Fast prediction of the methane potential of solid waste by Near Infrared Spectroscopy
Résumé
The main objective of this study is to predict the Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) value of Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) and other wastes spectrally close to MSW using Near Infra-Red (NIR) Spectroscopy. A Partial Least Square (PLS) model is developed to predict the methane potential of different municipal solid wastes faster (i.e., in less than 1 day) than the traditional BMP test (which lasts for about 30 days). Our results clearly show the feasibility of this method with an uncertainty very close to the one obtained with the BMP test, respectively 61 and 51 ml CH4.g-1 of Volatile Solid. This new method can be used in order to improve the management of the anaerobic digester by predicting faster the biodegradability of a waste. A careful analysis of the spectra can also be used to characterize the waste and to improve co-digestion strategies (e.g., optimisation of the feedstock management, minimisation of low strength substrate addition, …).