Electricity generation from wastewater biogas: a case study in Santa Marta, Colombia
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Introduction: sanitation is one of the main global challenges in building resilience to the effects of climate change and global warming. Wastewater treatment is one of the activities that enables the production of renewable energy through the use of biogas.
Objetive: the objective of this study was to estimate the amount of electricity available in the city of Santa Marta, Colombia, from the production of biogas generated at a wastewater treatment plant and to estimate the avoided emissions with biogas recovery and the non-use of local electricity.
Methodology: a case study was conducted in Santa Marta, Colombia, where the potential for electricity generation from biogas produced at a wastewater treatment plant was estimated. Both the annual electricity generation potential and the avoided CO2eq emissions from using biogas instead of local electricity were calculated.
Results: the results of the case study show significant potential for biogas recovery, with an annual energy generation potential of 5,348.345 MWh. Additionally, it was estimated that 25,101.16 tonnes of CO2eq could be avoided each year.
Conclusions: the use of wastewater for electricity generation is crucial for environmental sustainability, and its application in the circular bioeconomy presents a significant opportunity. This study highlights the importance of implementing sustainable technologies for renewable energy production from unconventional sources, such as biogas from wastewater.
- emission
- energy conversion
- methane
- renewable energy
- sustainability
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