• Energy Research

This article reviews the potential of anaerobic digestion (AD) for biogas production from livestock manure wastes and compares the operating and performance data for various anaerobic process configurations. It examines different kinds of manure waste treatment techniques and the influence of several parameters on biogas and methane yield. The comparison indicates that a variety of different operational conditions, various reactor configurations such as batch reactors, continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR), plug flow reactor (PFR), up‐flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB), anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR), temperature phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD), and continuous one‐ and two‐stage systems, present a suitable technology for the AD of livestock manure waste. Main performance indicators are biogas and methane yield, degradation of volatile solids (VS), higher loading, and process stability with a short retention time.

This article reviews the potential of anaerobic digestion (AD) for biogas production from livestock manure wastes and compares the operating and performance data for various anaerobic process configurations. It examines different kinds of manure waste treatment techniques and the influence of several parameters on biogas and methane yield. The comparison indicates that a variety of different operational conditions, various reactor configurations such as batch reactors, continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR), plug flow reactor (PFR), up‐flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB), anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR), temperature phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD), and continuous one‐ and two‐stage systems, present a suitable technology for the AD of livestock manure waste. Main performance indicators are biogas and methane yield, degradation of volatile solids (VS), higher loading, and process stability with a short retention time.

The demand for petroleum has risen rapidly due to increasing industrialization and modernization of the world. This economic development has led to a huge demand for energy, where the major part of that energy is derived from fossil sources such as petroleum, coal and natural gas. However, the limited reserve of fossil fuel has drawn the attention of many researchers to look for alternative fuels which can be produced from renewable feedstock. Biodiesel has become more attractive because of its environmental benefits and it is obtained from renewable resources. There are four primary methods to make biodiesel: blending, microemulsion, pyrolysis and transesterification. The most commonly used method is the transesterification of triglycerides (vegetable oil and animal fats) with alcohol in the presence of a catalyst. There is a growing interest in using Jatropha curcas L. oil as the feedstock for biodiesel production because it is non-edible and thus does not compromise the edible oils, which are mainly used for food consumption. Non-edible oils are not suitable for human consumption because of the presence of toxic components. Further, J. curcas L. seed has a high content of oil and the biodiesel produced has similar properties to that of petroleum-based diesel. In this paper, an attempt has been made to review the different approaches and techniques used to generate biodiesel from Jatropha curcas oil. The main factors affecting the biodiesel yield, for example the molar ratio of alcohol to oil, catalyst concentration, reaction temperature and reaction time are discussed. Lastly, the environmental considerations and economic aspects of biodiesel are also addressed.

The demand for petroleum has risen rapidly due to increasing industrialization and modernization of the world. This economic development has led to a huge demand for energy, where the major part of that energy is derived from fossil sources such as petroleum, coal and natural gas. However, the limited reserve of fossil fuel has drawn the attention of many researchers to look for alternative fuels which can be produced from renewable feedstock. Biodiesel has become more attractive because of its environmental benefits and it is obtained from renewable resources. There are four primary methods to make biodiesel: blending, microemulsion, pyrolysis and transesterification. The most commonly used method is the transesterification of triglycerides (vegetable oil and animal fats) with alcohol in the presence of a catalyst. There is a growing interest in using Jatropha curcas L. oil as the feedstock for biodiesel production because it is non-edible and thus does not compromise the edible oils, which are mainly used for food consumption. Non-edible oils are not suitable for human consumption because of the presence of toxic components. Further, J. curcas L. seed has a high content of oil and the biodiesel produced has similar properties to that of petroleum-based diesel. In this paper, an attempt has been made to review the different approaches and techniques used to generate biodiesel from Jatropha curcas oil. The main factors affecting the biodiesel yield, for example the molar ratio of alcohol to oil, catalyst concentration, reaction temperature and reaction time are discussed. Lastly, the environmental considerations and economic aspects of biodiesel are also addressed.

Biogas produced from lignocellulosic biomass, e.g. animal manure, has the potential to be a promising renewable energy source. Special emphasis has been placed on animal manure pretreatment in an anaerobic digestion as a means of enhancing biogas yield. Here, we review the existing pretreatment methods of anaerobic digestion with regard to their effects on the conversion of animal manure to biogas. Various methods and their challenges are highlighted. The effects of pretreatment are complex and usually depend on the animal waste characteristics and the method of choice. In general, pretreatment enhances the anaerobic digestion of the lignocellulosic content of the animal manure, by increasing the methane yield in similar operating conditions as those without the pretreatment.

