Unlocking the biogas potential: anaerobic decomposition as a sustainable energy solution

Introduction This study explores the potential of biogas production from organic waste streams in Morocco, where agricultural and urban waste is abundant. Methods Anaerobic digestion of household waste, green waste, poultry droppings, and tannery waste was analyzed over 40 days at 35 °C, an optimal temperature for methanogenic activity. Biogas production was continuously monitored and compared with theoretical potential (L 0 ) using US-EPA and ADEME models. The physicochemical characteristics were employed to set up the initial details for each type of waste. The results of the tests on the samples of Moroccan wastes were used to derive Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD),Organic Matter Content (OMC) and Methanogenic Capacity (MC). The derived values were passed on into US-EPA and ADEME equations in order to define theoretical methane potential values (L 0 ). Results and Discussion The results obtained theoretically were then equated with experimental values of biogas obtained throughout the 40-day anaerobic digestion experiments thus assessing the relevance of the two models for the Moroccan wastes. Results showed that poultry droppings produced the highest biogas yield due to their high organic and lipid content, followed by green waste. Tannery and household waste generated lower biogas volumes, with significant deviations from theoretical values, especially for household waste. This suggests that existing models may need adjustments to reflect the unique properties of Moroccan waste. While methane production was observed in later fermentation stages, the overall yields were minimal, highlighting the need for process optimization. This study emphasizes the potential of poultry waste as a renewable energy source in Morocco and underscores the importance of adapting predictive models to local waste compositions. Future research should focus on extending fermentation periods and exploring co-digestion techniques to boost methane yields, highlighting the potential of organic waste valorization for waste management and renewable energy recovery. However, as the experiments were conducted without replicate measurements, the observed differences in biogas production among the investigated waste types should be considered indicative and cannot be statistically validated.