Energy and emission benefits of chicken manure biogas production: a case study

Studies on the production of biogas of different organic materials in an anaerobic environment are being carried out all over the world. The most important parameters in these researches can be listed as raw material potential, production processes, economic analyses, and environmental effects. Chicken manure is one of the raw materials used in biogas production. In this study, in addition to the analysis of biogas and energy production potential from chicken manure, greenhouse gas emissions were analyzed to evaluate environmental effects. In Turkey, chicken manure is not adequately processed and causes environmental pollution. The model biogas plant and potential energy generation were researched in this field study. The pilot plant produces 8.58 million m³ of biogas per year by processing about 110 thousand tons of waste. It produces 17 GWh/year of electricity and 16 GWh/year of thermal energy, as well as reducing CO₂ greenhouse gas emissions by 13.86 thousand tons/year.

     

The dynamic analysis of renewable energy’s contribution to the dimensions of sustainable development and energy security

In sustainable development, energy is critical in human activities and shapes a sustainable future. Thus, it is an unignorable element in human development. This paper analyzes the contributions of renewable energy sources (RES)’s to the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of sustainable development. Moreover, we add energy security as a possible fourth dimension into the analysis. For the sample size, we limit the countries members of the OECD and run generalized methods of moments for the period from 1995 to 2015. This method can produce efficient estimators under the problems of endogeneity, omitted-variable bias, measurement errors, and heteroscedastic residuals. According to the results, RES has a small reducing effect (?.007%) on output in the Cobb-Douglas production function for the economic dimension. We found that RES has a positive contribution to the environmental dimension and abates the level of carbon emission (?.093%). RES also confirms the inverted-U shape of environmental Kuznets curve. In the social dimension, RES improves human development and a 1% increase in RES consumption causes to .0045% increase in human development. In the last contribution, RES has a positive effect on sustainable energy supply security in the context of electricity generation (.032%). Although the effects of RES on the environment, social, and energy security are significant, they are limited. These limitations point to barriers that can be overcome over time. Our conclusions recommend that these effects might flourish with technical developments and political support in the long run. Furthermore, public awareness, rising income level, and economies of scale are also beneficial in this process. As a result, RES might be an excellent source for a sustainable future and development. Especially, RES might have remarkable contributions to the 7th, 11th, 12th, and 13th goals of sustainable development.

     

Biogas production from anaerobic digestion of food waste and relevant air quality implications

Biopower can diversify energy supply and improve energy resiliency. Increases in biopower production from sustainable biomass can provide many economic and environmental benefits. For example, increasing biogas production through anaerobic digestion of food waste would increase the use of renewable fuels throughout California and add to its renewables portfolio. Although a biopower project will produce renewable energy, the process of producing bioenergy should harmonize with the goal of protecting public health. Meeting air emission requirements is paramount to the successful implementation of any biopower project. A case study was conducted by collecting field data from a wastewater treatment plant that employs anaerobic codigestion of fats, oils, and grease (FOG), food waste, and wastewater sludge, and also uses an internal combustion (IC) engine to generate biopower using the biogas. This research project generated scientific information on (a) quality and quantity of biogas from anaerobic codigestion of food waste and municipal wastewater sludge, (b) levels of contaminants in raw biogas that may affect beneficial uses of the biogas, (c) removal of the contaminants by the biogas conditioning systems, (d) emissions of NO_x, SO₂, CO, CO₂, and methane, and (e) types and levels of air toxics present in the exhausts of the IC engine fueled by the biogas. The information is valuable to those who consider similar operations (i.e., co-digestion of food waste with municipal wastewater sludge and power generation using the produced biogas) and to support rulemaking decisions with regards to air quality issues for such applications.

Implications: Full-scale operation of anaerobic codigestion of food waste with municipal sludge is viable, but it is still new. There is a lack of readily available scientific information on the quality of raw biogas, as well as on potential emissions from power generation using this biogas. This research developed scientific information with regard to quality and quantity of biogas from anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and municipal wastewater sludge, as well as impacts on air quality from biopower generation using this biogas. The need and performance of conditioning/pretreatment systems for biopower generation were also assessed.     

