An anaerobic digester from the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in your hometow

Question

An anaerobic digester from the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in your hometown has a cracked ceiling. In addition to the displeasing odor leaking from the digester, methane (a potent greenhouse gas) is also escaping. The digester normally produces 1.75 metric ton (MT) per day of methane. Before the leak started, 100% of the methane was burned with 100% efficiency. The burning produces carbon dioxide - resulting in 4.125 metric tons of carbon dioxide per day. This efficiency has decreased now: 70% of the methane is now burned with 100% efficiency to carbon dioxide. The remaining 30% of methane escapes out the crack in the digester's ceiling. Assume that methane's global warming potential is 28 times that of carbon dioxide. What is the digester's new carbon footprint (in MTCE/day)? Be sure to calculate the impact of both methane escaped and methane burned. What is the digestor's carbon footprint percent increase because of the leak (in %)? Why does burning methane reduce the anaerobic digester's carbon footprint? How can this be possible?

Explanation / Answer

answer- a- the amount of methane produce by digester is 1.57 metric ton perday

Before the leaker start methane is 100% burned the effieciency of methane burning is 100%. By the burning of Methane from the digestor CO2 is produced. the amount of cabon dioxide produced is 4.125 metric ton per day.

Now the methane efficiency decreased to 70% and CO2 efficiency with 100%. the remaiming 30 % leaks out from the crack

100% methane converts into 100% CO2. when efficiency is 100% then 4.125 metric ton CO2 is produced per day by burning from 1. 75 metric ton methane. Now 70% methane burning prduce 100% efficiecy of CO2

Now the efficiency is about 70% so the the amount of CO2 produced would be 7.0125 metric ton per day.

B- amout of CO2 increse (In %) due to leaking from the cracks on sealing = 41.27%

C- because methane burning in the anerobic digestor is used for production of Biogas. then the power is generates by the biogas.. it is renewable source of energy. In anaerobic digestion plants material is converted into gas which is called biogas.there is presence ofsome bacteria which cause methane burning and production of carbon dioxide

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