Papers by Sasithorn Saipa
BioEnergy research/BioEnergy Research, Apr 15, 2024
Research Square (Research Square), Dec 28, 2023
Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, May 19, 2021
Anaerobic digestion (AD) of elephant camp–derived wastes was studied using series of batch experi... more Anaerobic digestion (AD) of elephant camp–derived wastes was studied using series of batch experiments. Three different materials derived from elephant dung namely fresh elephant dung (FD), washing water (WW), and washed fiber (WF) served as the substrates. The theoretical methane potentials of the solid substrates were 786.0 and 580.6 LCH4/gVSadded at standard temperature and pressure, for FD and WF, respectively. In addition, the cumulative methane yields were 275.7±1.6, 266.7±14.3, and 202.6±1.6 NmL/gVSadded for FD, WW, and WF, respectively. Also, there were no signs of an acid accumulation throughout the studies. For the kinetic study, the modified Gompertz equation fitted well with the experimental data with an R2 more than 0.98. Moreover, FD showed the highest predicted methane production potential of 293.2 NmL/gVSadded. Since the methane yields of FD and WW were not significantly different, in practical terms, FD should be washed and subsequently, the generated WW could be served to anaerobic digestion. However, direct combustion seems to be a more promising biorefinery-based option for WF since its methane potential was relatively low, but the fibers had a high heating value. The integrated AD and thermochemical process could potentially generate more than 14,500 kJ/kg of FD.
Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery
Anaerobic digestion (AD) of elephant camp–derived wastes was studied using series of batch experi... more Anaerobic digestion (AD) of elephant camp–derived wastes was studied using series of batch experiments. Three different materials derived from elephant dung namely fresh elephant dung (FD), washing water (WW), and washed fiber (WF) served as the substrates. The theoretical methane potentials of the solid substrates were 786.0 and 580.6 LCH4/gVSadded at standard temperature and pressure, for FD and WF, respectively. In addition, the cumulative methane yields were 275.7±1.6, 266.7±14.3, and 202.6±1.6 NmL/gVSadded for FD, WW, and WF, respectively. Also, there were no signs of an acid accumulation throughout the studies. For the kinetic study, the modified Gompertz equation fitted well with the experimental data with an R2 more than 0.98. Moreover, FD showed the highest predicted methane production potential of 293.2 NmL/gVSadded. Since the methane yields of FD and WW were not significantly different, in practical terms, FD should be washed and subsequently, the generated WW could be served to anaerobic digestion. However, direct combustion seems to be a more promising biorefinery-based option for WF since its methane potential was relatively low, but the fibers had a high heating value. The integrated AD and thermochemical process could potentially generate more than 14,500 kJ/kg of FD.
Today, about 4.8–12.7 million tons of fossil-based plastics have reached the oceans. Thus, this p... more Today, about 4.8–12.7 million tons of fossil-based plastics have reached the oceans. Thus, this pollution has become a matter of significant concern globally. Polyhydroxyalcanoates (PHAs) are one of the promising biodegradable plastics that could replace conventional petroleum-based plastics and subsequently mitigate oceanic pollution. High organic wastewater has been examined as a potential substrate for lowering the manufacturing cost of PHAs. This study has found that for a project lifetime of 20 years, the cost of the PHA manufacturing process reached $994,143. The annual process operation cost was $159,711. The payback period was 6.79 years, and the internal return rate was 16%. However, if costs increased by 20%, the benefits decreased by 25%. Since price of PHAs is higher than that of conventional plastic, various supports from the government could potentially push PHAs to the market. Statement of Novelty This study successfully determines the techno-economic analysis of the ...
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Papers by Sasithorn Saipa