Anaerobic Digestion and Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Integration: A Comprehensive Dimensioning and Comparative Techno-Energy-Economic Assessment of Biomethane Grid Injection vs. Cogeneration

The objective of this paper is to study and analyze an integrated anaerobic digester (AD)–solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system, to achieve an energy-efficient waste-to-energy solution. A detailed numerical modeling is developed for plant dimensioning and energy evaluations. The calculation pathway involves determining operational parameters based on specific variables such as the net electric power produced by the SOFC system or the amount of biogas produced by the AD. Three types of biomass—sewage sludge, slaughter waste, and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW)—are considered. The reactor volume required is approximately 24,000 m3 per 1 kg/s of biogas, processing a daily organic substrate of around 900 m3. The calculations reveal a SOFC electric efficiency of 51% and a thermal efficiency of 39%, under the most favorable conditions. In the integrated AD-SOFC layout, net electrical and thermal efficiencies of 47% and 35%, respectively, are achieved. The economic analysis evaluates the investment feasibility under current incentive schemes, considering both the standalone sale of biomethane and the sale of electricity and thermal energy through SOFC integration. A case study evaluates a biomethane facility producing 508 Sm3/h, integrated with an SOFC system capable of generating 2.36 MWel and 1.74 MWth of electric and thermal powers. Various scenarios are examined using net present value (NPV) and payback period (PB) analyses. Results show that the PB for the biomethane-only case is 6.46 years. When integrating the SOFC system, the PB is slightly longer—6.58 years in the most favorable scenario—while it increases to 11.55 years under the most likely scenario.