Is anaerobic digestion a feasible alternative to the combustion of olive mill solid waste in terms of energy production? A critical review

The use of olive mill solid waste (OMSW) for energy production has mainly been promoted through combustion processes. However, the EU is promoting the substitution of combustion in favor of greener alternatives. Several publications have stated that the energy obtained from anaerobic digestion (AD)...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Serrano, Antonio, Villa-Gómez, Denys, González Fermoso, Fernando, Alonso-Fariñas, Bernabé
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión enviada para evaluación y publicación
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/137346
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/137346
https://doi.org/10.1002/bbb.2159
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Olive mill solid waste
Anaerobic digestion
Combustion
Drying
Energy production
Pre-treatment
Descripción
Sumario:The use of olive mill solid waste (OMSW) for energy production has mainly been promoted through combustion processes. However, the EU is promoting the substitution of combustion in favor of greener alternatives. Several publications have stated that the energy obtained from anaerobic digestion (AD) is a feasible waste-to-energy technology for OMSW. However, these studies lack reliable energy balances that can assess this statement. The present research work aims to address this issue by evaluating the energy potential of the biomethanization of OMSW in comparison with the current combustion technology, based on a review of the available scientific literature. The present analysis demonstrates that the AD of OMSW can generate a net energy production in the same range as that obtained from the OMSW combustion, qualifying AD as an alternative to combustion but not clearly offering a surplus of energy production