Biogas production potential in Algeria: Waste to energy opportunities

Biogas is a renewable fuel and an energy source that can be applied in many different settings. It is defined as a combustible gas mixture produced by the anaerobic fermentation of biomass by bacteria and takes several days to form. In fact, the anaerobic digestion is a biological process, so valorizing organic matter, usually fatal, produces a renewable energy source and digestates that can be used as a fertilizer. Indeed, in the absence of oxygen (anaerobic digestion) and protected from light, organic matter is partially degraded by the combined action of several types of micro-organisms, a series of biological reactions leading to the formation of biogas composed of Carbon Dioxide (CO₂), Nitrogen N₂, Hydrogen H₂, Oxygen O₂, Water vapor H₂O, Hydroxide Sulfur H₂S and the energy recoverable portion Methane CH₄ but very harmful to the environment, or even 22 times more harmful than CO₂ which is a greenhouse gas (GHG). Therefore, Waste-to-energy provides a solution for two problems: waste management and energy generation. This biogas opportunity has appeared as one of the most interesting applications to help many municipalities in different countries to produce clean energy and even to manage wastes. It can be applied on the wastes of the agricultural fields as well as in the farms, in the food industry or simply in the municipal landfills. Numerous biogas installations have been built all over the world. Initially, the main objective was to produce biogas to generate energy, but quickly the environment aspect has appeared as an additional reason to build such facilities. This study covers the sustainable development area in which we will estimate the potential to produce biogas starting from the annual organic wastes data given by the concerning ministries and organizations in Algeria.