Development of Anaerobic Biodigesters for the Treatment of Municipal Organic Waste and Biogas Generation for Use as Energy Source

In this work, preliminary results of the project for development of biodigesters for the final treatment of municipal organic waste and generation of biogas as energy source for homes in the city of Mexicali, Baja California are presented. This project contemplates the calculation of biogas generation potential and dimensioning of the equipment, pilot plant construction and experimental testing for the validation of theoretical data and sensitization the operation parameters. In order to make the research, three biodigesters were assembled using for each one a 5 liter PET container. Each container was properly fitted with instruments, such as pressure gauge, thermometer, pH sensor, sampling valve, gas withdrawing valve, heating coil and aeration coil. Three different mixtures were used for the experiment, which came from three different sources: organic waste from a particular home, from a vegetable market and from a juice stand. The monitoring for determining the generation potential has been made for a period of over 40 days. The preliminary results show that the organic load of waste generated by a single family is enough to supply their gas consumption needs. A P&ID is shown for the proposed pilot plant. The technology proposal can supply the energy necessary for applications such as thermo solar cooling, hot water, and kitchen gas and electricity generation.