Socioeconomic constraints on the technological choices in rural sewage treatment

Technological innovation is one of the potential engines to mitigate environmental pollution. However, the implementation of new technologies sometimes fails owing to socioeconomic constraints from different stakeholders. Thus, it is essential to analyze constraints of environmental technologies in order to build a pathway for their implementation. In this study, taking three technologies on rural sewage treatment in Hangzhou, China as a case study, i.e., wastewater treatment plant (WTP), constructed wetland (CW), and biogas system, we analyzed how socioeconomic constraints affect the technological choices. Results showed that socioeconomic constraints play a key role through changing the relative opportunity cost of inputs from government as compared to that of residents to deliver the public good—sewage treatment—under different economic levels. Economic level determines the technological choice, and the preferred sewage treatment technologies change from biogas system to CW and further to WTP along with the increase of economic level. Mismatch of technological choice and economic level results in failures of rural sewage treatment, e.g., the CW only work well in moderately developed regions in Hangzhou. This finding expands the environmental Kuznets law by introducing the coproduction theory into analysis (i.e., inputs from both government and residents are essential for the delivery of public goods and services such as good environmental quality). A match between technology and socioeconomic conditions is essential to the environmental governance.

     

How Resilient Are Europe’s Inshore Fishing Communities to Change? Differences Between the North and the South

One would hypothesize that the Common Fisheries Policy, as the umbrella framework for fisheries management in the EU would have the greatest impact on fishers’ communities across Europe. There are, however, biological, economic, social, and political factors, which vary among fishing communities that can affect how these communities react to changes. This paper explores the links between institutional arrangements and ecological dynamics in two European inshore fisheries socio-ecological systems, using a resilience framework. The Mediterranean small-scale fishers do not seem to have been particularly affected by the Common Fisheries Policy regulations but appear affected by competition with the politically strong recreational fishers and the invasion of the rabbit fish population. The inshore fishers along the East coast of Scotland believe that their interests are not as sufficiently protected as the interests of their offshore counterpart. Decisions and initiatives at global, EU, and sometimes national level, tend to take into account those fisheries sectors which have a national economic importance. A socio-ecological analysis can shift the focus from biological and economic aspects to more sustainable long-term delivery of environmental benefits linked to human wellbeing.     

Effects of urbanization and nonrenewable energy on carbon emission in Africa

This study investigates the impact of urbanization and nonrenewable energy consumption on carbon emissions. The context of the analysis is 54 African Union countries from 1996 to 2019. For estimation, we use panel quantile regression (PQR) and fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS). Our regression results demonstrate that there is a positive correlation between urbanization and CO₂ emission. Further, our empirical results confirmed that nonrenewable energy consumption increases environmental pollution in African Union countries. The outcomes demonstrate the EKC hypothesis because at the initial stage of development, when economic growth increases, environmental pollution increases; after a threshold point, environmental pollution decreases as economic growth increases. It can find an inverted U-shaped relationship between economic growth and CO₂ emission. The findings also show that urbanization should be planned; otherwise, it can lead to environmental degradation in the long run. Africa continent takes strict action and builds a blueprint for efficient and effective energy production and consumption. The only solution to achieve green growth in Africa is to shift from fossil fuel energy supply to renewable energy supply.

     

Reduction of Greenhouse Gases from Anaerobic Piggery Wastewater Treatment by Bromochloromethane in Taiwan

Abstract

This work establishes methods of reducing the amount of methane produced from the anaerobic treatment of piggery wastewater by either reducing the storage time before solid/liquid separation or inhibiting the activity of methanogens in anaerobic wastewater treatment system. Experimental results showed these two methods can be adopted effectively to reduce methane production resulting from anaerobic piggery wastewater treatment. First, the wastewater must be processed using solid/liquid separation immediately after washing pig houses. This process can reduce by 62% the biogas production and indirectly decrease the methane production from the anaerobic wastewater treatment reactor. Second, adding 10 mg L^?1 bromochloromethane (BCM) daily into the anaerobic wastewater treatment reactor can significantly reduce the amount of biogas and methane produced during the anaerobic fermentation process. Furthermore, biogas production can be completely inhibited after 4 days. Adding BCM (≤10 mg L^?1) to wastewater only slightly affected the efficiency of the anaerobic wastewater treatment process. Results in this study can provide the basis for further research on reduction of the amount of methane produced from anaerobic wastewater treatments.     

