The opportunities for obtaining of the biogas on methane fermentation from marine algae biomass and water plant biomass

¹ Institute of Environmental Protection and Engineering, University of Bielsko-Biala, Poland
² Student ofthe Environmental Engineering, University of Bielsko-Biala, Poland
³ Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Sopot

^* Corresponding author: ejachniak@ath.bielsko.pl

Abstract

The aim of the research was to try to obtain of the biogas on a laboratory scale from marine algae biomass and water plant biomass. The research was conducted in 2016 year and samples were taken from the Polish coast of the Baltic Sea. In laboratory work, algae and plant species were first identified. The next, in order to subject them to methane fermentation processes and to obtain biogas,partial mechanical treatment of the biomass was conducted. Dry matter content and dry organic matter content were also determined. The research has shown different production of the biogas depending on the various species of the algae and plants. The percentage composition of the biogas was also determined (% CO₂ and % CH₄). In this research some kinds and species of algae and aquatic plants were distinguished: Scytosiphon cf. S. tortilis, Fucus vesiculosus, Cladophora, Audouinella, Potamogeton perfoliatus. Production of biogas from selected algae and water plants oscillated between 0.023 dm³·g^-1 and 0.303 dm³·g^-1. The highest content of the methane in biogas was obtained from the mixture of Ectocarpus from spring and autumn harvest (values oscillated from 80.7 % to 81.2 %), while the highest percentage share of carbon dioxide in the biogas was characterized by the mixture Fucus vesiculosus and Audouinella (22 %). Due to a small amount of the research in this field, more research is needed.