Biogas production from agricultural and animal wastewater treatment plants in rural areas

This project aims to optimize treatment methods such as Up Flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor (UASB) for animal and olive mill (OMW) wastewater as mixture in order to produce energy with economical potential for the benefits of the local rural population in the Mediterranean region.

A project on swine wastewater treatment using methanogenic bacteria in a UASB small pilot system was conducted for two years at the Galilee Society Regional R&D Center. Preliminary energy calculations for one swine farm in the Galilee region, Israel, showed these results:

1. The daily amount of wastewater is 800 m³;
2. Methane content of the produced gas in the UASB was estimated to be 82% of the total gas;
3. The amount of produced gas per day is 2,680 m³ biogas. The produced gas can be converted to electricity or used as heating gas by the farmers.

The treatment in the UASB has shown to reduce the environmental impact of swine wastewater including soil and water pollution. In the largest swine farm in Galilee where 100,000 animals are grown annually, wastewater is estimated to be 100m³ per day containing an average of 20,000 mg/l Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), animal pathogens, antibiotics and bad odour. The treated wastewater contains less than 200 mg/l COD, 95% less pathogens, around 50% less antibiotics and fewer odours. The biogas produced is burned and used as alternative energy.

A pilot plant of UASB to treat mixtures of OMW and animal waste for the capacity of 10 cubic meters will be established. This pilot will also represent a demonstration site for students from high schools, colleges and Universities. At the site students will study the contamination caused by wastewater including pathogenic bacteria, odor and antibiotics, use of treated wastewater and the production of alternative energy.