Coffee processing produces a significant amount of organic waste, which can be used for energy production through biogas. Despite Brazil’s leading role in global coffee production, biogas technology is not widely used to treat this waste, mainly due to the seasonal nature of coffee production, which disrupts continuous digester operation. Integrating biogas production from coffee residues within an industrial symbiosis framework could address this issue. The “The Bioenergetic Potential from Coffee Processing Residues: Towards an Industrial Symbiosis” study assesses the energy potential of biogas from the main liquid residues of coffee processing (mucilage and wash water) combined with glycerine and cattle manure. It is estimated that 2773 m³ of biogas per day (75% CH4) could be produced, yielding 734 thousand m³ of biomethane annually, or 23,000,000 MJ of thermal energy, or 2718 MWh of electricity. This energy could meet all the farm’s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and diesel needs, all the thermal energy demands for grain drying, and provide electricity for 30 homes. Given the brief coffee season, the study suggests that biogas production on coffee farms could be broadly applied, with the Agro-industrial Eco-Park concept potentially integrating various agro-industrial sectors for energy production, waste exchange, and water recirculation.
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