Energy recovery from wine sector wastes: A study about the biogas generation potential in a vineyard from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Abstract The constant concern with the environment and the depletion of fossil fuels has attracted interest in renewable energy from bio resources and/or materials wasted incorrectly. The process of anaerobic digestion converts organic waste into valuable energy sources, while reducing the pollution potential of this waste to the environment. The study was designed to analyze the biogas and methane generation potential from organic by-products of wine. Using the methodology described in VDI 4630 and automated biogas quantification based on the displacement of fluids. The results showed the biogas and methane production potential of the wine biomasses, and the ones with greatest potentials are grape must, the mixture of all biomass and bagasse 1.151; 289 and 199 m 3 biogas.tonVS −1 , respectively. Likewise, it was verified that biomass energy recovery for methane production has the capacity to supply approximately 2% of the natural gas demand in Rio Grande do Sul. These results presented specifically the biomass characterization of the wine sector and as potential energy for the production of biogas and methane, verifying the possibility of using this form of clean and sustainable energy on a large scale.