO₂⁻. Additionally, the FAPROTAX prediction showed that the functional composition related to N and S metabolism was different from SS and inoculum after the AcoD. This study provides detailed information of conversion of N and S of the AcoD, which could lay a foundation for the subsequent regulation of the mechanism of nitrogen and sulfur compounds in the methanogenic process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conversion and Utilization of Biomass Waste)

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12 pages, 14696 KB

Open AccessArticle

Biomethane Production from Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Selected Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW) with Sewage Sludge: Effect of the Inoculum to Substrate Ratio (ISR) and Mixture Composition on Process Performances

by Santo Fabio Corsino, Michele Torregrossa and Gaspare Viviani

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 13048; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413048 - 10 Dec 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3638

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the inoculum to substrate ratio (ISR) and the mixture ratio between organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and sewage sludge (SS) on the methane production potential achievable from anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD). [...] Read more.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the inoculum to substrate ratio (ISR) and the mixture ratio between organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and sewage sludge (SS) on the methane production potential achievable from anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD). Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) assays at mesophilic temperature were used to determine the best AcoD configuration for maximizing methane yield and production rate, as well as to address possible synergistic effects. The maximum methane yield was observed at ISR of 1 and 60% OFMSW: 40% SS as co-digestion mixture, whereas the highest methane production rate was achieved at ISR of 2 with the same mixture ratio (207 mL/gVS/d). Synergistic effects were highlighted in the mixtures having OFMSW below 60%, determining an increase of approximately 40% in methane production than the OFMSW and SS digestion as a sole substrate. The experimental data demonstrated that co-digestion of OFMSW and SS resulted in an increase in the productivity of methane than anaerobic digestion using the sole substrates, producing higher yields or production rates while depending on the ISR and the mixture ratio. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioremediation of Wastewater for Valorization)

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16 pages, 1011 KB

Open AccessArticle

Pretreatment, Anaerobic Codigestion, or Both? Which Is More Suitable for the Enhancement of Methane Production from Agricultural Waste?

by Lütfiye Dumlu, Asli Seyhan Ciggin, Stefan Ručman and N. Altınay Perendeci

Molecules 2021, 26(14), 4175; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26144175 - 9 Jul 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3213

Abstract

Pretreatment and codigestion are proven to be effective strategies for the enhancement of the anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic residues. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of pretreatment and codigestion on methane production and the hydrolysis rate in the anaerobic [...] Read more.

Pretreatment and codigestion are proven to be effective strategies for the enhancement of the anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic residues. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of pretreatment and codigestion on methane production and the hydrolysis rate in the anaerobic digestion of agricultural wastes (AWs). Thermal and different thermochemical pretreatments were applied on AWs. Sewage sludge (SS) was selected as a cosubstrate. Biochemical methane potential tests were performed by mixing SS with raw and pretreated AWs at different mixing ratios. Hydrolysis rates were estimated by the best fit obtained with the first-order kinetic model. As a result of the experimental and kinetic studies, the best strategy was determined to be thermochemical pretreatment with sodium hydroxide (NaOH). This strategy resulted in a maximum enhancement in the anaerobic digestion of AWs, a 56% increase in methane production, an 81.90% increase in the hydrolysis rate and a 79.63% decrease in the technical digestion time compared to raw AWs. On the other hand, anaerobic codigestion (AcoD) with SS was determined to be ineffective when it came to the enhancement of methane production and the hydrolysis rate. The most suitable mixing ratio was determined to be 80:20 (Aws/SS) for the AcoD of the studied AWs with SS in order to obtain the highest possible methane production without any antagonistic effect. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Efficient Technology for the Pretreatment of Biomass III)

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25 pages, 3624 KB

Open AccessArticle

Development of Advanced Computer Aid Model for Shear Strength of Concrete Slender Beam Prediction

by Ahmad Sharafati, Masoud Haghbin, Mohammed Suleman Aldlemy, Mohamed H. Mussa, Ahmed W. Al Zand, Mumtaz Ali, Suraj Kumar Bhagat, Nadhir Al-Ansari and Zaher Mundher Yaseen

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(11), 3811; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10113811 - 30 May 2020

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3990

Abstract

High-strength concrete (HSC) is highly applicable to the construction of heavy structures. However, shear strength (Ss) determination of HSC is a crucial concern for structure designers and decision makers. The current research proposes the novel models based on the combination of [...] Read more.

High-strength concrete (HSC) is highly applicable to the construction of heavy structures. However, shear strength (Ss) determination of HSC is a crucial concern for structure designers and decision makers. The current research proposes the novel models based on the combination of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) with several meta-heuristic optimization algorithms, including ant colony optimizer (ACO), differential evolution (DE), genetic algorithm (GA), and particle swarm optimization (PSO), to predict the Ss of HSC slender beam. The proposed models were constructed using several input combinations incorporating several related dimensional parameters such as effective depth of beam (d), shear span (a), maximum size of aggregate (a_g), compressive strength of concrete (f_c), and percentage of tension reinforcement (ρ). To assess the impact of the non-homogeneity of the dataset on the prediction result accuracy, two possible modeling scenarios, (i) non-processed (initial) dataset (NP) and (ii) pre-processed dataset (PP), are inspected by several performance indices. The modeling results demonstrated that ANFIS-PSO hybrid model attained the best prediction accuracy over the other models and for the pre-processed input parameters. Several uncertainty analyses were examined (i.e., model, variables, and data), and results indicated predicting the HSC shear strength was more sensitive to the model structure uncertainty than the input parameters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Structure Monitoring for Concrete Materials, Volume II)

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14 pages, 1055 KB

Open AccessArticle

Biogas Production from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches and Palm Oil Decanter Cake using Solid-State Anaerobic co-Digestion

by Muthita Tepsour, Nikannapas Usmanbaha, Thiwa Rattanaya, Rattana Jariyaboon, Sompong O-Thong, Poonsuk Prasertsan and Prawit Kongjan

Energies 2019, 12(22), 4368; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12224368 - 16 Nov 2019

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5955

Abstract

Oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) and palm oil decanter cake (DC) were used to investigate biogas production by using solid-state anaerobic co-digestion (SS-AcoD) with 15% total solid (TS) content. Solid state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) using substrate to inoculum (S:I) ratio of 3:1, [...] Read more.

Oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) and palm oil decanter cake (DC) were used to investigate biogas production by using solid-state anaerobic co-digestion (SS-AcoD) with 15% total solid (TS) content. Solid state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) using substrate to inoculum (S:I) ratio of 3:1, methane yields of 353.0 mL-CH₄/g-VS and 101.5 mL-CH₄/g-VS were respectively achieved from mono-digestion of EFB without oil palm ash (OPA) addition and of DC with 10% OPA addition under mesophilic conditions 35 °C. By adding 5% OPA to SS-AD using 3:1 S:I ratio under thermophilic conditions (55 °C), mono-digestion of EFB and DC provided methane yields of 365.0 and 160.3 mL-CH₄/g-VS, respectively. Furthermore, SS-AcoD of EFB:DC at 1:1 mixing ratio (volatile solid, VS basis), corresponding to carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio of 32, gathering with S:I ratio of 3:1 and 5% ash addition, synergistic effect is observed together with similar methane yields of 414.4 and 399.3 mL-CH₄/g-VS, achieved under 35 °C and 55 °C, respectively. According to first order kinetic analysis under synergistic condition, methane production rate from thermophilic operation is 5 times higher than that from mesophilic operation. Therefore, SS-AcoD could be potentially beneficial to generate biogas from EFB and DC. Full article

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