Design of an organic waste power plant coupling anaerobic digestion and solid oxide fuel cell technologies

The preliminary design of an organic waste power plant utilizing both anaerobic digestion and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technologies is presented along with a review of these technologies. Food waste and sewage sludge from a mid-sized Canadian municipality were modeled as feedstock for anaerobic digestion. The biogas quality and quantity produced from the digestion process were determined by modeling the municipal waste’s chemical composition and chemical oxygen demand (COD) content. Overall, between 480kW and 1410kW of electrical power can be produced from the SOFC system fueled by the biogas. The compatibility of these two technologies is evident and the major challenges and benefits associated with implementing this concept are discussed. This work demonstrates that an organic waste power plant is a sustainable solution to waste management and power production.