Instrumentation and Continuous Monitoring for the Anaerobic Digestion Process: A Systematic Review Academic Article in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • Anaerobic digestion (AD) stands as a cornerstone technology for achieving sustainable waste valorization and renewable energy production, offering a pathway towards climate change mitigation and a circular economy through biogas generation. This comprehensive review critically assesses the landscape of instrumentation and monitoring methodologies currently employed in AD processes. Our analysis commences by delineating the pivotal operational parameters that govern system efficiency and stability. Employing a structured systematic review methodology across two prominent academic databases, focused queries targeting research implementing AD monitoring systems yielded an initial corpus of 425 articles, subsequently refined to 15 through rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria. The analyzed literature reveals a diversity of approaches in monitoring biogas characteristics (composition, volume, humidity), alongside physicochemical indicators (ORP, pressure, temperature, and pH), and highlights variations in data acquisition, analysis, storage, and reporting protocols. Notably, our findings indicate a predominant contribution from scientific domains beyond electrical and computer science, underscoring a potential gap in dedicated engineering expertise for AD monitoring system development. The current state-of-the-art largely relies on established sensor technologies. To advance the field, this review advocates for the strategic integration of emerging paradigms such as the Internet of Things, machine learning, computer vision, biosensors, and soft sensors to enable enhanced real-time monitoring, predictive capabilities, and nuanced understanding of AD process dynamics. © 2013 IEEE.

publication date

  • January 1, 2025