Commercial biogas plants: Review on operational parameters and guide for performance optimization

Biogas technology can effectively treat organic wastes from various sources, recover energy and alleviate greenhouse gas emissions. However, process instability and general suboptimal operational conditions with low efficiency limit the economic feasibility and further development of commercial biogas plants. Therefore, focusing primarily on operational parameters of anaerobic digestion at the industrial level, the present review summarizes the operational status and performance of medium- and large-scale commercial biogas plants and discusses in detail the relationships between common operational parameters and the overall performance of anaerobic digesters. Technical and management suggestions are also proposed for long-term stable and efficient biogas production. Results show that the process stability and process optimization of anaerobic digesters largely depend on the initial setting and subsequent control of operational parameters. Proper system configuration is expected to maximize the utilization of process capacity and minimize internal energy consumption. Inadequate or faulty operating procedures resulting in large deviations in operational parameters from optimal ranges are the primary cause of frequent process instability events. In the short term, improvement of process monitoring systems and adequate training for plant operators can ensure adequate system configuration and standardized control and management of operational parameters, which will promote process optimization without the potential risk of process instability However, various auxiliary approaches, such as nanoparticles and bioaugmentation, require technical breakthroughs before industrial application.

Automated summary

Biogas technology can effectively process organic waste, but process stability and optimization depend on proper setting and control of operational parameters. Adequate training for engineers is crucial for long-term stable and efficient biogas production.