Gas production from waste is a compelling way in the search for sustainable energy solutions. With growing concerns about environmental degradation and the finite nature of fossil fuels, the need to consume energy from alternative sources is more critical than ever. The big cities of the world have two solutions in front of them to deal with their huge mountains of urban waste. Some cities, like San Francisco, recycle all the collected garbage and waste, and their amount of landfill is almost zero. The second approach is to deal with the massive amount of urban waste, burning it and turning it into electricity. Therefore, biomass gasification of waste can be a suitable solution to save part of the costs and gas (fossil fuel) consumption. This article examines methods of producing gas from waste and examines the countless uses of this valuable resource.

Definition of biomass:

Biomass is the translation of the word biomass. Biomass includes all materials found in nature that are obtained through photosynthesis. Every year through photosynthesis equivalent to several times the annual energy consumption in the world, solar energy is stored in the leaves of plants.

Some prominent technologies regarding biomass:

1- Thermochemical processes include pyrolysis, carbonization and liquefaction, etc.

2- Biochemical process:

Digestion (anaerobic fermentation) is the product of this process known as biogas (you can read about biogas in detail in the article What is biogas)

Anaerobic digestion

aerobic digestion

Alcoholic fermentation

Advantages of using biomass

The use of biomass as an energy source is attractive not only because of environmental issues, but also because of economic development, and on the other hand, it can be seen as a factor in accelerating sustainable development. It converts biomass systems into usable energy and can be used in small capacities as modules. Agricultural industries, forests, animal waste and wet urban waste are the main reserves of biomass, which provide basic opportunities for the economic development of rural and remote areas. This energy currently has the highest share among renewable energies due to special advantages such as economic, environmental, dispersion and easy access.

The use of biomass for energy production is important in many ways, biomass energy sources can be the main form of energy such as electricity or energy buffers such as gaseous, solid and liquid fuels to meet the needs of different sectors in human society. This is the distinguishing feature of biomass discussions compared to other new energies.

Biomass processing creates less pollution than traditional sources of fuel and also has wide applications, such as power plant applications, transportation, CHP and heat production, in addition, this source is the only source of renewable energy that can be used as fuel along with hydrogen. It can also be used in cars.

The range of biomass consumption is very wide, for example, in India, biomass resources are used for cooking and heating, to brick kilns, tea drying units, fish smoking and electricity generation. Also, the employment created at the place of exploitation of biomass energy is very impressive even compared to other renewable sources.

The status of biomass power plants in Iran

The increasing attention to the protection of natural resources and the proposal to use synthesis gas resulting from the gasification of waste and urban waste in Iran can lead to an increase in the share of electricity and heat production and a reduction in waste burial costs. According to the statistics of the municipality, an exorbitant amount of money is spent on collecting waste from the city of Tehran, and the cost of processing, transporting and disposing of these items should be added to it.

According to statistics, in 2009, 7,500 tons of garbage were produced daily in the city of Tehran, and the total cost of collecting and burying it in the south of Tehran was 4.2 billion rials for the municipality. However, only seven biomass power plants with different technologies and with a capacity of about 14 megawatts are operating in Iran, and so far their capacity has not been used as it should be.

According to ISNA, more than 58,000 tons of normal waste is produced in Iran every day, only 20% of which is recycled and a large amount of it is buried around cities and villages or even seas and forests. Ignoring this issue has caused serious problems such as air, soil and surface and underground water pollution in the country. In the big cities of the country, 65% of the waste is wet, of which 60% can be converted into compost or energy. Dry waste also constitutes 35% of normal waste, and their recycling has a high economic justification, which is currently about 10% recycled.

The Deputy Minister of Energy recently told ISNA about the measures taken to develop biomass power plants in the country: these power plants will help to eliminate waste, which will be implemented in the first phase for northern cities and big cities.

According to him, the steps of the work implementation are as follows: the investing companies, with the help of the municipalities, build a waste incinerator power plant, and Satba buys the generated electricity. The investment process is in this way that 60% will be from the municipality and 40% from the investor, and the contracts will be concluded in the form of BOT.

Since the production of electricity from waste is not cost-effective without taking into account the environmental benefits and only from an economic point of view, therefore, the construction, supply of power plant feed, purchase of electricity and compliance with environmental considerations of a biomass power plant in close cooperation with the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Interior and Environmental Protection Organization becomes available.

In this regard, the Ministry of Energy has put a tripartite memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Interior and the Environment Organization on the agenda, the signing of which will advance the capacity of biomass power plants in the country at a faster pace. If the goals of this survey are achieved and the new capacity of the biomass power plant is reached at least 400 megawatts and the annual net production of electric energy after the completion of the project is 3 billion kilowatt hours, it is possible to increase the energy efficiency and reduce the losses of the transmission and distribution network by 250 million Kilowatt-hours predicted an annual “natural gas” fuel savings of 850 million cubic meters.

the result

Gas production from waste offers a promising solution to the dual challenges of waste management and the need for sustainable energy sources. By examining different methods of gas production and its diverse applications, we can contribute to a greener and more sustainable future. The adoption of waste-to-gas technologies not only benefits the environment, but also provides up-to-date economic opportunities that can help us transition to a sustainable energy landscape.