Title:
A Comprehensive Evaluation of Cheese Whey for Biogas Production
Author(s):
Ramos-Suárez, J.L., Álvarez-Méndez, S.J., Ritter, A., Mata González, J., Camacho Pérez, A.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
Cheese whey (CW) is a by-product of the cheese manufacturing industry with a great pollution potential if not properly managed. Between 70,000-90,000 m3 of CW are annually produced in the Canary Islands, which could be converted to biogas through anaerobic digestion. 24 samples of CW were collected from 17 different farms across the Canary Archipelago, including different industries (artisan/industrial), different animals (cow, goat, sheep, cow+goat, goat+sheep, cow+goat+sheep) and different post-treaments (cottage cheese production, filtering and skimming, inverse osmosis). Composition and biogas production potential was studied for each sample. Methane potential oscillated between 450.6 ± 0.2 L kgVS-1 and 861.2 ± 28.8 L kgVS-1. Artisan CW showed a higher methane potential (m3 t-1) than industrial CW, due to the lowest efficiency of coagulation during the cheese production process. The use of CW for cottage cheese production led to a CW with a high methane yield (40.8 m3 t-1). Moreover, natural biodegradation of CW could increase biogas yield in terms of organic matter conversion to biogas but led to a decrease in overall methane yields in terms of m3 t-1. Biogas production from CW is a promising alternative for small and medium farms and cheese industries in the Canary Islands, which could satisfy their energy needs from biogas.
Keywords:
anaerobic digestion, biogas, agroindustrial residues, renewable energies, agriculture biogas plant
Topic:
Biomass Conversion for Bioenergy
Subtopic:
Anaerobic digestion for biogas and biomethane production
Event:
30th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
4DO.1.2
Pages:
621 - 625
ISBN:
978-88-89407-22-6
Paper DOI:
10.5071/30thEUBCE2022-4DO.1.2
Price:
FREE
