Introduction:

the production of biogas is a sustainable alternative for the energy use of organic waste. This investigation presents the study and modeling of biogas production, generated by the co-digestion of livestock excreta and cheese whey.

Method:

Anaerobic Digestion (DA) experiments were carried out, using hermetic reactors, at room temperature monitored for 75 consecutive days based on the biochemical methane potential (BMP) method. The logistic models were used: exponential maximum growth, Gompertz and Richards modified to represent the kinetics of the methane production phenomenon.

Results and discussions:

the maximum methane production rate, the duration of the lag phase, and the accumulated methane production potential were determined. The residual sum of squares and the correlation coefficient were compared to identify the mathematical model that best describes the phenomenon. It was found that there is a potential for the generation of biogas and the use of the residues experienced in this work in co-digestion.

Conclusions:

experimentation and mathematical modeling allowed to describe the phenomenon of biogas production, with residues from the dairy industry and livestock systems. The results of the research show the potential to incentivize energy production in the regional agricultural sector, based on DA technology, taking advantage of the dairy industry waste under the concept of circular economy.