Tag Archives: biogas

Technology overview of biogas production in anaerobic digestion plants: A European evaluation of research and development

Research Examples, Research profiling, Research Type

Anaerobic digestion (AD) technology is used commercially around the world, especially in Europe, which has set some challenging targets to diversify its energy mix with more renewable energy. This study intends to demonstrate, through technology prospecting, the relation between academic research (published articles) and technology development (patent applications) evolved from 1990 to 2015. Published articles were classified under the topics and wastes they cover, which include manure, agricultural and food waste, wastewater, sewage sludge and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste, with the last of these often being associated with co-digestion processes. Meanwhile, the patents in the area are mostly for equipment of the AD process and new methods or means of purifying the biogas obtained. It was found that the patents filed in Europe tend to protect their innovations only occasionally in countries outside the EU. Germany is the clear leader in all the areas of research and the commercial applications of the technologies, followed by Italy, Spain and Sweden. This study also demonstrates the immense potential of biogas throughout Europe, not just for energy generation, but also as a fuel and a by-product of the treatment of different kinds of waste.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032117307074

Author(s): Rafaela Lora Grando, Adelaide Maria de Souza Antune, Fabiana Valéria Fonseca, Antoni Sánchez, Raquel Barrena, Xavier Font
Organization(s): Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Source: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Year: 2017

Mapping of the Use of Waste as Raw Materials for Biogas Production (full-text)

Future-oriented technology analysis, Research Examples, Research profiling, Research Type

Anthropic methane emissions can largely be prevented or minimized using
technologies that are already available. One such technology is anaerobic digestion
(AD), which is used commercially around the world, especially in Europe
and the United States, where some challenging targets have been set to
diversify the energy mix with more renewable energy. This foresight study was
designed to identify which technological solutions out of the many options
available for biogas production are attracting most interest, for which purpose
patent documents and scientific publications were analyzed. The aim is to
identify which raw materials are most attractive for AD and biogas production.
It was found that the raw materials that have attracted most research and
patenting activity are sludge, sewage, and wastewater, livestock waste, and
agriculture waste, which together account for 62% of all the patents filed and
74% of all the scientific publications. The countries most engaged in producing
biogas from AD plants are China, Germany, and the United States. We
also identified a rising trend in the use of biogas around the world, and a
steady increase in the number of patents filed on the subject, especially in Japan
and South Korea. This growth is driven, amongst other things, by strategic
governmental actions, global environmental pacts, and the realization on
the part of industry that anaerobic digestion can be used as an efficient method
for treating waste and effluents.

For FULL-TEXT go to http://file.scirp.org/pdf/JEP_2017021016142340.pdf

Author(s): Rafaela Lora Grando, Fabiana Valeria da Fonseca, Adelaide Maria de Souza Antunes
Oganization(s): Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto Nacional de Propriedade Industrial (INPI)
Source: Journal of Environmental Protection
Year: 2017