Biogas produced from lignocellulosic biomass, e.g. animal manure, has the potential to be a promising renewable energy source. Special emphasis has been placed on animal manure pretreatment in an anaerobic digestion as a means of enhancing biogas yield. Here, we review the existing pretreatment methods of anaerobic digestion with regard to their effects on the conversion of animal manure to biogas. Various methods and their challenges are highlighted. The effects of pretreatment are complex and usually depend on the animal waste characteristics and the method of choice. In general, pretreatment enhances the anaerobic digestion of the lignocellulosic content of the animal manure, by increasing the methane yield in similar operating conditions as those without the pretreatment.

This paper presents results from a gate-to-gate analysis of the energy balance, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and economic efficiency of biochar production from palm oil empty fruit bunches (EFB). The analysis is based on data obtained from EFB combustion in a slow pyrolysis plant in Selangor, Malaysia. The outputs of the slow pyrolysis plant are biochar, syngas, bio-oil and water vapor. The net energy yield of the biochar produced in the Selangor plant is 11.47 MJ kg−1 EFB. The energy content of the biochar produced is higher than the energy required for producing the biochar, i.e. the energy balance of biochar production is positive. The combustion of EFB using diesel fuel has the largest energy demand of 2.31 MJ kg−1 EFB in the pyrolysis process. Comparatively smaller amounts of energy are required as electricity (0.39 MJ kg−1 EFB) and for transportation of biochar to the warehouse and the field (0.13 MJ kg−1 EFB). The net greenhouse gas emissions of the studied biochar production account for 0.046 kg CO2-equiv. kg−1 EFB yr−1 without considering fertilizer substitution effects and carbon accumulation from biochar in the soil. The studied biochar production is profitable where biochar can be sold for at least 533 US-$ t−1. Potential measures for improvement are discussed, including higher productivity of biochar production, reduced energy consumption and efficient use of the byproducts from the slow pyrolysis.

This paper presents results from a gate-to-gate analysis of the energy balance, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and economic efficiency of biochar production from palm oil empty fruit bunches (EFB). The analysis is based on data obtained from EFB combustion in a slow pyrolysis plant in Selangor, Malaysia. The outputs of the slow pyrolysis plant are biochar, syngas, bio-oil and water vapor. The net energy yield of the biochar produced in the Selangor plant is 11.47 MJ kg−1 EFB. The energy content of the biochar produced is higher than the energy required for producing the biochar, i.e. the energy balance of biochar production is positive. The combustion of EFB using diesel fuel has the largest energy demand of 2.31 MJ kg−1 EFB in the pyrolysis process. Comparatively smaller amounts of energy are required as electricity (0.39 MJ kg−1 EFB) and for transportation of biochar to the warehouse and the field (0.13 MJ kg−1 EFB). The net greenhouse gas emissions of the studied biochar production account for 0.046 kg CO2-equiv. kg−1 EFB yr−1 without considering fertilizer substitution effects and carbon accumulation from biochar in the soil. The studied biochar production is profitable where biochar can be sold for at least 533 US-$ t−1. Potential measures for improvement are discussed, including higher productivity of biochar production, reduced energy consumption and efficient use of the byproducts from the slow pyrolysis.

Jatropha oil has good potential as the renewable energy as well as lubricant feedstock. The synthesis of jatropha biolubricant was performed by transesterification of jatropha methyl ester (JME) with trimethyl-ol-propane (TMP) with sodium methoxide (NaOCH3) catalyst. The effects of temperature on the synthesis were studied at a range between 120°C and 200°C with pressure kept at 10mbar. The conversion of JME to jatropha biolubricant was found to be the highest (47%) at 200°C. However, it was suggested that the optimum temperature of the reaction is at 150°C due to insignificant improvement in biolubricant production. To maintain forward reaction, the excess amount of JME was maintained at 3.9:1 ratios to TMP. Kinetic study was done and compared. The synthesis was found to follow a second order reaction with overall rate constant of 1.49 × 10–1 (%wt/wt.minC)−1. The estimated activation energy was 3.94 kJ/mol. Pour point for jatropha biolubricant was at −3°C and Viscosity Index (VI) ranged from 178 to 183. The basic properties of jatropha biolubricant, pour point and viscosities are found comparable to other plant based biolubricant, namely palm oil and soybean based biolubricant.