Demand-driven biogas production from Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactors to balance the power grid

Rajas Shinde; Anga Hackula; Richard O'Shea; Susanne Barth; Jerry D Murphy; David M Wall

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129364

Demand-driven biogas production from Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactors to balance the power grid

Bioresour Technol. 2023 Oct:385:129364. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129364. Epub 2023 Jun 17.

Authors

Rajas Shinde¹, Anga Hackula², Richard O'Shea², Susanne Barth³, Jerry D Murphy², David M Wall⁴

Affiliations

¹ SFI MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Ireland; Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Architecture, University College Cork, Ireland; Crops, Environment and Land Use Program, Crop Science Department, Teagasc, Oak Park, Carlow, Co. Carlow, Ireland.
² SFI MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Ireland; Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Architecture, University College Cork, Ireland.
³ Crops, Environment and Land Use Program, Crop Science Department, Teagasc, Oak Park, Carlow, Co. Carlow, Ireland.
⁴ SFI MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Ireland; Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Architecture, University College Cork, Ireland. Electronic address: david.wall@ucc.ie.

PMID: 37336452
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129364

Abstract

Future energy systems necessitate dispatchable renewable energy to balance electrical grids with high shares of intermittent renewables. Biogas from anaerobic digestion (AD) can generate electricity on-demand. High-rate methanogenic reactors, such as the Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB), can react quicker to variations in feeding as compared to traditional AD systems. In this study, experimental trials validated the feasibility of operating the UASB in a demand-driven manner. The UASB was operated with leachate produced from a hydrolysis reactor treating grass silage. The UASB demonstrated a high degree of flexibility in responding to variable feeding regimes. The intra-day biogas production rate could be increased by up to 123% under 4 hours in demand-driven operation, without significant deterioration in performance. A model based on kinetic analysis was developed to help align demand-driven operation with the grid. The findings suggest significant opportunities for UASBs to provide positive and negative balance to the power grid.

Keywords: Bioenergy; Dispatchable; Kinetic model; On-demand biogas; Renewable electricity; Two-phase anaerobic digestion.

MeSH terms

Anaerobiosis
Biofuels
Bioreactors
Kinetics
Methane
Sewage*
Waste Disposal, Fluid*

Substances

Sewage
Biofuels
Methane