Investigations into valorisation of trade wastewater for biomethane production

Biogas production from wastewater is one way that industrial sites can work towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals, while recovering a valuable resource. The objective of this study was to investigate the suitability of data collected by municipal wastewater service providers as a method of classifying and screening waste producers as potential sites for biogas resource recovery by anaerobic digestion. Industrial wastewater samples, including raw effluent and treated waste ready for discharge, were examined, and biomethane potential assays performed. Results of chemical analysis and lab-scale digestion were compared to historical service provider data, and patterns were observed. Biomethane yields of up to 357 mL/gVS and 287mL/gVS were achieved from raw and treated effluent respectively. Digestion at the top four prospects could produce over 4690 GJ of methane and save $47,000 in natural gas costs, offsetting 490 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent annually. These streams, from logistics, waste management, food and animal product businesses, combined high levels of degradable substrates and low levels of inhibitory components. While it is unlikely that this type of screening program can be completely accurate, certain parameters, including high sodium concentration, are applicable for discounting the potential for biogas production. This knowledge can be a valuable tool in the process of selecting sites for future resource recovery, therefore increasing the uptake of these processes, resulting in economic, environmental, and climate change mitigation benefits.