# Influence of the Parameters of an Agricultural Biogas Plant on the Amount of Power Generated
###### Abstract  
Energy from biogas is widely available, inexpensive, and often contributes to waste management, making it one of the most promising renewable energy sources. The main factors influencing this process' efficiency include the substrates' chemical composition, temperature, and digester load. This paper presents the possibilities offered by a biogas plant built at a farm specialising in dairy cows. The dependence of the power generated in the micro biogas plant on its technical parameters was analysed in detail. Studies carried out by the authors in an agricultural microgas plant (with an electrical output of 40 kW) have shown that they are designed to maintain continuous energy production, despite changing process parameters such as digester mass level, biogas height, temperature or slurry flow into the digester. However, from the point of view of the amount of electricity generated, changes would have to be made to the design of the biogas plant. Firstly, a more powerful generator would have to be installed to cover the electricity requirements of the equipment installed in the biogas plant so that power close to the rated capacity of the biogas plant is still sent to the grid. Secondly, replacing the two existing agitators of the digestion mass (9 kW each) with more agitators of lower power (e.g., four agitators of 4.5 kW each) would be necessary. These should be programmed so that one of the agitators operates at any given time (the operating time of a given agitator should depend on the composition of the digestate). biogas power plant; electric power; temperature; digestion mass; slurry +
Footnote †: journal: Applied Physics Letters  
_Applied_  
_Article_  
Influence of the Parameters of an Agricultural Biogas Plant on the Amount of Power Generated  
[PERSON], [PERSON]. It can produce renewable energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions [7; 8], organic pollutants, pathogens, and slurry odour [9; 10]. In addition, biogas production can help mitigate the adverse effects of using fossil fuels [11], the combustion of which has resulted in a significant increase in CO\({}_{2}\) concentrations in the atmosphere [12], significantly impacting climate change. Biogas can be an alternative energy source, generating electricity, heat, and cooling or replacing natural gas derived from fossil fuels [13]. The anaerobic digestion process is one of the most promising methods for the disposal of organic waste and a source of biofuel [14; 15]. The main factors influencing this process' efficiency include the substrates' chemical composition, pH, temperature, digester load, and organic matter content [16; 17]. Temperature affects both the physico-chemical properties of oxygen-free substrates and microorganisms' metabolism and growth rate [18]. It also significantly impacts the stability and efficiency of the fermentation process. Lower temperatures reduce microbial growth, substrate utilisation rate, and biogas production [19]. Exceeding the temperature adopted in the fermentation process reduces the biogas yield due to volatile gases, and the effect of ammonia-inhibiting methane fermentation increases [20; 21]. Therefore, the anaerobic digestion process is commonly carried out at mesophilic (35 \({}^{\circ}\)C) or thermophilic (55 \({}^{\circ}\)C) temperatures [22; 23]. Choosing between mesophilic and thermophilic temperatures should be determined by the desired effect and the microorganisms used to treat the waste [24]. Despite the growing interest in biogas projects, many decision-making models tend to prioritise technical and economic factors, pushing social and environmental considerations to the background [25]. A worldwide problem is increased animal waste [26; 27], which causes significant environmental problems if not properly managed [28; 29; 30]. With the increasing demand for food [31; 32], one solution is to increase the unit efficiency of animal production (without increasing the livestock population).