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Crop-based biogas energy production, in combination with electricity generation under subsidy schemes, is no longer considered a favourable business model for biogas plants. Switching to low-cost or gate fee feedstocks and utilising biogas via alternative pathways could contribute to making existing plants fit for future operations and could open up new space for further expansion of the biogas sector. The aim of this study was to combine a holistic and interdisciplinary approach for both the biogas production side and the utilisation side to evaluate the impact of integrating the biogas sector with waste management systems and energy systems operating with a high share of renewable energy sources. The geospatial availability of residue materials from agriculture, industry and municipalities was assessed using QGIS software for the case of Northern Croatia with the goal of replacing maize silage in the operation of existing biogas plants. Furthermore, the analysis included positioning new biogas plants, which would produce renewable gas. The overall approach was evaluated through life cycle assessment using SimaPro software to quantify the environmental benefits and identify the bottlenecks of the implemented actions. The results showed that the given feedstocks could replace 212 GWh of biogas from maize silage in the relevant region and create an additional 191 GWh of biomethane in new plants. The LCA revealed that the proposed measures would contribute to the decarbonisation of natural gas by creating environmental benefits that are 36 times greater compared to a business-as-usual concept. The presented approach could be of interest to stakeholders in the biogas sector anywhere in the world to encourage further integration of biogas technologies into energy and environmental transitions.

Value waste chain generates a significant amount of different agricultural wastes, co-products and by-products (AWCB) that occur during three major stages of a complex path, from farm to fork. This paper presents stages where and how waste occurs along the path from the ground to the table for a period of 7 years, from 2010 to 2016 in the 28 member countries of the European Union (EU28). Considering the specific conditions of the EU28 community, four different sectors with 26 commodities and waste types that occur in those sectors were analysed: 5 commodities in the Fruit sector, 10 commodities in the Vegetable sector, 7 commodities in the Cereal sector and 4 commodities in the Animal sector. The analysis consists of three stages of waste appearance: production (harvesting, farming), processing and consumption (raw, uncooked food). Production data were taken from Eurostat, import and export data were taken from FAOSTAT. Methodology and calculations consist of relations between specific values. Those specific values for every commodity are the production data, import and export data, and consumption of raw food by the inhabitants of a country. Total consumption of raw food by inhabitant is calculated from the specific consumption per capita and population. The results of the study showed that from 2010 to 2016 in the EU28 the estimated quantity of the AWCB appeared to be around 18.4 billion tonnes, with the sector percentages as follows: Animal ~31%, Vegetable ~44%, Cereal ~22% and Fruit ~2%. In the Animal sector, the most dominant were developed countries, with high population density and high level of industrialisation. The Cereal, Fruit and Vegetable sectors have shown to generate higher AWCB quantities in the countries with more available land area and appropriate climate conditions.

This study investigates the pyrolysis behavior and reaction kinetics of two different types of solid digestates from: (i) sewage sludge and (ii) a mixture of sewage sludge and lignocellulosic biomass—Typha latifolia plant. Thermogravimetric data in the temperature range 25–800 °C were analyzed using Flynn–Wall–Ozawa and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose kinetic methods, and the thermodynamic parameters (ΔH, ΔG, and ΔS) were also determined. Biochars were characterized using different chemical methods (FTIR, SEM–EDS, XRD, heavy metal, and nutrient analysis) and tested as soil enhancers using a germination test. Finally, their potential for biosorption of NH4+, PO43−, Cu2+, and Cd2+ ions was studied. Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters revealed a complex degradation mechanism of digestates, as they showed higher activation energies than undigested materials. Values for sewage sludge digestate were between 57 and 351 kJ/mol, and for digestate composed of sewage sludge and T. latifolia between 62 and 401 kJ/mol. Characterizations of biochars revealed high nutrient content and promising potential for further use. The advantage of biochar obtained from a digestate mixture of sewage sludge and lignocellulosic biomass is the lower content of heavy metals. Biosorption tests showed low biosorption capacity of digestate-derived biochars and their modifications for NH4+ and PO43− ions, but high biosorption capacity for Cu2+ and Cd2+ ions. Modification with KOH was more efficient than modification with HCl. The digestate-derived biochars exhibited excellent performance in germination tests, especially at concentrations between 6 and 10 wt.%.

Sustainable management in the biogas production via anaerobic digestion process intents the use of alternative biomass sources that are not competitive with food production. The aim of this study is to investigate the application of the abundant-quantity residue in more sustainable production of heat and electricity along with the production of the digested substrate as a fertiliser. The study has been divided into several sequential steps. First, the grass samples have been collected at the following locations: uncultivated land, river embankment and highway verge. The greatest grass yield has been determined for the riverbank grass, with an average value of 19 t/ha of fresh mass and 2.6 t/ha of dry mass. Next, the chemical characterisation of the collected residue grass and the laboratory batch mono and co-digestion tests with maize silage and cattle slurry have been conducted. The results show that all grass samples have satisfying digestive parameters (C/N ratio between 16.6:1 to 22.8:1) with the low presence of impurities, which makes them suitable for biogas production. The following biochemical methane potential in mono-digestion of residue grass has been recorded: uncultivated land (0.275 Nm3/kgTS), riverbank (0.192 Nm3/kgTS) and highway verge (0.255 Nm3/kgTS). The control of the process has been improved in co-digestion tests, by avoiding acidification in the first days of the operation. The estimation of kinetic parameters in mathematical modelling has shown that the degradation of residue grass shows some different parameters compared to the previous study. The model results for the gas phase show some small deviations compared to the experimental data. Based on the life cycle analysis results it can be concluded that there are perspectives in the use of residual grass compared to maize silage in the production of heat and electricity, especially in the improvement of ecosystem quality.

This paper investigates the application of riverbank grass as a potential alternative energy crop for maize silage in the production of biogas. Grass samples have been mowed on the embankments of the Sava River in the city of Zagreb, Croatia. Carbon and nitrogen content and C/N ratio have been determined in the grass samples. Further, laboratory investigations on the anaerobic mono- and co-digestion of the collected riverbank grasses with different ratios with maize silage and animal manure have been conducted. The laboratory reactors have operated under the mesophilic conditions (39 °C) with the dry matter contents of 6 %. During the anaerobic digestion process, the biogas production and composition and pH value of the reaction mixture have been monitored. Results show that the riverbank grass could serve as a (co)-substrate in the anaerobic mono- and co-digestion.