Assessment of Gas Yield Potentials of Selected Feedstocks in a Small Scale Anaerobic Digestion Plant: Case Study, L. Reule Bioenergy Plant, Uk

The aim of this research was to assess the anaerobic digestion (AD) process at the L. Reule Bioenergy Plant, a typical UK, small holder, on farm plant. The first objective was to determine whether the plant was using its waste products to achieve the maximum possible biogas output from its digestate. The second objective was to explore the main sources of gas: household, commercial, and blended waste sources. To achieve these objectives, multiple representative samples of waste samples were taken from the AD plant and were analysed in the laboratory. The data drawn from these analyses were interpreted and synthesised to determine the representative biogas yields. Further analysis was carried out using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques to determine the elemental compositions of the feedstock/waste and digestate samples in order to determine other components that might be present. The results indicate that the dry digestate that is currently not used at the L. Reule Bioenergy Plant has potential for additional biogas yield. The study also found that household waste sample had the highest fat content, which indicates a higher biogas yield potential compared to commercial and blended waste samples.