Om Raut
Independent Researcher
India
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion (AD) of organic waste represents a mature engineering solution for decentralized renewable energy production. This manuscript reviews waste-to-energy conversion via AD technologies available up to 2016, focusing on process engineering, reactor design, and integration into energy systems. We examine three industrial and municipal case studies, describe a standardized experimental methodology, and present benchmark results from pilot and full-scale installations. Key findings include biogas yields of 0.35–0.55 m³ per kg volatile solids and electrical efficiencies of 30–38 %. We demonstrate that pre-treatment methods such as thermal hydrolysis and co-digestion enhance performance by up to 20 %. Conclusions highlight design best practices, and scope and limitations discuss feedstock variability, capital costs, and operational challenges.
Keywords
Anaerobic digestion, biogas, reactor design, co-digestion, renewable energy
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