Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Mathematical model to predict the energy potential of UASB-based sewage treatment plants

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This work aimed at developing a mathematical model to predict the energy potential of biogas and sludge produced in a UASB reactors (from 1000 up to 1 million inhabitants). The model was developed based on Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the energy potential of these by-products in three scenarios that correspond to different sewage and sludge characteristics. Also, in order to determine the energy potential of the sludge, low and high solid contents of mechanically dehydrated sludges were considered. For a typical scenario the energy production of the by-products at Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) operated with UASB reactors ranged from 1.55 to 3.50 MJ m−3 sewage and 1.53 to 3.32 MJ m−3 sewage for high solid content (HSC) and low solid content (LSC), respectively. The biogas potential corresponds to at least 91.0% and 96.0% of the total by-products energy for HSC and LSC, respectively, being the main by-product in terms of energy in UASB-based STPs. The linear regression between the variables Population—inhab (axis y) and By-products energy potential—MJ d−1 (axis x) for dehydrated sludge with HSC and LSC were y = 0.4004x (R2 = 0.93) and y = 0.3821x (R2 = 0.92), respectively. Significant linear regression coefficients and fit to monitored data indicate that the model can be used to estimate the energy potential of the by-products (biogas and sludge) generated in UASB reactors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Source: Adapted from Lobato et al. (2012)

Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahmetović E, Ibrić N, Kravanja Z (2014) Optimal design for heat-integrated water-using and wastewater treatment networks. Appl Energy 135:791–808

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andreoli CV, Von Sperling M, Fernandes F (2001) Sewage sludge: treatment and final disposal (Lodo de esgotos: tratamento e disposição final). Editora UFMG, Belo Horizonte

    Google Scholar 

  • Barampouti EMP, Mai ST, Vlyssides AG (2005) Dynamic modeling of biogas production in an UASB reactor for potato processing wastewater treatment. Chem Eng J 106:53–58

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Batstone D, Keller J, Angelidaki I (2002) Anaerobic digestion model no. 1 (ADM1). IWA Publishing, London

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Biswas J, Chowdhury RÃ, Bhattacharya P (2007) Mathematical modeling for the prediction of biogas generation characteristics of an anaerobic digester based on food/vegetable residues. Biomass Bioenerg 31:80–86

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brasil, Secretaria Nacional de Saneamento Ambiental. Probiogás (2015) Tecnologias de digestão anaeróbia com relevância para o Brasil: substratos, digestores e uso de biogás. Ministério das Cidades, Brasília

    Google Scholar 

  • Bressani T, Brandt E, Brandt E, Gutierrez KG, Díaz GB, Chernicharo CAL (2017) Potential of resource recovery in UASB/trickling filter systems treating domestic sewage in developing countries. Water Sci Technol 75(7):1659–1666

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Budych-Gorzna M, Smoczynski M, Oleskowicz-Popiel P (2016) Enhancement of biogas production at the municipal wastewater treatment plant by co-digestion with poultry industry waste. Appl Energy 161:387–394

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chernicharo CAL, Lier JB, Noyola A, Bressani TR (2015) Anaerobic sewage treatment: state of the art, constraints and challenges. Rev Environ Sci Biotechnol 14(4):649–679

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chernicharo CAL, Bressani TR, Garcia B, Lermontov A, Platzer CJ, Possetti GRC, Rosseto MALLR (2018) Panorama do tratamento de esgoto sanitário nas regiões Sul, Sudeste e Centro-Oeste do Brasil: tecnologias mais empregadas. Revista DAE 66(213):5–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cortez LAB, Lora EES, Gómez EO (2008) Biomassa para energia. Editora da Unicamp, Campinas

    Google Scholar 

  • Courtaud L, Peregrina C, Crest M, Sablayrolles ML, Audic JM, Arlabosse P (2010) Alternative fuels derived from organic waste : the case of sewage sludge characterization as a potential energy source. In: Proceedings of the 13th international symposium on energy from biomass and waste, Venice, Italy

  • Flores-Alsina X, Solon K, Mbamba CK, Tait S, Gernaey KV, Jeppsson U, Batstone DJ (2016) Modelling phosphorus (P), sulfur (S) and iron (Fe) interactions for dynamic simulations of anaerobic digestion processes. Water Res 95(1):370–382

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fonts I, Azuara M, Gea G, Murillo MB (2009) Study of the pyrolysis liquids obtained from different sewage sludge. J Anal Appl Pyrol 85(1–2):184–191

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gu Y, Li Y, Li X, Luo P, Wang H, Robinson ZP, Wang X, Wu J, Li F (2017) The feasibility and challenges of energy self-sufficient wastewater treatment plants. Appl Energy 204:1463–1475

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hidaka T, Wang F, Tsumori J (2015) Comparative evaluation of anaerobic digestion for sewage sludge and various organic wastes with simple modeling. Waste Manag 43:144–151

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) (2006) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. In: Eggleston HS, Buendia L, Miwa K, Ngara T, Tanabe K (eds) Prepared by the National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme, IGES, Japan

  • Kelessidis A, Stasinakis AS (2012) Comparative study of the methods used for treatment and final disposal of sewage sludge in European countries. Waste Manag 32(6):1186–1195

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khiewwijit R, Temmink H, Rijnaarts H, Keesman KJ (2015) Environmental modelling & software energy and nutrient recovery for municipal wastewater treatment: how to design a feasible plant layout? Environ Model Softw 68:156–165

