Author(s):
Azevedo, André ; Lapa, Nuno ; Moldão, Margarida ; Gominho, Jorge ; Duarte, Elizabeth
Date: 2025
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/184699
Origin: Repositório Institucional da UNL
Project/scholarship:
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT//UI%2FBD%2F151370%2F2021/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/Concurso de avaliação no âmbito do Programa Plurianual de Financiamento de Unidades de I&D (2017%2F2018) - Financiamento Base/UIDB%2F04129%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/Concurso de avaliação no âmbito do Programa Plurianual de Financiamento de Unidades de I&D (2017%2F2018) - Financiamento Base/UIDB%2F50006%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/Concurso de avaliação no âmbito do Programa Plurianual de Financiamento de Unidades de I&D (2017%2F2018) - Financiamento Programático/UIDP%2F50006%2F2020/PT;
Subject(s): Biogas; Municipal sewage sludge; Natural degradation; Peels’ storage; Physicochemical properties; Temperature; Energy (miscellaneous); Environmental Science (miscellaneous); SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
Description
Funding Information: This research was funded by national funds from FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., through the doctoral scholarship “UI/BD/151370/2021″ attributed to Mr. André Azevedo, under the project “UIDB/04129/2020″ of LEAF (Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food Research Unit), and PT national funds (FCT/MCTES, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) through the projects “UIDB/50006/2020″ and “UIDP/50006/2020″ attributed to the Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry (LAQV). Publisher Copyright: © 2024
Global population growth has led to a significant increase in food waste, including Fruit and Vegetable Waste (FVW). Anaerobic co-digestion offers a sustainable way to valorise FVW, especially when combined with Municipal Sewage Sludge (MSS) to mitigate imbalances in their mono-digestion. This study investigates the effects of storage temperatures (10 °C and 25 °C, which represent Mediterranean climates with an Atlantic influence like Portugal) on the degradation of apple, carrot, and banana peels. Changes in physicochemical properties were assessed and anaerobic co-digestion batch assays with purées of fresh and stored FVW alongside MSS were performed. Results indicated that apple peels purées, at a 1:2 peel-to-water ratio, achieved over the double of volatile solids concentration compared to MSS, with each FVW type having a C/N ratio above 40. Storage at 10 °C significantly reduced the degradation of total and volatile solids, as well as chemical oxygen demand, with apple peels retaining the highest carbohydrate concentrations. Anaerobic co-digestion with fresh FVW boosted biogas and CH4 production by 19.5% and 15.2%, respectively. FVW storage at 10 °C further enhanced CH4 yield and decreased H2S content by 71% relative to MSS mono-digestion. These findings demonstrate that mild storage temperatures can improve biogas quality and yield by facilitating controlled FVW degradation.
