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Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Evaluation of Integrated Anaerobic Digestion and Hydrothermal Carbonization for Bioenergy Production
Published on: June 15, 2014
Analysis of MSW full-scale facilities based on anaerobic digestion and/or composting using respiration indices as
J Colón1, S Ponsá1, C Álvarez2
1Department of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
Abstract:
The Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC) forces European States to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste landfilled to 35% of 1995 levels. Mechanical-Biological Treatment (MBT) plants are the main alternative to waste incineration and landfilling. In this work, the waste treatment efficiency of six full-scale MBT facilities has been analysed using respiration indices (Dynamic Respiration Index and Cumulative Oxygen Consumption) to monitor plant performance. MBTs relying on anaerobic digestion plus composting achieved a high grade of stability on final compost (0.24±0.09mgO2g-1DMh-1 and 20±9mgO2g-1DM for dynamic respiration and cumulative consumption, respectively). On the contrary, MBTs relying only on composting showed a poor performance (1.3±0.2mgO2g-1DMh-1 and 104±18mgO2g-1DM for dynamic respiration and cumulative consumption, respectively). These results highlight the usefulness of respirometric balances to assess the performance of MBT full-scale plants.
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