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koga P (2016) Geração de energia renovável a partir dos subprodutos de uma estação de tratamento anaeróbia de esgotos. Master thesis, Federal University of Paraná

  • Koutsou OP, Gatidou G, Stasinakis AS (2018) Domestic wastewater management in Greece: greenhouse gas emissions estimation at country scale. J Clean Prod 188:851–859

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li H, Jin C, Zhang Z, O’Hara I, Mundree S (2017) Environmental and economic life cycle assessment of energy recovery from sewage sludge through different anaerobic digestion pathways. Energy 126:649–657

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lobato L, Chernicharo CAL, Souza C (2012) Estimates of methane loss and energy recovery potential in anaerobic reactors treating domestic wastewater. Water Sci Technol 66:2745–2753

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mannina G, Rebouças TF, Cosenza A, Chandran K (2019) A plant-wide wastewater treatment plant model for carbon and energy footprint: model application and scenario analysis. J Clean Prod 217:244–256

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Metcalf and Eddy (2016) Wastewater engineering: treatment and resource recovery. McGraw-Hill Education, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Noyola A, Capdeville B, Roques H (1998) Anaerobic treatment of domestic sewage with a rotating-stationary fixed-film reactor. Water Resour 22:1585–1592

    Google Scholar 

  • Noyola A, Morgan-Sagastume J, Lopez-Hernandez J (2006) Treatment of biogas produced in anaerobic reactors for domestic wastewater: odor control and energy/resource recovery. Environ Sci Bio/Technol 5:93–114

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Panepinto D, Fiore S, Zappone M, Genon G, Meucci L (2016) Evaluation of the energy efficiency of a large wastewater treatment plant in Italy. Appl Energy 161:404–411

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Possetti GRC (2013) Propriedades físicas, químicas e calorimétricas de lodos oriundos do processo de tratamento de esgoto doméstico na Sanepar. Sanepar, Curitiba

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosa AP (2013) Recovery of biogas and sludge from UASB reactors as renovable enery in wastewater treatment plants. Doctor’s thesis, Federal University of Minas Gerais

  • Rosa AP, Chernicharo CAL, Lobato LCS, Silva RV, Padilha RF, Borges JM (2018) Assessing the potential of renewable energy sources (biogas and sludge) in a full-scale UASB-based treatment plant. Renew Energy 124:21–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sampaio LL (2018) Evaluation of the energy recovery potential from sludge and biogas originated from UASB reactors treating domestic sewage in the state of Paraná. Master thesis, Federal University of Viçosa

  • Santos IFS, Barros RM, Tiago Filho GL (2016) Electricity generation from biogas of anaerobic wastewater treatment plants in Brazil: an assessment of feasibility and potential. J Clean Prod 126:504–514

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Silva JO (2011) Caracterização do Potencial Energético e Estudo Físico-Químico do Lodo da Estação de Tratamento de Esgoto do DMAE—Uberlândia-MG. Master thesis, Federal University of Uberlândia

  • Silva TCF (2015) Use of biogas wastewater treatment plants for energy purposes. Doctor thesis, University of São Paulo

  • Singh P, Kansal A, Carliell-Marquet C (2016) Energy and carbon footprints of sewage treatment methods. J Environ Manag 165:22–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Souza CL, Chernicharo CAL, Aquino SF (2011) Quantification of dissolved methane in UASB reactors treating domestic wastewater under different operating conditions. Water Sci Technol 64(11):2259–2264

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tsagarakis KP (2007) Optimal number of energy generators for biogas utilization in wastewater treatment facility. Energy Convers Manag 48(10):2694–2698

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) (2013) AMS-III.H. Small-scale Methodology: Methane recovery in wastewater treatment (version 16.0) Sectoral scope(s): 13, EB: 58

  • Valente VB (2015) Análise de viabilidade econômica e escala mínima de uso do biogás de reatores anaeróbios em Estações de Tratamento de Esgoto no Brasil [Analysis of economic feasibility and minimum scale definition for biogas use from anaerobic reactors in sewage treatmen. Master thesis, Federal University of Rio de janeiro

  • von Sperling M, Chernicharo CAL (2005) Biological wastewater treatment in warm climate regions, vol I. IWA Publishing, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Wippel S (2012) Avaliação técnica e econômica de utilização de biogás gerado na ETE Atuba Sul para secagem térmica e higienização do lodo. Master thesis, Federal University of Paraná

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the support obtained from the following Brazilian agencies and institutions: Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico—CNPq; Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais—FAPEMIG; Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001, Sistema Autônomo de Água e Esgoto de Itabira—SAAE Itabira and Companhia de Saneamento de Minas Gerais—COPASA.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Engenharia Agrícola, Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV), Avenida Peter Henry Rolfs, s/n, Campus Universitário, Viçosa, MG, 36570-000, Brazil

    A. P. Rosa

  2. Departamento de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental, Escola de Engenharia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Av. Antônio Carlos, 6.627 - Campus Pampulha, Escola de Engenharia - Bloco 1, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil

    L. C. S. Lobato & C. A. L. Chernicharo

Authors
  1. A. P. Rosa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. L. C. S. Lobato
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. C. A. L. Chernicharo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. P. Rosa.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rosa, A.P., Lobato, L.C.S. & Chernicharo, C.A.L. Mathematical model to predict the energy potential of UASB-based sewage treatment plants. Braz. J. Chem. Eng. 37, 73–87 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43153-020-00012-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43153-020-00012-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation