TITLE: Disclosing the hidden energy of biowaste – A laboratory for prototyping an anaerobic digester

DESCRIPTION: The initiative proposes a laboratory project work aimed at developing a small pilot for the production of biogas from biowastes, including the assembling a prototype equipped with all the relevant components as well as its operation, monitoring and control.
The aim of the initiative is to stimulate the collaborative work of the participants so that the various skills in Environmental Engineering, Process Engineering, Control Engineering and Information Technology involved in energy recovery technology are applied and integrated.
The teaching methodology is hinged on problem-based learning, having the prototyping as main operational tool. A multidisciplinary group of teachers guides the participants in the design and construction of:

  • a reactor for anaerobic digestion;
  • a real-time monitoring system capable of transmitting data to the cloud;
  • a logic and modulated control system capable of guaranteeing a proper behaviour of the chemical process;
  • a measuring system for produced biogas flowrate.

The initiative is structured over a period of three months (from March to May 2023), alternating phases of work with all the participants and phases of group work. In the latter case, each working group is in charge of a specific task (designing, building and testing one of the components of the prototype).

Two feedback and sharing moments between the groups of students are planned to verify the meeting of the activity goals, as well as to allow the sharing of the progresses among participants.

The entire initiative takes place at the Cremona Campus in the “Alberto Rozzi” Laboratory.

TO WHOM IT IS ADDRESSED: To all students owning basic knowledge and applicative skills on the involved disciplines (Environmental Engineering, Process Engineering, Control Engineering and information technology)

WHEN IT IS SCHEDULED: second semester

ENROLLMENT PERIOD: 21/12/2022 – 20/2/2023 (h 12:00)

For further details and enrollment see the course syllabus.