Comparative assessment of agricultural and municipal biogas plants in terms of process stability and efficiency
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Biogas is a crucial renewable energy source, as it supports a circular economy by facilitating the efficient recovery of energy from organic waste through recycling. This study presents a comparative case study assessment of one agricultural and one municipal biogas plant regarding process stability, production efficiency, and digestate quality. The analysis was conducted at two full-scale anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities operating under different technological and feedstock conditions. The agricultural biogas plant, processing mainly maize silage and agri-food residues, demonstrated slightly higher biogas yields (average 127 m 3 /ton) and methane concentrations (53.7–55.1 %) compared to the municipal biogas plant treating selectively collected biowaste (116 m 3 /ton and 50.4–52.3 %, respectively). Despite the municipal plant's higher operational complexity and purification requirements, both installations maintained stable digestion processes, confirmed by appropriate pH levels and acidity/alkalinity ratios. Digestate from both plants met the legal standards for use as a biofertilizer, though the agricultural digestate showed a higher nutrient content. The findings confirm that both agricultural and municipal full-scale AD configurations can operate as effective and stable methods for biowaste treatment and energy recovery, contributing to circular economy goals and climate neutrality.
Source: Biomass and Bioenergy
Language: English
Subfield: Building and Construction
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,270
OpenAlex ID: W4416715418