Decision support tool for the construction and seasonal operation of farm-scale anaerobic digestion plants

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dc.contributor.authorO’Connor, Sean
dc.contributor.authorEhimen, Ehiaze
dc.contributor.authorPillai, Suresh C.
dc.contributor.authorLyons, Gary
dc.contributor.authorJohnston, Chris
dc.contributor.authorWills, Michael
dc.contributor.authorBartlett, John
dc.date.accessioned2023-05-10T15:18:46Z
dc.date.available2023-05-10T15:18:46Z
dc.date.issued2023-04-15
dc.descriptionPublication history: Accepted - 12 April 2023; Published online - 15 April 2023.
dc.description.abstractOptimal plant design and management are critical components for the successful operation of farm-scale anaerobic digestion (AD) plants. However, this often proves challenging due to difficulties in designing and sizing the plant based on specific site conditions. The current investigation aims to address these difficulties by developing a universal decision support tool to assist in the optimal design and management of agriculture-based AD plants, accounting for site-specific practicalities and implications. The tool consists of various mathematical functions, which enable numerous simulations to be created and run. The developed tool was applied to a case study, located in Ireland, to test its usefulness, where the analysis showed the optimal, site-specific, plant design with key assessment indicators. For this case study, the feedstock availability assessment determined that the lignocellulose and non-lignocellulose biomass within a 10 km distance of the site. Based on the local energy demand of the area, the tool modelled an optimal AD plant design, including feedstock storage, digester volume, engine capacity, and digestate storage. The tool applied various technical, economic, and ecological assessment indicators to the plant to gauge its viability. Therefore, demonstrating the tool's usefulness in assisting stakeholders to make informed decisions and reducing costs by optimising plant design and performance.
dc.description.sponsorshipThe research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), with match funding provided by the Department for the Economy (Northern Ireland) and Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Republic of Ireland), grant number IVA5033. The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission or the Special EU Programmes
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12518/545
dc.identifier.citationO’Connor, S., Ehimen, E., Pillai, S.C., Lyons, G., Johnston, C., Wills, M. and Bartlett, J. (2023) ‘Decision support tool for the construction and seasonal operation of farm-scale anaerobic digestion plants’, Results in Engineering. Elsevier BV. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2023.101097.
dc.identifier.issn2590-1230 (electronic
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2023.101097
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.rights© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync-nd/4.0/)
dc.subjectAnaerobic digestion
dc.subjectSmall-scale
dc.subjectDecision support
dc.subjectSite assessment
dc.titleDecision support tool for the construction and seasonal operation of farm-scale anaerobic digestion plants
dc.typeArticle
dcterms.dateAccepted2023-04-12
dcterms.dateSubmitted2022-05-31

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