Chemical leasing in the context of sustainable chemistry

Chemical leasing is a new and innovative approach of selling chemicals. It aims at reducing the risks emanating from hazardous substances and ensuring long-term economic success within a global system of producing and using chemicals. This paper explores how, through chemical leasing, the consumption of chemicals, energy, resources and the generation of related wastes can be reduced. It also analyses the substitution of hazardous chemicals as a tool to protect environmental, health and safety and hence ensure compliance with sustainability criteria. For this, we are proposing an evaluation methodology that seeks to provide an answer to the following research questions: (1) Does the application of chemical leasing promote sustainability in comparison to an existing chemicals production and management system? 2. If various chemical leasing project types are envisaged, which is the most promising in terms of sustainability? The proposed methodology includes a number of basic goals and sub-goals to assess the sustainability for eight different chemical leasing case studies that have been implemented both at the local and the national levels. The assessment is limited to the relative assessment of specific case studies and allows the comparisons of different projects in terms of their relative contribution to sustainable chemistry. The findings of our assessment demonstrate that chemical leasing can be regarded as promoting sustainable chemistry in five case studies with certainty. However, on the grounds of our assessment, we cannot conclude with certainty that chemical leasing has equivalent contribution to sustainable chemistry in respect of three further case studies.     

Does the level of renewable energy matter in the effect of economic growth on environmental pollution? New evidence from PSTR analysis

This study investigates the relationship between environmental pollution and economic growth in the context of renewable energy in OECD countries using the panel smooth transition regression (PSTR) model for 1995–2018. The study finds the value of the threshold variable, calculated as the share of renewable energy use in total energy consumption, to be 7.825%. In this context, economic growth affects the environment negatively and increases environmental pollution when the share of renewable energy use in energy consumption is below the threshold. When this share is above the threshold, it reduces environmental pollution by affecting the environment positively. In addition, the findings reveal a non-linear inverted U-shaped relationship between the environment and economic growth in the context of renewable energy, and the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis is valid. Therefore, the widespread use of renewable energy is a solution to reducing environmental pollution. Accordingly, it is very important for policymakers to both highlight and encourage renewable energy use. Furthermore, countries need to both invest in this area and focus on R&D to increase renewable energy production.

     

农业废弃物的资源化利用

我国的农业资源浪费和破坏现象十分严重,解决这一问题的根本途径是开展农业废弃物的资源化利用,它是农业可持续发展的重要方面。本文在分析了农业废弃物资源化利用的理论基础后,讨论了农业废弃物的主要资源化利用途径和支持与保障体系。     

Life cycle energy use,costs, and greenhouse gas emission of broiler farms in different production systems in Iran—a case study of Alborz province

In order to achieve sustainable development in agriculture, it is necessary to quantify and compare the energy, economic, and environmental aspects of products. This paper studied the energy, economic, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission patterns in broiler chicken farms in the Alborz province of Iran. We studied the effect of the broiler farm size as different production systems on the energy, economic, and environmental indices. Energy use efficiency (EUE) and benefit-cost ratio (BCR) were 0.16 and 1.11, respectively. Diesel fuel and feed contributed the most in total energy inputs, while feed and chicks were the most important inputs in economic analysis. GHG emission calculations showed that production of 1000 birds produces 19.13 t CO_2-eq and feed had the highest share in total GHG emission. Total GHG emissions based on different functional units were 8.5 t CO_2-eq per t of carcass and 6.83 kg CO_2-eq per kg live weight. Results of farm size effect on EUE revealed that large farms had better energy management. For BCR, there was no significant difference between farms. Lower total GHG emissions were reported for large farms, caused by better management of inputs and fewer bird losses. Large farms with more investment had more efficient equipment, resulting in a decrease of the input consumption. In view of our study, it is recommended to support the small-scale broiler industry by providing subsidies to promote the use of high-efficiency equipment. To decrease the amount of energy usage and GHG emissions, replacing heaters (which use diesel fuel) with natural gas heaters can be considered. In addition to the above recommendations, the use of energy saving light bulbs may reduce broiler farm electricity consumption.     

