Biogas Production Potential from Waste in Timis County

This work is a study of biogas production potential using as substrate the residues generated in the agricultural activities and the organic fraction from municipal wastes collected in Timis County. Data available in regional and national statistics have been reported to Timis County and used to calculate the potential quantity of biogas to be produced by anaerobic fermentation using as fermentable substrate residues generated in various human activities. To estimate the electric and thermal energy potential of the biogas, we considered the productivity of an average biogas plant couplet with a CHP unit with an efficiency of 40% net electric and 40% net thermal output and functioning 7500 hours per year. Processing data for the biogas production potential from livestock manure in Romania, we found that over 500 GWh of energy from biogas can be provided in one year. It is estimated that only half of the theoretical energy potential is technically usable by biogas investments. As for the crops residues, has been shown that the theoretical biogas potential is over 2900 GWh/year. Wastewater sludge can be converted in around 1700MWh/year, and the organic wastes available from municipal wastes can provide over 137 GWh/year. Another potential for renewable energy production in Timis County is the arable land uncultivated yearly, which can be used to cultivate energy crops, as raw material for biogas providing over 2800 GWh/year. All this quantity of biogas can be converted in numerous CHP biogas plants totaling an installed power of over 340 MWel. This potential can contribute to reach the target for 2020 in Romania to build biogas plants totaling at least 195 MWel. installed power, with an output of 950 GW electric power.