Energy management: a synthesis of scientific publications on biodigestion for waste management

Abstract Environmentally friendly options for waste disposal and the need for expansion and diversification of the national and international energy matrix are relevant issues today. One technique that supports these goals is anaerobic biodigestion, which generates clean energy from biomass. Accordingly, our goal was to perform a quantitative and qualitative assessment of scientific publications on biodigestion in order to understand the evolution of the technique, which is essential for environmental and economic sustainability. Ninety-nine articles indexed in the Scientific Electronic Library Online between 1980 and 2015 were evaluated. The results showed a significant increase in scientific publications since 2000 which addressed, in addition to environmentally friendly waste management, the energy issue, with the use of biogas. This increase in the number of publications coincides with increased awareness on natural resource management and concern about global energy management. Most of the articles involved a general evaluation of the process, using mainly animal waste from pigs, and emphasizing biodigestion as waste management, since pig farming produces a large volume of waste and has a high environmental impact.

摘要 当下，废弃物处理的环保路径以及拓展与多元化国家及国际能源结构的需求，均为学界与社会关注的核心议题。厌氧消化（anaerobic biodigestion）技术正是助力实现上述目标的关键手段之一，该技术可通过生物质资源转化产出清洁能源。据此，本研究旨在对厌氧消化相关学术文献开展定量与定性评估，以明晰该技术的发展演进历程，这对于实现环境与经济可持续发展至关重要。本研究共评估了1980年至2015年间收录于科学电子图书馆在线（Scientific Electronic Library Online）的99篇学术文献。研究结果显示，自2000年以来，相关学术文献的发表量显著攀升，此类文献除探讨环保型废弃物管理主题外，还围绕沼气利用展开了能源相关议题的研究。文献发表量的这一增长趋势，与公众对自然资源管理的认知提升以及对全球能源管理的关切度上升高度契合。大部分文献对厌氧消化工艺开展了一般性评估，主要以猪类畜禽粪便为研究对象，并强调将厌氧消化技术应用于废弃物管理——这是由于生猪养殖会产生大量废弃物且具有较高的环境影响。