Produção de biogás como estratégia sustentável na gestão de resíduos sólidos urbanos

Abstract

Anaerobic biodigestion is a sustainable alternative for the treatment of organic waste, promoting the reduction of environmental impacts and the generation of biogas as a renewable energy source. This study evaluated the production of biogas from two homemade biodigesters, made in 5-liter containers, supplied with urban solid waste (MSW). The first biodigester used a mixture of mango, banana and apple as substrate, while the second received papaya biomass. Both systems received the addition of pig waste diluted in water in order to enhance microbiological activity. The biodigesters were stored under the same environmental conditions and monitored for 41 days. The volumetric measurement of biogas was performed using a U-type manometer, manually made for this experiment. The results showed that the highest peak in biogas production occurred in the first week after supply. The biomass composed exclusively of papaya showed superior performance, maintaining continuous biogas production even after the initial peak. The biomass of mango, banana and apple had reduced production and practically ceased after the first week. The ambient temperature, although recognized as influential in the metabolism of microorganisms, did not demonstrate a direct relationship with the volumes of biogas produced during the monitoring. It is concluded that papaya is a more efficient biomass for anaerobic biodigestion, being a promising alternative for energy generation processes from organic waste.