Rehabilitating mussel beds in Coffee Bay,South Africa: Towards fostering cooperative small-scale fisheries governance and enabling community upliftment

Along the coast of South Africa, marine resources play a significant role in supporting livelihoods and contributing to food security in impoverished rural communities. Post-apartheid fisheries laws and policies have begun to address traditional fishing rights and development needs, and new management arrangements are being implemented. One such initiative has been the Mussel Rehabilitation Project in Coffee Bay, which piloted a resource rehabilitation technique at several over-exploited fishing sites. Mussel stocks in these exploited areas had dropped to under 1 % mussel cover, and during the project period, stocks increased to >80 % cover, supporting a sustainable harvest well above national daily bag limits. This stock enhancement was achieved only after the project had started to address social challenges such as the lack of local management institutions and the need to enhance food security. The project embarked on training and institution-building; it formed a robust community mussel management committee; and developed a local resource management plan, facilitating increased community participation in the day-to-day management of the resource. The project also saw the initiation of various ancillary projects aimed at improving food security and stimulating the local economy and hence alleviating pressure on the marine resources. Here we review this 10-year project’s outcomes, and present lessons for small-scale fisheries governance in South Africa and internationally. We show, through empirical experience, that balancing stock rebuilding needs in a context of widespread poverty and dependency on natural resources by a local fisher community can only be addressed through an integrated approach to development. Participation of resource users and a thorough understanding of the local context are imperative to negotiating appropriate small-scale fisheries governance approaches. We recommend that the implementation of South Africa’s newly minted Small-Scale Fisheries Policy should begin with bottom-up, demonstrative resource management measures such as mussel rehabilitation. This type of initiative can deliver short-term food security benefits and foster social learning towards sustainable and cooperative fisheries governance.     

Bioenergy to save the world

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Following to the 2006 climate summit, the European Union formally set the goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. But even today, climate change is already affecting people and ecosystems. Examples are melting glaciers and polar ice, reports about thawing permafrost areas, dying coral reefs, rising sea levels, changing ecosystems and fatal heat periods. Within the last 150 years, CO2 levels rose from 280 ppm to currently over 400 ppm. If we continue on our present course, CO2 equivalent levels could approach 600 ppm by 2035. However, if CO2 levels are not stabilized at the 450-550 ppm level, the consequences could be quite severe. Hence, if we do not act now, the opportunity to stabilise at even 550 ppm is likely to slip away. Long-term stabilisation will require that CO2 emissions ultimately be reduced to more than 80% below current levels. This will require major changes in how we operate. RESULTS: Reducing greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels seems to be the most promising approach to counterbalance the dramatic climate changes we would face in the near future. It is clear since the Kyoto protocol that the availability of fossil carbon resources will not match our future requirements. Furthermore, the distribution of fossil carbon sources around the globe makes them an even less reliable source in the future. We propose to screen crop and non-crop species for high biomass production and good survival on marginal soils as well as to produce mutants from the same species by chemical mutagenesis or related methods. These plants, when grown in adequate crop rotation, will provide local farming communities with biomass for the fermentation in decentralized biogas reactors, and the resulting nitrogen rich manure can be distributed on the fields to improve the soil. DISCUSSION: Such an approach will open new economic perspectives to small farmers, and provide a clever way to self sufficient and sustainable rural development. Together with the present economic reality, where energy and raw material prices have drastically increased over the last decade, they necessitate the development and the establishment of alternative concepts. CONCLUSIONS: Biotechnology is available to apply fast breeding to promising energy plant species. It is important that our valuable arable land is preserved for agriculture. The opportunity to switch from low-income agriculture to biogas production may convince small farmers to adhere to their business and by that preserve the identity of rural communities. PERSPECTIVES: Overall, biogas is a promising alternative for the future, because its resource base is widely available, and single farms or small local cooperatives might start biogas plant operation.     

Reduction of greenhouse gases from anaerobic piggery wastewater treatment by bromochloromethane in Taiwan

This work establishes methods of reducing the amount of methane produced from the anaerobic treatment of piggery wastewater by either reducing the storage time before solid/liquid separation or inhibiting the activity of methanogens in anaerobic wastewater treatment system. Experimental results showed these two methods can be adopted effectively to reduce methane production resulting from anaerobic piggery wastewater treatment. First, the wastewater must be processed using solid/liquid separation immediately after washing pig houses. This process can reduce by 62% the biogas production and indirectly decrease the methane production from the anaerobic wastewater treatment reactor. Second, adding 10 mg L(-1) bromochloromethane (BCM) daily into the anaerobic wastewater treatment reactor can significantly reduce the amount of biogas and methane produced during the anaerobic fermentation process. Furthermore, biogas production can be completely inhibited after 4 days. Adding BCM (< or =10 mg L(-1)) to wastewater only slightly affected the efficiency of the anaerobic wastewater treatment process. Results in this study can provide the basis for further research on reduction of the amount of methane produced from anaerobic wastewater treatments.     

Assessing the perceived impact of exploration and production of hydrocarbons on households perspective of environmental regulation in Ghana

This paper seeks to critically study the perceived impacts of the exploration of hydrocarbons in selected coastal communities in the Western region, the oil and gas industry benefits to local communities, and to determine whether hydrocarbon development is a means for sustainable development. The study uses both quantitative and qualitative approaches using a questionnaire survey, key informant interview, and focus group discussion tools to understand the impact of oil and gas exploration and production in selected affected communities along the coast of Ghana. The activities of oil production and exploration impact negatively on communities; it also leads to a sharp increase in food prices thereby increasing their costs of living. The activity has also caused a decline in fish catch levels which happens to be the main economic activity as a result of exclusion zones created by oil companies which limited the extent fishermen can go fishing. In terms of infrastructure, the three communities are lacking, 77% of respondents from Princess Town hold the view that there is no motorable road linking their community in the next town and 60% from Aketakyi also hold the same view. Infrastructure such as roads, schools, water provision, and clinics are woefully provided in these communities.

     

模拟成藏地质填埋及诱导填埋有机质生气的理论初探

填埋处理和垃圾生物气的开发利用是实现城市生活垃圾资源化、无害化、减量化处理的有效途径,引入模拟生物气成藏和含气系统的思路,开展地质填埋与诱导填埋有机质生气研究是对能源地质学和填埋设计理念的新探索.通过对比研究地质填埋结构与地质学中生物气藏系统的异同点、生气机理和影响因素的共性与差异,初步论证了将模拟生物气藏理论引入地质填埋设计、优化地质填埋结构、提高填埋有机质生物气化效率和抽排利用效率的可行性;探讨了生物气藏理论在构建地质填埋结构中的可能应用和启示.研究表明:模拟生物气藏地质填埋设计和非常规生物气开发理念具有理论依据和现实基础;生物气藏生、储、盖要素和运、圈、保过程的模拟可应用于垃圾地质填埋场的构建,微生物地球化学理论有助于对诱导填埋有机质生气条件优化的认识.     

Power to gas: an option for 2060 high penetration rate of renewable energy scenario of China

Replacing conventional fossil fuel power plants with large-scale renewable energy sources (RES) is a crucial aspect of the decarbonization of the power sector and represents a key part of the carbon-neutral strategy of China. The high penetration rate of renewable energy in the electricity system, however, implies the challenges of dealing with the intermittency and fluctuation of RES. Power to gas (P2G), which can convert surplus renewable power into a chemical form of energy (i.e., synthetic gas), can help handle this challenge and supply new energy carriers for various energy sectors. By modeling three potential 2060 energy mix scenarios in China, this paper aims to describe the possible contribution of the high penetration rate of renewable energy combined with P2G in the future sustainable energy system. Different schemes are listed and compared, and the results are used in a basic economic evaluation of the synthetic gas production cost for the P2G plants. Ideally, nearly 18 million tons of carbon dioxide would be recycled and transformed into methane (around 9.37 km³) annually in China. Considering a zero price for the excess renewable power and future costs of the components, the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of the final production of methane is estimated at 0.86 $/m³_SNG.

     

Do renewable energies contribute to enhancing environmental quality in Eastern Africa?

East Africa has enormous renewable energy potential, but only a small portion of it has been exploited, and little is known on its role in improving environmental quality. Thus, this study empirically examines the impact of renewable energy on the environment using ecological footprint (EF; positive indicator) and CO₂ emissions (negative indicator) as proxy indicators for environmental quality in a panel of ten East African countries from 1990 to 2015. These indicators were chosen due to their potential impact in the environment. The work used the pooled mean group (PMG) as the main panel estimator to determine the impact while controlling non-renewable energy consumption, GDP per capita, and foreign direct investment (FDI). PMG has been used as it forces the long-run coefficients to be equal across all panel groups. The findings show that in the long run, there is a significant negative relationship between CO₂ emissions and renewable energy consumption, as well as a significant positive relationship (with a low impact) between EF and renewable energy consumption, suggesting that renewable energy use enhances the area’s environmental quality. Also, results indicate that non-renewable energy use degrades environmental quality in both metrics, whereas GDP degrades environmental quality through CO₂ emissions and improves environmental quality through EF. This requires East African countries to focus a higher emphasis on accessible renewable energy sources to achieve quick and sustainable economic growth and minimize environmental effects. To accomplish this, strategic policies and legislation, as well as the promotion of green technology, are required.

     

The nexus between remittances,natural resources,technological innovation,economic growth,and environmental sustainability in Pakistan

Globally, the issues about sustainable development are on the increase. Moreover, these issues are rising every day in Pakistan, as remittances are increasing, technology innovation is ambiguous, natural resources are degraded, and economic expansion might pose serious challenges to the environment. Thus, this research looks at how remittances, natural resources, technological innovation, and economic growth affect carbon dioxide (CO₂₎ emissions in Pakistan by controlling energy consumption and urbanization from 1990 to 2019. The Bayer and Hanck test of combined cointegration discloses a cointegration between remittances, natural resources, technological innovations, economic growth, and CO₂ emissions. Moreover, the autoregressive distributive lag model (ARDL) proposes a significant positive association between remittances and CO₂ emissions in the long run, indicating that the increase in remittances distresses the environmental performance of Pakistan. Our study confirms that natural resources decrease CO₂ emissions while technological advancement, economic progress, energy use, and urbanization increase CO₂ emissions. In addition, the results of robustness checks by employing fully modified ordinary least squares and dynamic ordinary least squares are parallel to the conclusions of ARDL estimations. Furthermore, the frequency causality test results show that remittances, natural resources, technological innovation, economic growth, energy use, and urbanization cause CO₂ emissions at different frequencies. Therefore, to achieve the sustainable development goals, appropriate policy repercussions can be developed toward advanced and environmentally sustainable sources of energy.

     

Integrated biological treatment and biogas production in a small-scale slaughterhouse in rural Ghana.

A small-scale anaerobic slaughter waste treatment plant in rural Ghana was tested for the production of energy and a microbiologically clean effluent suitable for use in irrigation. A typical day's slaughter, comprising 4 cattle, 12 sheep, and 12 goats, produced 8.5 m3 of biogas. Annually, this is equivalent to the energy from 17 metric tons of fuel wood, which is the annual productivity of 2 ha of savanna vegetation. Fecal indicator bacteria were reduced by 2 to 3 logs, nitrates by 86 to 90%, phosphates by 23%, biochemical oxygen demand by 42 to 92%, and suspended solids and dissolved solids by 73 to 86% and 19 to 37%, respectively. The effluent is used for irrigation, and the organic biomass from the digester is used as a biofertilizer. Besides energy and a cleaner effluent, the community benefited from a lessening dependency on fuel wood and reductions in unpleasant smells and nuisance animals, such as flies, dogs, and vultures.