Title : Sustainability and environmental impact of biogas production
Abstract:
Greenhouse gas emissions reduction and climate change mitigation are among the biggest challenges facing societies right now and in the future. Therefore, a renewable energy source, such as biogas, must replace fossil fuels. Biogas production through anaerobic digestion (AD) is an environmentally friendly method of using organic waste that is becoming more prevalent around the world. This technology can be used to treat a variety of waste streams, such as industrial and municipal wastewater, agricultural, and food industrial wastes, as well as plant residues. CO2-neutral biogas can be produced and used to replace fossil fuels for electricity generation, heat generation, or vehicle fuel. The increasing population has caused agriculture and food waste to become major issues affecting the environment and climate. Several methods can be used to value these wastes, such as anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, composting, and landfilling. Anaerobic digestion of organic waste is not only an efficient means of producing energy, but it also has other advantages, such as the prevention of the release of odor and the reduction of pathogens. Moreover, the digested residues from suitable biomass that are rich in nutrients can be used as fertilizer to recycle nutrients into the soil. This study aims to evaluate the current state of knowledge about biogas and bio-methane's environmental impact and critically assesses the available strategies for enhancing biogas production through anaerobic digestion of agricultural, and food industry wastes.