Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid

Mechanics

ISSN: 1994-2060 (Print) 1997-003X (Online) Journal homepage: www.tandfonline.com/journals/tcfm20

Spent mushroom compost (SMC) as a source for

biogas production in Iran

Bahman Najafi, Sina Faizollahzadeh Ardabili, Shahaboddin Shamshirband &

Kwok-wing Chau

To cite this article: Bahman Najafi, Sina Faizollahzadeh Ardabili, Shahaboddin Shamshirband
& Kwok-wing Chau (2019) Spent mushroom compost (SMC) as a source for biogas production
in Iran, Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics, 13:1, 967-982, DOI:
10.1080/19942060.2019.1658644

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/19942060.2019.1658644

© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa

UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis
Group

Published online: 04 Sep 2019.

Submit your article to this journal

Article views: 4374

View related articles

View Crossmark data

Citing articles: 9 View citing articles

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=tcfm20
ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTATIONAL FLUID MECHANICS
2019, VOL. 13, NO. 1, 967–982
https://doi.org/10.1080/19942060.2019.1658644

Spent mushroom compost (SMC) as a source for biogas production in Iran

Bahman Najafia , Sina Faizollahzadeh Ardabili a , Shahaboddin Shamshirbandb,c and Kwok-wing Chaud
a Biosystem Engineering Department, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran; b Department for Management of Science and
Technology Development, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; c Faculty of Information Technology, Ton Duc Thang University,
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; d Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, People’s
Republic of China

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

The first aim of the present study is to investigate the feasibility of the biogas production poten- Received 30 April 2019
tial from Spent Mushroom Compost. Hence, its secondary aim is to study the replacement of this Accepted 18 August 2019
energy with the fossil energy source and its impact on the reduction of greenhouse gases emis- KEYWORDS
sion. The production potential of biogas was evaluated in a laboratory-scale Open Outlet Flow Batch Biogas; biomass resources;
Type Anaerobic digester. Setups of biogas production were set at temperatures of 35°C and 55°C. compost; methane;
Results indicate that the cumulative production of biogas at 55°C was more than that at 35°C (364.8 mushroom; sustainable
and 314.11 L/kg.VS, respectively). The energy required for 1 ton of spent mushroom compost in one energy
period of production was 204.24–5.35T kW.h/ton. The amount of energy produced in a period of bio-
gas production was calculated to be 277.95 kW.h/ton at 35°C and 322.84 kW.h/ton at 55°C. Results
show that the total produced spent mushroom compost of the country is equal to 414,491.7 tons
per year. Accordingly, the potential of methane production was calculated to be 8690.8 × 103 m3
per year. It can also reduce 0.02% of the total annual production of CO2 in Iran.

List of symbols
using them to produce biofuel such as biogas, which
AD Anaerobic digestion can be used in motor-generators to produce electricity.
APHA American Public Health Association Iran, on one hand, benefits from non-renewable fossil
GHG Greenhouse gases fuel resources such as oil and gas. On the other hand,
OOFBTA Open outlet flow batch type anaerobic the country also benefits from its limitless potential for
SMC Spent mushroom compost sustainable energy sources such as solar, geothermal,
TS Total solid (%) wind, hydrogen and biomass (Fardad et al., 2018). In fact,
Ta Ambient temperature renewable energy sources are becoming more popular by
Tin Initial temperature the day. The human population will soon be deprived of
Ts the inside temperature non-renewable energy sources. Perishable materials and
VS Total volatile solids (%) solid wastes (biomass) are abundant and the operation
of the biogas system is quite simple. Therefore, many
countries, including China, Germany, and Sweden have
1. Introduction appealed for more production of bioenergy (Abdoli &
Iran is rich in fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natu- Pazekey, 2012; Najafi, Faizollahzadeh Ardabili, Mosavi,
ral gas. After fossil fuels, biomass is the fourth largest Shamshirband, & Rabczuk, 2018).
sustainable energy source in Iran and across the world. In today’s world, fossil fuels reign over the global
The biomass resources include a wide range of organic energy systems. But, due to the reduction of resources
materials that are mainly divided into six groups: (1) of non-renewable energy, and the pollution and envi-
wood, (2) wastes collected from forest, and the agri- ronmental damage that has been caused, the world is
culture, horticulture, and food industries, (3) municipal turning towards renewable energy sources (Afsharzade
solid wastes, (4) wastewater, (5) livestock wastes, and et al., 2016) (Najafi & Faizollahzadeh Ardabili, 2018).
(6) sewage and organic waste of industries. Direct usage In this study, Figure 1 indicates the total energy con-
of these resources can produce heat and, in the case of sumption in Iran and across the world (Hamzeh, Ashori,

CONTACT Shahaboddin Shamshirband [email protected]

© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
968 B. NAJAFI ET AL.

Mirzaei, Abdulkhani, & Molaei, 2011; Mostafaeipour & renewable energy resources such as putrescible liquid and
Abarghooei, 2008; Najafi, Ghobadian, Tavakoli, & Yusaf, solid wastes are abundant (Afazeli et al., 2014). Reports
2009). Natural gas has the highest rate of energy con- show that countries such as Germany, Sweden, China,
sumption among other energy resources in Iran, and oil and India are using renewable energy for supplying a part
has the highest rate of energy consumption across the of their required energy (Afazeli et al., 2014). In addi-
world. tion to the mentioned issues, various studies indicate that
Allocation of 54% and 44% of energy to oil and there is a direct relationship between the use of renewable
natural gas has made Iran one of the countries that energy and reduction of GHG emissions (Agostini et al.,
take advantage of its natural energy resources (Moghad- 2015, 2016; Liu et al., 2012; Uusitalo et al., 2014). The pri-
dam, Mousavi, Nasiri, Moallemi, & Yousefdehi, 2011). mary aim of biogas production is the reduction of GHG
Heavy dependence on fossil fuel has caused an energy in the energy sector (Reinelt, Liebetrau, & Nelles, 2016).
crisis. All current trends indicate towards the deple- Several studies have been conducted on the relation of
tion of fossil fuel resources (Nabavi-Pelesaraei, Bayat, biogas production and GHG reduction. Carbon dioxide
Hosseinzadeh-Bandbafha, Afrasyabi, & Chau, 2017). (CO2 ) is the most significant among all greenhouse gases
Therefore, future generations will be facing a severe emitted during the production of fossil-based energy
shortage of energy supply. Using fossil fuel for economic (Li, Baležentis, Makutėnienė, Streimikiene, & Kriščiukai-
activities – from manufacturing to agricultural indus- tienė, 2016). Liu et al. (2012) have studied the feasibility
tries – led to GHG emissions from almost all regions of developing anaerobic digestion (AD) for municipal
of the world (Ben Jebli & Ben Youssef, 2015). Iran, biomass waste (MBW) in China that was focused on bio-
in addition to having different sources of fossil energy, gas production and GHG reduction. They reported that
also has various renewable energy resources (Bahrami & GHG reduction is an important environmental benefit
Abbaszadeh, 2016). Such resources that have been dis- derived from MBW digestion.
cussed by researchers include solar energy (Afsharzade In a study conducted by Zhang and Chen (2016),
et al., 2016), wind energy (Mostafaeipour & Abarghooei, an LCA model was proposed to characterize direct and
2008), hydropower energy (Derakhshan & Nourbakhsh, embodied carbon emission and mitigation of a typical
2008; Ghorashi & Rahimi, 2011), biomass (Afazeli, Jafari, household biogas project. Results show that the house-
Rafiee, & Nosrati, 2014; Noorollahi, Kheirrouz, Asl, hold biogas projects are a good way to reduce carbon
Yousefi, & Hajinezhad, 2015), and geothermal energy emission. In another study, Uusitalo et al. (2014) have
(Bahrami & Abbaszadeh, 2013; Noorollahi, Yousefi, studied the GHG emission from transportation with the
Ehara, & Itoi, 2008). basis of biogas fuel and compared it with the electricity
Nowadays, a lot of attention is directed towards renew- and heat production and composting of feedstock trans-
able energies. The reason for this is that, on the one hand, portation. They used the LCA method and reported that
fossil fuel resources are limited and, on the other hand, using biogas in the transportation sector reduces GHG

Figure 1. The total energy consumption in Iran and world.

 ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTATIONAL FLUID MECHANICS 969

emissions compared to fossil-based transportation fuels cottonseed meal, cottonseed skin, cocoa bean skins, corn
in all studied cases. Also, biogas production and its use in beer, and some other food additives (Beyer, 1999). Wastes
producing electricity and heat also reduces GHG emis- of mushroom compost have a high content of organic
sion compared to the composting of feedstock. Besides, material (about 60% (Wisniewska & Pankiewicz, 1989))
due to the ability to convert any natural and renew- and they also contain a significant amount of straw and
able materials, including waste processing of agricultural animal manure that increases the rate of fermentation. It
products and agricultural waste, to biogas, it can be con- seems to be a highly suitable source for the production of
cluded that the development of this technology can boost biogas.
the agricultural sector and create job opportunity in this If we look closer at the button mushroom produc-
field. If we want to give a brief explanation of the natu- tion industry, it can be said that it has two major kinds
ral and accessible resources of Iran, it can be said that of products, the first and well-known product is button
Iran is surrounded by 2700 km of marine borders that mushroom and the second is the SMC.
can exploit about 120 m3 of water resources. Also, it has In fact, the SMC is a mushroom compost, which is
about 164.8 million hectares of land with a 31% acces- used in the production hall and is discharged after the
sibility (Afazeli et al., 2014). If we want to take a rule of production process (Meng, Li, Zhang, Wu & Lv, 2016).
thumb, it is clear that there is a large amount of biomass Due to its well-developed mushroom production, Iran
energy that can be used as an alternative energy source produces a large amount of SMC.
and is indeed an invaluable source for energy supply. The SMC has no specific use except that a very small
According to the statistics procured from the Agri- part of the compost is recycled. The rest would be sold at a
cultural Ministry of Iran, the yield of some of the most very low cost for direct application in agriculture or is left
important products, in terms of megatons per year, in the in the environment that eventually leads to environmen-
sphere of greenhouse production include 100.2 of medic- tal pollution (Grujić, Dojnov, Potočnik, Duduk, & Vujčić,
inal plants, 1.02 of oyster mushroom, 172.7 of button 2015). The SMC has a lot of residual components such as
mushroom. In the area of livestock and poultry, it can be carbohydrate, protein, and fat (Luo et al., 2014). It also
said it has about 487,775 sheep and lambs, 204,076 goats, contains enzymes such as protease, lactase, cellulose, and
8,117,661 cows and calves, 204,384 buffaloes, and around hemicellulose (Fang et al., 2016; Kulcu, Sönmez, Yaldiz,
162,371 camels. & Kaplan, 2008). This material, due to its low amount
Several studies have been conducted in the field of of C/N, is used for the reduction of C/N amount (Meng
the biomass of livestock including the one conducted et al., 2016) in materials such as wheat straw, rape straw,
by Afazeli et al. (2014) and another one by Noorollahi maize straw, and rice straw (Zhao, Li, Ni & Xie, 2016).
et al. (2015). But, the Greenhouse production industry The C/N ratio of mushroom compost waste is reported
has great potential for biomass production. By examin- in different sources and it seems to be dependent on
ing this industry, we found that the button mushroom various conditions such as the initial percentage of com-
production industry has a high rate of biomass produc- posting materials and the production rate of mushroom.
tion and this is because of its requirement to compost For example, Levanon and Danai (Levanon & Danai,
the substrate. In the last three decades, mushroom farm- 1995) reported the number 15.8 for the C/N ratio. Chong
ing has developed rapidly across the world. More than and Richer (Chong & Rinker, 1994), along with Flem-
100 countries now active in the production of edible ing (Fleming & MacAlpine, 2006), reported the number
mushrooms. Over 6 million tons of edible mushroom 11.6 for the C/N ratio. As mentioned, the C/N ratio is an
are produced worldwide annually. On an average, the important parameter, affecting the production of biogas,
production of one kg of mushroom requires five kg of and this ratio should be 25.1–30.1 in order to provide
compost (Williams, McMullan, & McCahey, 2001). Every a suitable environment for the activities of the bacteria.
year, over 30 million tons of mushroom compost waste In order to achieve this ratio, the mushroom compost
are being produced. In the cycle of mushroom produc- waste needs to be mixed with materials such as manure,
tion, agricultural wastes are used to produce the mush- straw and etc. According to the statistics compiled by
room compost. Compost is the main part of cultivated the Statistical Centre of Iran (‘Iran Meteorogical Cen-
mushroom and its components vary according to the type ter. Availble from < http://irimo.ir/eng/index.php > ’) in
of mushroom. In this study, we only evaluated the button 2015, about 414,491.7 tons of SMC is produced annually
mushroom compost waste, hence, the word of mushroom in the country. By comparing the number of production
compost means button mushroom compost and its main farms of edible mushroom in the country, we can predict
components including chopped straw, chicken manure, that this number will be much higher in the coming years
horse manure, corn, and gypsum (Guo, Chorover, & (Table 3). This huge amount of compost is useless and,
Fox, 2001). Other ingredients may also include alfalfa, hence, it is discharged from the production halls after the
970 B. NAJAFI ET AL.

mushroom production. Besides, a lot of space is allocated for the increasing energy demand. They presented a
to these wastes in the mushroom farms. brief method for analyzing the economic and energetic
Mushroom compost waste, as well as other wastes, can potential of the produced biogas from anaerobic wastew-
be problematic for humans and the environment. This is ater treatment plants. Moreover, they also studied on
one of the most important issues of mushroom produc- the feasibility and potential for electricity generation
tion farms. The primary issues regarding the waste are from the produced biogas energy (O’Shea, Wall, & Mur-
(Azizi, 2008): phy, 2016) used four feedstocks, including grass silage,
food waste, Laminaria digitata (Oarweed), and dairy cow
slurry, for bio-methane potential assay in a demand-
Occupying a lot of space in mushroom growing driven biogas system. They used kinetic models and also
farms presented a model for the production of electricity.
Paving the way for pests and diseases in the farms The use of biomass for the production of biogas from
1. Polluting the environment and natural resources. the waste resources commonly has been performed by
different studies. The progress of information in this field
Anaerobic digestion is an approach that can reduce the of science is being completed. Therefore, in this study, the
environmental risks of the waste. It can also be done by use of SMC for the production of biogas has been intro-
producing biogas, where stored energy in organic waste duced as an innovative resource and the initial studies
would change to usable energy in the production farm. which have been performed in our previous study (Najafi
Several studies have been conducted in the field of & Ardabili, 2018) indicated that SMC have a considerable
biogas production along with various biomass and poten- potential for biogas production. This trend can be consid-
tial surveys oriented towards the production of biogas ered by policy makers and further studies. This study, in
from different materials. Here, Table 1 was prepared as fact, completes our previous study.
a summarized report of biogas production from different The main contributions of our survey are listed as:
materials inside and outside of Iran.
In addition to the energy production issue, the present • This study presents the biogas production potential
discussion will prove to be valuable when introduced as from spent mushroom compost in Iran.
an alternative energy to non-renewable energies. • The present study also discusses the sustainability of
There are several studies on the potential of conver- biogas production system from view point of energy
sion of biogas into other forms of energy such as elec- balance.
tricity. In a study conducted by (Uddin et al., 2016), • Ambient temperature is a factor that effects on bio-
biogas was presented as an alternative energy source gas production potential, confidence of system, GHG
and its impact on the Pakistani economy and health- emission and cash flow.
related issues (dos Santos, Barros, & Tiago Filho, 2016) • We also survey the conversion of produced energy to
introduced population growth as a factor responsible power generation in Iran and its impact on the GHG
emission.
• The survey also presents the economic approach of
Table 1. The Summarized report of biogas production. biogas production.
Production of
Biomass material biogas (L per Kg) References The method of biogas production in each country
Water hyacinth 208–389 (Raja & Lee, 2012) depends on the primary sources and the economic and
using additives environmental aspects. The primary aim of the present
Cow manure 329 (Satyanarayan & Murkute, 2008)
Cow manure 250 (Sathianathan, 1975) study is to investigate the feasibility of biogas produc-
Food wastes 297–489 (Cho, Park, & Chang, 1995) tion potential from the SMC. The secondary aim is to
Food wastes 348–435 (Zhang et al., 2007)
Food wastes 489 (Heo, Park, & Kang, 2004)
study the replacing of this energy with a fossil-based
Cow manure 382 (Budiyono, Seno, & Sunarso, 2009) energy source and its impact on the reduction of the GHG
Sewage sludge 210–345 (Wang, Yang, Feng, Ren, & Han, emission.
2012)
Slaughterhouses 540 (Moreda, 2016) Therefore, accordingly, this study is an introduction
Grease trap sludge 278 (Long, Aziz, Francis, & Ducoste, to the sources, status, and prospects of the waste from
of poultry 2012)
Slaughter waste of 550 (Salminen & Rintala, 2002) the mushroom compost as a sustainable energy source
poultry for biogas production in Iran. This study consists of five
Fish waste 390 (Mshandete, Kivaisi,
Rubindamayugi, & Mattiasson, stages. At the first stage, we present an introduction to
2004) the overview of the study. At the second stage, we discuss
Biological oil 340 (Chamy & Vivanco, 2006)
biogas production and the production rate of the SMC,
 ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTATIONAL FLUID MECHANICS 971

and also measures the production and consumption of

energy. At the third stage, we discuss reducing pollution
from greenhouse gases. At the fourth stage, we observe
the plan from an economic perspective, and, at last, we
present a comprehensive conclusion of the subject.

2. Process of biogas production from SMC

In this study, the SMC was used as the main material to
produce biogas. The required SMC was prepared from
the agro-industry of Sabalan mushroom farms, located in
the Ardabil province of Iran. Total solid (TS) was deter-
mined by deducting the amount of moisture from the
total amount of SMC. Volatile solid (VS) was also deter- Figure 2. Biogas production and measuring setup.
mined based on the American Public Health Association
(APHA) standard (American Public Health Association
enriched solution, 150 g of bovine rumen content was
(APHA), 2011; Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, Coulon, Jiang, &
mixed with 150 g of water. The prepared solution was
Wagland, 2015; US Environmental protection Agency,
then placed in an oven at 37°C for seven days. This helped
2001). The amount of nitrogen in the biomass of the
the bacteria to multiply well. Meanwhile, data collect-
SMC and the organic carbon level were according to the
ing was being performed at a certain time every day, for
APHA standard, using the Kjeldahl method and chemi-
21 days. In order to evaluate the reproducibility of the
cal burns, respectively. Table 2 indicates the experimental
testing, the tests were performed with three replications.
results.
Figure 3 shows the cumulative and daily volume of bio-
An open Outlet Flow Batch Type Anaerobic (OOF-
gas production at 35°C and 55°C per Kg of TS. The biogas
BTA) digester was employed to measure the production
production was started in all cases without any delay in
potential of biogas. Using a batch type reactor is more
time and reached to the maximum amount after five to
common due to its simplicity, easy setup, and easy moni-
seven days. One of the main reasons can be the injection
toring and evaluation (Kratky, Jirout, & Nalezenec, 2012).
of enriched solutions as a starter at the beginning of the
Four three-liter plastic bottles were used as digesters
test. The maximum rate of biogas production occurred
(Figure 2) according to European standards (VDI4630,
on the fifth day at a temperature of 55°C, which was about
2006).
50 L/kg.VS. The production rate decreased after reaching
The digesters were placed at 35°C and 55°C. The
a peak. As seen in Figure 3, the production rate at 55°C
produced biogas was transferred from the digesters to
is more than that at 35°C on the last days of production.
another set of plastic bottles and their volumes were mea-
One reason behind this can be the semi-hard texture of
sured by using the water displacement method (Engi-
neers, 2006; Najafi & Ardabili, 2018).
In order to load the digesters, 500 g of SMC, with an
initial moisture of 58.9%, was mixed with 1850 g of water
to the amount of VS at 10%. Setups of biogas produc-
tion were prepared at 35°C (mesophilic temperature) and
55°C (thermophilic temperature). In order to expedite
the digestion process, 50 g of an enriched solution of bac-
teria was added to the digester. In order to prepare the

Table 2. Characteristics of SMC.

Parameter Unit Value
Total Solids (TS) W% 19.1
Volatile Solid (VS) W% 17.7
VS/TS W% 64.2
Moisture W% 80.9
C/N value – 12.1
Nitrogen percent % 2.4 Figure 3. Cumulative and daily production of biogas at 35°C and
Organic carbon % 29 55°C.
972 B. NAJAFI ET AL.

the SMC that can be prepared at 55°C to digest bacte- temperatures to ensure the condition for sustainable
ria better than at 35°C. The results also indicate that the gas production. There are various technologies that can
cumulative production of biogas at 55°C is more than that maintain the required temperature inside the reactor.
at 35°C, these are 364.8 and 314.11 L/kg.VS, respectively. One of the most common is the use of heating pipes
along the reactor walls and pumping hot water from a
heat exchanger into the pipes. The value of required heat
3. Reactor designing for biogas production
depends on the ambient temperature and the climatic
In Iran, biogas production systems have two variants such conditions of the region. The required thermal energy
as Chinese and Indian (Noorollahi et al., 2015). The Chi- for a biogas reactor can be studied in two stages: start-up
nese system has a fixed gas tank. The produced gas is and continuous work. The required thermal energy at the
stored in the upper part of the digester and the gas pro- start-up stage (Qstart ) by (kW h) can be calculated using
duction increases the pressure of the gas. Due to this, it Equation (1) (Holman, 1972):
does not consider the digester volume over 20 m3 . This
type of digesters has a low manufacturing cost and a 1
Qstart = C × m × (Ts − Tin ) (1)
long shelf life (more than 20 years) because it has no 3600
moving part (Fardad et al., 2018). In the Indian system,
According to the reported number for the thermal
the gas tank is movable and the gas pressure is always
capacity of the SMC and water in references (Mudhoo
constant. Hence, according to the balance of anaerobic
& Mohee, 2007), the thermal capacity (C) of the solu-
fermentation, the digestion process is improved and the
tion inside the reactor was calculated at 3.56 (Kj/Kg K).
biogas production rate is increased. But, due to the flota-
Here, m is the mass of the materials inside the reactor
tion tank, and a higher construction cost, its shelf life
and is equal to 24,000 kg, Ts is the inside temperature
is shorter than its Chinese counterpart. The Indian one
and is equal to 35°C or 55°C, and Tin is the initial tem-
lasts up to 15 years in cold regions and up to 5 years
perature of the substrate. The required thermal energy in
in warm regions (Fardad, 2017). In this study, an OOF-
continuous work (Qopereation ) by (KW h) is equal to the
BTA digester was designed by combining the Chinese and
total energy dissipated from the surfaces of the walls, ceil-
Indian systems and it had the benefits of both the systems.
ings, and floors, and can be calculated using Equation (2)
In order to design the capacity of the reactor, data collect-
(Holman, 1972):
ing was performed from one production hall. The outlet
biomass from each production hall in 60 days (one period

2l
of production) is equal to 12 tons with the moisture of Qoperation = 0.001[(Aw · Uw + Ac .Uc ) · (Ts − Ta )
80.9%. Considering that the SMC can be discharged peri- i=1
odically (every 60 days) from each production hall, an
+ Af · Uf · (Ts − Te )] · t (2)
OOFBTA-type reactor is proposed. It should be noted
that the calculations behind the design of the reactor were
The designed reactor has a height of 2.5 m and a diam-
performed for one production hall. In order to calculate
eter of 5 m. So, the area of the reactor wall is equal to
the volume and dimension of the target reactor, 12 tons
Aw = 39.25 m2 , and the area of the floor and the ceil-
of SMC was mixed with 12 tons of water to achieve the
ing of the reactor is equal to Ac = Af = 19.62 m2 . Here,
10% of TS to make the weight of the reactor contents
Ts is the temperature of the inside of the ground and is
equal to 24 tons. By considering the reported numbers
almost at a constant value, which is equal to 15°C, and
for the density of the SMC and water in various refer-
Ta is the ambient temperature. Moreover, t is the warm-
ences (Fidanza, Sanford, Beyer, & Aurentz, 2010; Noble
up time of the reactor, which is calculated to be 24 h. U
& Gaze, 1996), the content density was measured about
is the heat transfer coefficient by (W/m2 K) that is calcu-
600 kg/m3 . The volumes of organic material inside the
lating for the walls, roof, and floor as Equations (3)–(5)
reactor were expanded during the fermentation process,
(Holman, 1972):
so the safety factor was assumed to be equal to 1.2 and,
consequently, the required volume of the target reactor  
1 lw lis 1 −1
was calculated at 48 m3 . Therefore, it can be a cylindrical Uw = + + + (3)
hs kw kis ha
reactor with a height of 2.5 m and a diameter of 5 m.
 
1 lc lis 1 −1
Uc = + + + (4)
3.1. Heat transfer in the designed reactor hs kc kis ha
 
1 lf lis −1
The inside temperature of the reactor should be within Uf = + + (5)
the range of mesophilic (35°C) and thermophilic (55°C) hs kf kis
 ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTATIONAL FLUID MECHANICS 973

Figure 4. Heat transfer of biogas production reactor (Rutz, Mergner, & Janssen, 2012).

Here, ha is the convective heat transfer coefficient equal to 70% (Statistical Center of Iran, 2017). So, the
of air, which is equal to 30(W/m2 K) and the convec- required heating energy is equal to the total energy of
tive heat transfer coefficient of the substrate is equal to the start-up and continuous working as described in
ha = 1000(W/m2 K). The reactor wall is made of brick Equation (6):
and cement with a thickness of 0.25 m (lw = 0.25 m) 
and the heat transfer coefficient of kw = 1.46 (W/m K) 1
Qtotal = C × m × (Ts − Ta ) × t
(Incropera & De Witt, 1985). The ceiling and the floor 3600
of the reactor are made of concrete with the thickness 
21
of lc = lf = 0.1 (m) and the heat transfer coefficient of + 0.001[(Aw .Uw + Ac .Uc ).(Ts − Ta )
kc = kf = 1.76 (W/m K) (Incropera & De Witt, 1985). i=1

All surfaces are covered by glass-wool insulation with a
thickness of lis = 0.05 (m) and the heat transfer coef- + Af .Uf .(Ts − Te )].t /0.7 (6)
ficient of kis = 0.04 (W/m K). Figure 4 shows the heat
transfer from the reactor of biogas production and its
insulation. 4. Energy consumption for the production of
Assuming the package of the heating pipes on the biogas
walls of the reactor for heating the system, the heat- The Ardabil Province (38.4853°N, 47.8911°E) in Iran is
ing efficiency of the heating system is approximately one of the most important tourist centers and has a cold

Figure 5. Average temperature of provinces of Iran from 2006 to 2016.

974 B. NAJAFI ET AL.

SMC is VS (Table 2), so, for 12 tons of SMC, the

VS is equal to 2.124 tons (0.177 × 12 = 2.124). There-
fore, the volume of the produced biogas is 667.19 m3
at 35°C (2.124 × 314.119 = 667.19) and is 774.83 m3
at 55°C. By assuming the low heating value of bio-
gas at 18 Mj/m3 (or 18 ÷ 3.6 = 5 kWh/m3 ) (Fardad,
2017), the total heating value of the produced biogas
will be 3335.48 kW h at 35°C (667.19 × 5 = 3335.48)
and 3874.15 kW h at 55°C. The produced energy in a
period of biogas production, by counting 12 tons of
SMC, will be QEnergyProduction = 277.95 kW h/ton at 35°C
(3335.48 ÷ 12 = 277.95) and QEnergyProduction = 322.84
Figure 6. The average daily and monthly temperature of Ardabil kW h/ton at 55°C.
province in 2016.

climate. Figure 5 presents the measurements of air tem- 6. Energy sustainability and confidence to
perature in Iran from 2006 to 2016 (‘Iran Meteorolog- biogas production system
ical Center. Availble from < http://irimo.ir/eng/index. In order to investigate the sustainability of the biogas
php > ’). This result indicates that the Ardabil province production system from view point of energy, the confi-
has the minimum average annual temperature among dence factor is defined as the ratio of the specifically pro-
other provinces of Iran, which is approximately equal to duced energy to the required thermal energy as shown in
10°C. Therefore, it was selected as a province with the Equation (9):
most difficult conditions for biogas production as a case
of study in this research. QEnergy Production
Figure 6 indicates the daily and monthly average tem- ηIS = (9)
QSpecific_Consumption
peratures of the Ardabil province in 2016 (‘Iran Meteoro-
logical Center. Availble from < http://irimo.ir/eng/index.
php > ’). It is clear that the monthly average temperature Production of biogas is sustainable from view point
has the lowest value (−3.6°C) in January and the highest of energy when the confidence factor is more than 1
value (21.9°C) in August. Besides, the lowest daily tem- (ηIS > 1), hence, the critical condition occurs when the
perature of −11.9°C has also been measured in January, confidence factor is equal to 1. At a temperature of
which is a critical condition for biogas production. 35°C, by replacing the value of the produced energy
By considering that Ta is a variable parameter, to sim- (277.95 kW h/ton) and the required thermal energy from
plify calculations in this study, the average monthly tem- Equation (8) to Equation (9), the minimum permitted
perature is considered as Ta . By replacing the numerical temperature for biogas production was obtained to be
values in Equation (6), the required thermal energy for −13.77°C. It should be noted that the minimum permit-
a period of production (21 days) by (kW.h), is obtained ted temperature for production at 55°C was obtained to
using Equation (7): be 1.08°C. According to the values of the temperature
for the last 10 years, the average monthly temperature of
Qconsumption = 2450.882 − 63.853T̄a (7) the provinces of Iran never reduces to a value less than
QSpecific_Consumption = 204.24 − 5.32T̄a (8) −13.7°C, hence, it is clear that the production system
will be quite sustainable at 35°C. At 55°C, the critical
Due to the amount of SMC (12 ton) with the mois- temperature is +1.08°C, hence, there is no sustainable
ture of 80.9%, the required energy for 1 ton of SMC in condition for biogas production in most provinces of
one period of production by kW h/ton is obtained using Iran. Biogas production at a temperature of 55°C dur-
Equation (8): ing the cold seasons of the year require additional energy
consumption from the national grid of natural gas and, in
this condition, there is a negative energy balance and the
5. The produced energy from biogas
production system is going out of sustainable condition.
The experimental results of this study show that the The following calculations were performed at a tempera-
value of the produced biogas at 35°C is equal to ture of 35°C. The net produced energy from biogas SMC
314.119 L/kg.VS while it increases to 364.8 L/kg.VS at is equal to the difference of produced specific energy
55°C (Based on Figure 3). Around 17.7% of the total and the specific required thermal energy by (kW.h/ton)
 ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTATIONAL FLUID MECHANICS 975

(Equation (10)): Figure 7 shows the net produced energy from biogas
for one production hall with the capacity of 12 tons of
QNet Energy Production = QEnergy Production
SMC in a 60-day period of mushroom production in the
− QSpecific_Consumption Ardabil province. It is clear that there is a sustainable
= 73.786 + 5.35T̄a (10) biogas production (within a range of 821–2123 kW h)
during all months of the year. The biogas production
potential from the SMC has the lowest value during the
cold months of the year (December, January, and Febru-
ary) and has the highest value during the warmer months
of the year (August, July, and June).
The experimental results of this study indicate that the
average percentage of methane at a temperature of 35°C
is equal to 65% of biogas. Assuming the lowest value of
thermal energy from biogas (18 Mj/m3 ) and by replacing
in Equation (10), the total produced methane per ton of
SMC by (m3 /ton) was calculated using Equation (11):

VNet Methane Production = 9.592 + 0.695T̄a (11)

Table 3 was extracted and prepared from the refer-

ences (Statistical Center of Iran, 2017; ‘Statistics of Agri-
culture Organization of Iran,’ 2014–2015) of statics of
mushroom production industries. Table 3 presented the
amount of produced methane from the SMC in Iran in
Figure 7. The produced net energy of biogas in Ardabil province 2015. Statistics show that the total produced SMC of the
(for one production hall with SMC capacity of 12 tons). country is equal to 414,491.7 tons per year. Accordingly,

Table 3. Available methane potential value of SMC in provinces of Iran according to 2016 data set.
SMC Methane Potential (1000 m3 year−1 )
Province Ton year−1 JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY JUNE JULY AUG. SEP. OCT. NOV. DEC. Total
Alborz 39,772.8 36.2 42.5 55.9 67.7 78.9 90.9 96.6 94.4 86.0 71.4 53.0 42.2 815.6
Ardebil 15,408 11.1 13.0 17.2 20.9 25.0 27.8 29.4 29.5 26.6 22.7 17.1 13.4 253.9
Azarbaijan Gharbi 5448 3.6 4.6 6.4 8.1 9.5 11.1 12.0 11.8 10.3 8.3 6.0 4.4 96.2
Azarbaijan Sharghi 9628.8 6.7 8.6 11.7 14.8 17.7 21.0 22.6 22.7 20.0 16.0 11.3 8.1 181.2
Bushehr 1440 2.4 2.6 2.8 3.2 3.6 3.8 3.9 4.0 3.8 3.5 3.0 2.6 39.3
Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari 12,688.8 7.4 11.0 14.8 18.0 21.7 25.6 28.1 26.7 23.2 19.3 14.0 10.0 219.9
Fars 36,477.6 41.6 48.4 57.7 66.9 80.2 90.6 95.1 91.9 83.3 71.0 55.0 44.7 826.5
Ghazvin 89,064 73.4 87.9 116.5 141.0 167.6 196.3 210.0 204.2 183.9 151.8 111.2 87.2 1731.1
Ghom 1104 1.1 1.3 1.8 2.1 2.5 2.8 3.0 2.9 2.6 2.1 1.6 1.2 25.1
Golestan 1984.8 2.3 2.5 2.9 3.4 4.0 4.6 4.8 4.8 4.5 3.8 3.1 2.6 43.3
Guilan 4440 5.3 5.2 6.1 7.2 8.7 9.8 10.2 10.2 9.4 8.2 6.8 5.9 93.1
Hamedan 8028 4.8 6.8 9.7 11.9 14.0 16.7 18.5 18.0 15.7 12.7 9.0 6.7 144.6
Hormozgan 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Ilam 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Isfahan 31,992 31.2 38.2 48.7 57.1 67.6 77.7 82.6 78.5 71.0 59.5 43.8 34.2 690.1
Kerman 7020 7.5 8.7 10.9 12.8 15.1 16.8 17.4 16.4 15.0 12.9 9.9 7.9 151.3
Kermanshah 8976 8.1 9.6 12.2 14.5 17.3 20.8 22.6 22.2 19.5 16.2 12.0 9.7 184.8
Khorasan Jonubi 2448 2.4 2.8 3.7 4.5 5.3 5.8 6.0 5.7 5.2 4.4 3.4 2.7 52.0
Khorasan Razavi 16,816.8 15.4 17.7 23.6 29.2 34.8 39.7 41.4 39.7 35.2 29.1 22.0 17.6 345.3
Khorasan Shomali 288 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.3 0.3 5.4
Khuzestan 26,366.4 39.9 44.8 52.2 61.3 71.5 77.9 80.3 79.4 72.8 63.7 50.9 42.6 737.3
Kohgiluye va Boyerahmad 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Kordestan 12,552 10.1 12.4 16.2 19.6 23.2 28.2 30.8 30.3 26.2 21.3 15.5 12.1 245.9
Lorestan 3813.6 3.9 4.5 5.5 6.4 7.7 9.1 9.8 9.7 8.5 7.1 5.4 4.4 82.2
Markazi 5556 3.9 5.4 7.4 8.8 10.6 12.6 13.6 13.1 11.6 9.5 6.7 5.2 108.3
Mazandaran 9232.8 11.5 11.7 13.6 15.8 18.7 21.0 22.1 22.2 20.6 17.9 14.7 12.5 202.3
Semnan 1334.4 1.3 1.6 2.1 2.5 3.0 3.4 3.6 3.4 3.1 2.6 1.9 1.5 30.0
Sistan va Baluchestan 1728 2.1 2.4 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.3 4.4 4.2 3.8 3.3 2.7 2.1 40.1
Tehran 55,802.4 58.2 66.4 85.7 103.1 121.3 138.9 147.4 142.8 130.2 108.7 81.5 65.1 1249.4
Yazd 1200 1.4 1.6 2.1 2.4 2.8 3.2 3.3 3.1 2.9 2.4 1.9 1.5 28.6
Zanjan 3880.5 2.5 3.2 4.5 5.6 6.6 7.8 8.5 8.4 7.4 6.0 4.3 3.2 68.1
Total 414,491.7 395.8 465.7 595.3 713.0 843.5 968.9 1028.9 1000.9 903.0 756.0 568.1 451.7 8690.8
976 B. NAJAFI ET AL.

the potential of methane production was obtained at 7. Reduction of carbon dioxide emissions
8690.8 × 103 m3 per year and that the Qazvin and Tehran
Carbon is one of the most important elements for liv-
provinces had the highest value of methane production
ing organisms and is also a part of the air and the soil.
at 1731.1 × 103 and 1249.4 × 103 m3 , respectively. The
Carbon, nitrogen and water cycles are the three key
highest values of methane production from the SMC in
events in terms of sustainable living on Earth. Carbon
the country were observed to occur in July and August
dioxide is an intermediate and also the most impor-
(1028.9 × 103 and 1000.9 × 103 m3 , respectively) and the
tant form of exchange in the carbon cycle and must
lowest values of methane production from the SMC were
always be in balance. Imbalance of this cycle destroys
observed to occur in January and December (395.8 × 103
habitability on Earth. For example, exuding a lot of car-
and 451.7 × 103 m3 , respectively).
bon into the atmosphere leads to the temperature rise
Figure 8 shows the distribution and production rate
of Earth and decreasing carbon in the air cools the
of methane throughout the country. Accordingly, the
planet’s surface. The excessive use of fossil fuel leads
volume of methane production increases as we go from
to the production of carbon dioxide more than its con-
blue to red color.
sumption. If this continues, the balance of the carbon
It is obvious from Figure 8 that there is a concentration
cycle will break down and cause massive greenhouse
of production in the central and western regions of the
gas effect and global warming. As previously mentioned,
country because these regions have less average annual
the carbon dioxide is the most important of all green-
temperature compared to the rest of the country.
house gases emitted in energy production (Li et al.,
According to the obtained results of production and
2016).
consumption of energy, both mushroom production and
In this study, the produced methane fuel from
biogas production from the compost waste in semi-cool
the SMC was raised as an alternative fuel of natu-
climates are cost effective. In warm climates, biogas pro-
ral gas. The natural gas fuel holds more than 96% of
duction is also cost effective but there is a high produc-
methane in Iran. Equation (12) presents the stoichio-
tion cost in mushroom production. In cold climates like
metric formula of methane combustion. Accordingly,
the Ardabil province, the study area that has the cold-
1 kg of methane fuel releases 2. 75 kg of carbon diox-
est climate, mushroom production is cost effective and
ide (Molar mass of CO2 per Molar mass of CH4 = 44 ÷
the industry has a good spread but biogas production
16 = 2.75) (Faizollahzadeh Ardabili, Najafi, Ghaebi,
requires a little more cost. Fortunately, based on the bal-
Shamshirband, & Mostafaeipour, 2017; Najafi, Faizol-
ance calculations of energy production in the Ardabil
lahzadeh Ardabili, Shamshirband, Chau, & Rabczuk,
province, the energy balance in biogas production is a
2018) .
positive number.

Figure 8. The potential of methane production from SMC by 1000 m3 per year.
 ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTATIONAL FLUID MECHANICS 977

2 costs around $1250. Labor costs, costs of installation and

CH4 + (0.21O2 + 0.79N2 )
0.21 commissioning will be around $1000. Therefore, the cost
2 × 0.79 of building and equipping the biogas reactor is about
→ CO2 + 2H2 O + N2 (12) $4750 to $5250. If the cost of maintenance and deprecia-
0.21
tion is set at 10%, the total cost for the construction of bio-
According to Table 3, the amount of methane pro- gas collection will be around $5225 to $5775 (Statistical
duced from the anaerobic digestion of the SMC is Center of Iran, 2017).
8690.8 × 103 m3 or 6231.3 tons where the density Revenues from the production of biogas from the SMC
of methane is 0.717 kg/m3 (8690.8 × 0.717 = 6231.3). can be divided into two parts: revenues from the sale of
Results show that the combustion of 6231.3 tons of the remaining sludge in the digester of biogas as fertil-
natural gas produces 15,578.3 tons of carbon diox- izers and revenues from the sale of biogas. According
ide and releases it to the atmosphere every year to the calculations, the produced biogas from 12 tons
(6231.3 × 2.75 = 17,136.07). of SMC (in one period of mushroom production) is
In Photosynthesis process, the carbon dioxide is con- about 667.19 m3 . If the percentage of methane in bio-
verted to organic materials by plants. Due to the fact gas is considered to be 65%, the total produced methane
that the contained organic carbon in the SMC is 29% is equal to 433.7 m3 (667.19 × 0.65 = 433.7). The price
(Table 2), it can be assumed that approximately 29% of of 1 m3 of natural gas in Iran is about $0.05. There-
released carbon dioxide from the combustion of methane fore, the revenues from the sale of biogas will be $21.68
fuel of the SMC, is absorbed by plants. Therefore, by (433.7 × 0.05 = 21.68), which is as gross revenue. In
using the produced methane instead of natural gas, order to calculate the net revenue from the sale of bio-
about 4969.4 tons (17,136.07 × 0.29 = 4969.4) less car- gas there is a need for subtracting the energy consump-
bon dioxide is released into the atmosphere every year. tion cost from gross revenue (from the sale of biogas) as
Iran, by releasing 22.53 million tons of carbon dioxide Equation (13):
per year, is ranked eighth among the top twenty CO2 -
emitting countries (Godfrey, 2004). Replacing methane Net revenuefrom the sale of biogas ($)
produced from the SMC with natural gas fuel reduces = Gross revenuefrom the sale of biogas
0.022% of the total annual production of carbon dioxide
in Iran ((4969.4÷(22.53 × 106 )) × 100 = 0.022). − Energy consumption cost (13)

Equation (7) presents the required thermal energy for

8. Economic approach to sustainable a period of production (21 days) by (kW.h). by consider-
production of biogas from SMC ing the heating value of biogas (equal to 5 kWh/m3 ), the
required biogas for heating consumption in a period of
The main challenges of processing biomass energy are
production is as Equation (14):
economic. Currently, the cost of energy production from
biogas is a little more than other types of energy due to 2450.882 − 63.853T̄a
the technology used in it (Godfrey, 2004). Biogasconsumption (m3 ) = (14)
5
The SMC is one of the low-cost resources of biogas
production in Iran. The Ardabil province is the coldest By considering the percentage of methane in biogas
province in Iran and is the best example for the economic equal to 65% and the price of 1 m3 of natural gas in Iran
analysis of biogas production. about 0.05$, energy consumption cost for a period of
First, the costs related to the designed reactor were production is equal to Equation (15):
discussed. As previously mentioned, the designed reac-  
tor has a height of 2.5 m and a diameter of 5 m, and that 2450.882 − 63.853T̄a
Energy consumption cost ($) =
its walls have conventional construction materials (brick 5
and cement) with a thickness of 0.25 m, the ceilings and × 0.65 × 0.05 (15)
floors are made of concrete with a thickness of 0.1 m,
and the glass-wool insulation with a thickness of 0.05 m
was used to cover the reactor. Considering the price of Figure 9 indicates the trend of energy consumption
building materials in Iran, the cost for the construction cost, gross revenue and net revenue per month. Based
of the complex is around $2500–$3000 (Statistical Center on Figure 9, in the months with low average temperature,
of Iran, 2017). energy consumption cost has been raised and accordingly
The biogas reactor heating system includes boilers the net revenue has been decreased. The lowest net rev-
with heating pipes from the floor and the wall (ref) that enue is related to Jan. (4.25 $) and the highest net revenue
978 B. NAJAFI ET AL.

to 12 ton, revenues from the sale of SMC per month is

equal to $12. Table 4 shows the economic approach of
sustainable production of biogas from the SMC.
In this study, the payback period has been calculated
by the use of net present value (NPV). NPV analyzes the
profitability of a project. This factor describes the differ-
ence among current values of cash inflows and outflows
and also, this factor is one of the main factors for ana-
lyzing the plans in economics. In this method, the cash
Figure 9. The trend of cash flow per month. flow (revenues and costs) is considered based on the dis-
count rate and time. NPV is calculated by Equation (16)
Table 4. Economic approach to sustainable production of biogas (Beaves, 1988; Shrieves & Wachowicz Jr, 2001):
from SMC.
Parameter Unit Value 
n
(Benefits − Costs)t
Total construction costs Total 5225$ to 5775$ NPV = (16)
SMC price Per month 12 $ t=i
(1 + r)t
Gross Revenue of biogas selling Per month 21.68 $
Energy consumption cost* Per month 4.25–14.83$
Revenue of fertilizer selling Per month 168.5 $ where r is the discount rate, t is the year and n is the ana-
*Based on Figure 9. lytic horizon in year. Figure 10 presents the NPV based
on the discount rate in Iran (r = 0.08 (Statistical Cen-
is related to Aug. (14.83$). Therefore, the net revenue ter of Iran, 2017)) for both minimum and maximum
of the sale of biogas is in range of 4.25–14.83$ which construction costs.
is an insignificant amount, but the remaining sludge in Figure 10 shows the NPV graph based on the min-
the digester, which is sold as enriched nitrogen fertilizer, imum and maximum total construction costs for the
has a greater customer base in agriculture and horticul- biogas production system. Considering that the volume
ture sectors. Based on previous calculations for 12 tons of of biogas production depends on the average monthly
SMC (for a period), the volume of the produced biogas is temperature, and by considering all revenues from the
667.19 m3 . By considering the biogas density (1.15 kg/m3 sale of biogas and fertilizer and a number of initial costs
(Fardad, 2017)), the produced biogas is equal to 762.26 kg and maintenance costs for the production of biogas, it
(667.19 × 1.15 = 767.26). Therefore, weight of residual was found that after 36 months in case of considering
material after fermentation in the reactor is equal to 11.23 the minimum construction cost and 40 months in case
tons of wet fertilizer with a moisture of 80% that is equal of considering the maximum construction cost of biogas
to 6.74 tons of organic nitrogen fertilizer with a moisture production system, the initial cost of investment for the
of 40% (11.23 × ((1–0.8) + 0.4) = 6.74). Currently, the production of biogas from the SMC is reversible and prof-
price of organic fertilizers in Iran is $25/ton (Statistical itable (Figure 10). Accordingly, after the third year, the
Center of Iran, 2017). As a result, revenues from the sale owner will have pure and sustainable income out of it.
of organic fertilizer per period of production is around The warnings about global warming have been
$168.5 while mushroom farms sell the SMC at 2$/ton. extremely clear for a long time. We are facing a global
Considering that the amount of SMC per 60 days is equal climate crisis and it is getting worse by the day. We are

Figure 10. The NPV flow for both minimum and maximum construction costs.
 ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTATIONAL FLUID MECHANICS 979

entering a period of its consequences. Meanwhile, a con- By replacing the produced methane from SMC in Iran
vention had been organized with the participation of with natural gas, about 4517.6 tons less carbon dioxide
some countries and its members committed to prevent- was emitted into the atmosphere, annually. Considering
ing pollution from the GHG emissions resulting from the concerns on global warming and the commitment
industrial activities. As of December 2016, 192 coun- of countries to reduce the GHG emissions according to
tries and the European Union have signed the agreement. the Treaty of Paris, it can be said that using the produced
Around 125 among them have ratified or acceded to the biogas can be helpful.
agreement, most notably China, the United States, and Ardabil province with an average annual temperature
India, three of the largest greenhouse gas emitters among of 10°C is the coldest province of Iran hence, it was
the signatories. These three countries together contribute selected as a province with the most difficult condition
about 42% of the total emission (Collection, 8 July 2016; for biogas production in the country and was the area
‘https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Agreement’). Iran’s of study. The economic calculations in Ardabil province
share in this agreement is about 1.3% of the total GHG showed that by considering all revenues from the sale of
emission. In order to decrease each ton of carbon, a cer- biogas and fertilizer, and the amount of initial cost and
tificate of carbon emissions is allocated to the owner maintenance cost of biogas production, the initial cost
of the projects. On this basis, biogas industrialists can of investment for the construction of biogas from the
receive a CER after performing the plan and taking SMC can be returned after 36–40 months and the sys-
required achievements that can be a source of revenue for tem will act as a pure and sustainable source of income
them (Secretariat, 2011). for its owners.
The demand side of the permits depends on the evo- Generally, ambient temperature (Ta ) was a factor that
lution of the underlying regulated pollution. Under the affects the biogas production potential, sustainability and
EU ETS, CO2 pollution emissions are regulated. The confidence of system, GHG emission and cash flow.
drivers of the underlying emissions include both long and Therefore in cold climates mushroom production is cost
short term pollution abatement options, economic cycles, effective and the industry has a good spread but biogas
energy-related prices, and weather conditions (Chesney, production requires a little more cost. But, in warm cli-
Gheyssens, & Taschini, 2013). mates, due to the high production cost in mushroom
production biogas production form SMC is not cost
effective.
9. Conclusion
The spent mushroom compost (SMC) with an annual Disclosure statement
production of 414,491.7 (tons.year−1 ) has a potential of No potential conflict of interest was reported by the
8690.8 (1000 m3 .year−1 ) methane production in Iran. authors.
The results of a lab-scale biogas production from SMC,
indicated that the cumulative biogas production at 35°C ORCID
and 55°C was 314.11 and 364.8 L/kg.VS, respectively. Sina Faizollahzadeh Ardabili http://orcid.org/0000-0002-
By considering the energy balance of biogas produc- 7744-7906
tion, the minimum permitted temperature for biogas
production was obtained to be −13.77 and +1.08°C References
at mesophilic and thermophilic production conditions,
Abdoli, M., & Pazekey, M. (2012). Potential of biomass energy
respectively. The results show that the produced biogas technologies in rural areas. Iran: Motahari Publication.
energy from the SMC in one period of production is Afazeli, H., Jafari, A., Rafiee, S., & Nosrati, M. (2014). An inves-
equal to 277.95 kW.h/ton at 35°C and 322.84 kW.h/ton tigation of biogas production potential from livestock and
at 55°C. slaughterhouse wastes. Renewable and Sustainable Energy
The study of sustainability and confidence of the Reviews, 34, 380–386.
Afsharzade, N., Papzan, A., Ashjaee, M., Delangizan, S., Van
system showed that the biogas production system can Passel, S., & Azadi, H. (2016). Renewable energy devel-
be sustainable at 35°C in all provinces of the country. opment in rural areas of Iran. Renewable and Sustainable
However, at a temperature of 55°C, there is no sustainable Energy Reviews, 65, 743–755.
condition in most of the provinces in the country. Agostini, A., Battini, F., Giuntoli, J., Tabaglio, V., Padella, M.,
July and August have the highest potential for the Baxter, D., . . . Amaducci, S. (2015). Environmentally sus-
tainable biogas? The key role of manure co-digestion with
methane production (1028.9 × 103 m3 and 1000.9 × 103
energy crops. Energies, 8(6), 5234–5265.
m3 , respectively) and January and December have the Agostini, A., Battini, F., Padella, M., Giuntoli, J., Baxter, D.,
lowest potential of methane production (395.8 × 103 m3 Marelli, L., & Amaducci, S. (2016). Economics of GHG emis-
and 451.7 × 103 m3 , respectively) in Iran. sions mitigation via biogas production from sorghum, maize
980 B. NAJAFI ET AL.

and dairy farm manure digestion in the Po valley. Biomass Fardad, K., Najafi, B., Ardabili, S. F., Mosavi, A., Shamshir-
and Bioenergy, 89, 58–66. band, S., & Rabczuk, T. (2018). Biodegradation of medicinal
American Public Health Association (APHA). (2011). Stan- plants waste in an anaerobic digestion reactor for biogas
dard methods for the determination of water and waste water. production.
Washington, DC: APHA. Fidanza, M. A., Sanford, D. L., Beyer, D. M., & Aurentz, D. J.
Azizi, A. (2008). Abstract of strategic plans to promote edible (2010). Analysis of fresh mushroom compost. HortTechnol-
mushrooms of research, training and agricultural organiza- ogy, 20(2), 449–453.
tion, Ministry of Agriculture. Fleming, R., & MacAlpine, M. (2006). Feasibility of process-
Bahrami, M., & Abbaszadeh, P. (2013). An overview of renew- ing spent mushroom substrate to recover additional value.
able energies in Iran. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Mushroom News-Kennett Square then Washington, 54(11), 6.
Reviews, 24, 198–208. Ghorashi, A. H., & Rahimi, A. (2011). Renewable and non-
Bahrami, M., & Abbaszadeh, P. (2016). Development a renewable energy status in Iran: Art of know-how and
scenario-based model for Iran’s energy future. Renewable technology-gaps. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,
and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 62, 963–970. 15(1), 729–736.
Beaves, R. G. (1988). Net present value and rate of return: Godfrey, B. (2004). Renewable energy: Power for a sustainable
Implicit and explicit reinvestment assumptions. The Engi- development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
neering Economist, 33(4), 275–302. Grujić, M., Dojnov, B., Potočnik, I., Duduk, B., & Vujčić, Z.
Ben Jebli, M., & Ben Youssef, S. (2015). The role of renewable (2015). Spent mushroom compost as substrate for the pro-
energy and agriculture in reducing CO2 emissions: Evidence duction of industrially important hydrolytic enzymes by
for North Africa countries. fungi Trichoderma spp. and Aspergillus niger in solid state
Beyer, D. (1999). Spent mushroom substrate. Online. mushroom fermentation. International Biodeterioration & Biodegrada-
spawn. cas. psu. edu/spent. htm. tion, 104, 290–298.
Budiyono, B., Seno, J., & Sunarso, S. (2009). Influence of inocu- Guo, M., Chorover, J., & Fox, R. H. (2001). Effects of
lum content on performance of anaerobic reactors for treat- spent mushroom substrate weathering on the chemistry
ing cattle manure using Rumen fluid inoculum. International of underlying soils. Journal of Environment Quality, 30(6),
Journal of Engineering and Technology, 1(3), 109–116. 2127–2134.
Chamy, R., & Vivanco, E. (2006). Biogas potential in Chile. Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, S. C., Coulon, F., Jiang, Y., & Wagland,
Bioenergy – I: From Concept to Commercial Processes. S. (2015). Rare earth elements and critical metal content of
Retrieved from https://dc.engconfintl.org/bioenergy_i/16. extracted landfilled material and potential recovery oppor-
Chesney, M., Gheyssens, J., & Taschini, L. (2013). Environmen- tunities. Waste Management, 42, 128–136.
tal finance and investments. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. Hamzeh, Y., Ashori, A., Mirzaei, B., Abdulkhani, A., & Molaei,
Cho, J. K., Park, S. C., & Chang, H. N. (1995). Biochemi- M. (2011). Current and potential capabilities of biomass
cal methane potential and solid state anaerobic digestion of for green energy in Iran. Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Korean food wastes. Bioresource Technology, 52(3), 245–253. Reviews, 15(9), 4934–4938.
Chong, C., & Rinker, D. L. (1994). Use of spent mushroom Heo, N. H., Park, S. C., & Kang, H. (2004). Effects of mixture
substrate for growing containerized woody ornamentals: An ratio and hydraulic retention time on single-stage anaero-
overview. Compost Science & Utilization, 2(3), 45–53. bic co-digestion of food waste and waste activated sludge.
Collection, U. N. T. (8 July 2016). Paris Agreement [Data set]. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, 39(7),
Derakhshan, S., & Nourbakhsh, A. (2008). Experimental study 1739–1756.
of characteristic curves of centrifugal pumps working as tur- Holman, J. P. (1972). Heat transfer. 3rd ed. New York, NY:
bines in different specific speeds. Experimental Thermal and McGraw-Hill.
Fluid Science, 32(3), 800–807. Incropera, F. P., & De Witt, D. P. (1985). Fundamentals of heat
dos Santos, I. F. S., Barros, R. M., & Tiago Filho, G. L. (2016). and mass transfer.
Electricity generation from biogas of anaerobic wastewater Kratky, L., Jirout, T., & Nalezenec, J. (2012). Lab-scale technol-
treatment plants in Brazil: An assessment of feasibility and ogy for biogas production from lignocellulose wastes. Acta
potential. Journal of Cleaner Production, 126, 504–514. Polytechnica, 52, 3.
Engineers, T. A. o. G. (2006). VDI 4630-Fermentation of Kulcu, R., Sönmez, İ, Yaldiz, O., & Kaplan, M. (2008). Com-
organic materials: Characterisation of the substrate, sam- posting of spent mushroom compost, carnation wastes,
pling, collection of material data, fermentation test. chicken and cattle manures. Bioresource Technology, 99(17),
Faizollahzadeh Ardabili, Najafi, B., Ghaebi, H., Shamshirband, 8259–8264.
S., & Mostafaeipour, A. (2017). A novel enhanced exergy Levanon, D., & Danai, O. (1995). Chemical, physical and
method in analysing HVAC system using soft computing microbiological considerations in recycling spent mush-
approaches: A case study on mushroom growing hall. Jour- room substrate. Compost Science & Utilization, 3(1), 72–79.
nal of Building Engineering, 13, 309–318. Li, T., Baležentis, T., Makutėnienė, D., Streimikiene, D., &
Fang, W., Zhang, P., Gou, X., Zhang, H., Wu, Y., Ye, J., & Zeng, Kriščiukaitienė, I. (2016). Energy-related CO2 emission in
G. (2016). Volatile fatty acid production from spent mush- European Union Agriculture: Driving forces and possibili-
room compost: Effect of total solid content. International ties for reduction. Applied Energy, 180, 682–694.
Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 113, 217–221. Liu, X., Gao, X., Wang, W., Zheng, L., Zhou, Y., & Sun,
Fardad, K. (2017). Producing biogas from medicinal plants Y. (2012). Pilot-scale anaerobic co-digestion of municipal
(MSc thesis). University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, biomass waste: Focusing on biogas production and GHG
Iran. reduction. Renewable Energy, 44, 463–468.
 ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTATIONAL FLUID MECHANICS 981

Long, J. H., Aziz, T. N., Francis, L., & Ducoste, J. J. (2012). Noorollahi, Y., Yousefi, H., Ehara, S., & Itoi, R. (2008). Geother-
Anaerobic co-digestion of fat, oil, and grease (FOG): A mal energy development in Iran. Presented at the Workshop
review of gas production and process limitations. Process for Decision Makers on Direct Heating Use of Geothermal
Safety and Environmental Protection, 90(3), 231–245. Resources in Asia.
Luo, W. H., Yuan, J., Luo, Y. M., Li, G. X., Nghiem, L. D., O’Shea, R., Wall, D., & Murphy, J. (2016). Modelling a demand
& Price, W. E. (2014). Effects of mixing and covering with driven biogas system for production of electricity at peak
mature compost on gaseous emissions during composting. demand and for production of biomethane at other times.
Chemosphere, 117, 14–19. Bioresource Technology, 216, 238–249.
Meng, L., Li, W., Zhang, S., Wu, C., & Lv, L. (2016). Feasibility of Raja, S. A., & Lee, C. L. R. (2012). Biomethanation of water
co-composting of sewage sludge, spent mushroom substrate hyacinth using additives under forced mixing in a bio reac-
and wheat straw. Bioresource Technology, 226, 39–45. tor. International Journal of Chemical Research, 2(4), 15–24.
Moghaddam, N. B., Mousavi, S. M., Nasiri, M., Moallemi, E. A., Reinelt, T., Liebetrau, J., & Nelles, M. (2016). Analysis of oper-
& Yousefdehi, H. (2011). Wind energy status of Iran: Evalu- ational methane emissions from pressure relief valves from
ating Iran’s technological capability in manufacturing wind biogas storages of biogas plants. Bioresource Technology, 217,
turbines. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 15(8), 257–264.
4200–4211. Rutz, D., Mergner, R., & Janssen, R. (2012). Sustainable heat use
Moreda, I. L. (2016). The potential of biogas production in of biogas plants. A Handbook, Biogas Heat, WIP Renewable
Uruguay. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 54, Energies, Munich, Germany.
1580–1591. Salminen, E. A., & Rintala, J. A. (2002). Semi-continuous anaer-
Mostafaeipour, A., & Abarghooei, H. (2008). Harnessing wind obic digestion of solid poultry slaughterhouse waste: Effect
energy at Manjil area located in North of Iran. Renewable and of hydraulic retention time and loading. Water Research,
Sustainable Energy Reviews, 12(6), 1758–1766. 36(13), 3175–3182.
Mshandete, A., Kivaisi, A., Rubindamayugi, M., & Mattiasson, Sathianathan, M. (1975). Bio-gas: Achievements & challenges:
B. (2004). Anaerobic batch co-digestion of sisal pulp and fish Association of Voluntary Agencies for Rural Development:
wastes. Bioresource Technology, 95(1), 19–24. distributors, Lakshmi Book Store.
Mudhoo, A., & Mohee, R. (2007). Overall heat transfer coeffi- Satyanarayan, S., & Murkute, P. (2008). Biogas production
cients in organic substrates composting. Journal of Environ- enhancement by Brassica compestries amendment in cattle
mental Informatics, 9(2), 87–99. dung digesters. Biomass and Bioenergy, 32(3), 210–215.
Nabavi-Pelesaraei, A., Bayat, R., Hosseinzadeh-Bandbafha, H., Secretariat, C. C. (2011). Report of the Conference of the Parties
Afrasyabi, H., & Chau, K.-w. (2017). Modeling of energy serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol on
consumption and environmental life cycle assessment for its seventh session, held in Durban from 28 November to 11
incineration and landfill systems of municipal solid waste December 2011: Bonn: Climate Change Secretariat.
management – A case study in Tehran Metropolis of Iran. Shrieves, R. E., & Wachowicz Jr, J. M. (2001). Free Cash Flow
Journal of Cleaner Production, 148, 427–440. (FCF), Economic Value Added (EVATM ), and Net Present
Najafi, B., & Faizollahzadeh Ardabili, S. (2018). Application of Value (NPV): A reconciliation of variations of Discounted-
ANFIS, ANN, and logistic methods in estimating biogas pro- Cash-Flow (DCF) valuation. The Engineering Economist,
duction from spent mushroom compost (SMC). Resources, 46(1), 33–52.
Conservation and Recycling, 133, 169–178. Statistical Center of Iran. (2017). Retrieved from http://amar.
Najafi, B., Faizollahzadeh Ardabili, S., Mosavi, A., Shamshir- org.ir.
band, S., & Rabczuk, T. (2018). An intelligent artificial neural Statistics of Agriculture Organization of Iran. (2014–2015).
network-response surface methodology method for access- Agricultural organization of Iran.
ing the optimum biodiesel and diesel fuel blending condi- U S Environmental protection Agency. (2001). Method
tions in a diesel engine from the viewpoint of exergy and 1684: Total, fixed and volatile solids in water, solids and
energy analysis. Energies, 11(4), 860. biodsolids.
Najafi, B., Faizollahzadeh Ardabili, S., Shamshirband, S., Chau, Uddin, W., Khan, B., Shaukat, N., Majid, M., Mujtaba, G.,
K.-w., & Rabczuk, T. (2018). Application of ANNs, ANFIS Mehmood, A., . . . Almeshal, A. M. (2016). Biogas poten-
and RSM to estimating and optimizing the parameters that tial for electric power generation in Pakistan: A survey.
affect the yield and cost of biodiesel production. Engineer- Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 54, 25–33.
ing Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics, 12(1), Uusitalo, V., Havukainen, J., Manninen, K., Höhn, J., Lehtonen,
611–624. E., Rasi, S., . . . Horttanainen, M. (2014). Carbon footprint
Najafi, G., Ghobadian, B., Tavakoli, T., & Yusaf, T. (2009). of selected biomass to biogas production chains and GHG
Potential of bioethanol production from agricultural wastes reduction potential in transportation use. Renewable Energy,
in Iran. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 13(6), 66, 90–98.
1418–1427. VDI4630. (2006). Fermentation of organic materials: Charac-
Noble, R., & Gaze, R. (1996). Preparation of mushroom (Agar- terisation of the substrate, sampling, collection of material
icus bisporus) composts in controlled environments: Factors data, fermentation test. VDI, Gesellschaft, Energietechnik,
influencing compost bulk density and productivity. Interna- The Association of German Engineers.
tional Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 37(1–2), 93–100. Wang, X., Yang, G., Feng, Y., Ren, G., & Han, X. (2012). Opti-
Noorollahi, Y., Kheirrouz, M., Asl, H. F., Yousefi, H., & mizing feeding composition and carbon–nitrogen ratios for
Hajinezhad, A. (2015). Biogas production potential from improved methane yield during anaerobic co-digestion of
livestock manure in Iran. Renewable and Sustainable Energy dairy, chicken manure and wheat straw. Bioresource Technol-
Reviews, 50, 748–754. ogy, 120, 78–83.
982 B. NAJAFI ET AL.

Williams, B., McMullan, J., & McCahey, S. (2001). An ini- Zhang, R., El-Mashad, H. M., Hartman, K., Wang, F., Liu,
tial assessment of spent mushroom compost as a potential G., Choate, C., & Gamble, P. (2007). Characterization of
energy feedstock. Bioresource Technology, 79(3), 227–230. food waste as feedstock for anaerobic digestion. Bioresource
Wisniewska, G., & Pankiewicz, T. (1989). Evaluation of the suit- Technology, 98(4), 929–935.
ability of spent mushroom substrate for tulip cultivation. Zhao, X.-I., Li, B.-q., Ni, J.-p., & Xie, D.-t. (2016). Effect of
Prace Instytutu Sadownictura kwiaciarstwa w skerniewicack, four crop straws on transformation of organic matter during
14, 7–13. sewage sludge composting. Journal of Integrative Agriculture,
Zhang, B., & Chen, B. (2016). Dynamic hybrid life cycle assess- 15(1), 232–240.
ment of CO2 emissions of a typical biogas project. Energy
Procedia, 104, 396–401.