Methane Emission Estimation From Apple Pomace

Abstract

India has around 500 apple processing industries which are responsible for production of variety of juices and 1.3 million tones of apple pomace annually. A rapid increase in the production of juices and ciders has generated a large amount of apple pomace but now its disposal is becoming a huge problem. Apple pomace is about 25% of its original mass and is a rich source of pectin, carbohydrates, crude fiber and also contains small fractions of minerals, proteins and vitamins. Therefore, it is often utilized as animal feed or as fertilizer. The production of apple pomace as a by-product offers a wide range of alternative substrates. Several attempts have shown its big potential in renewable energy i.e. in production of bio ethanol (by solid state fermentation), biogas (by process of anaerobic digestion) and other value added by- products such as organic acids (by solid state fermentation), biopolymers (by submerged and solid state fermentation), hetero polysaccharides, aroma compounds etc. The production of fungal chitosan which is a biopolymer can be done with apple pomace which has huge applications in tissue engineering, medical devices, pharmaceutical industries etc. But, it is used as animal feedstock or thrown away in waste dumps and landfills resulting in anaerobic degradation and production of methane and carbon dioxide which are greenhouse gases. Methane is 25 times more potent in trapping heat and increasing earth’s temperature when compared to CO₂. Therefore, IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) gives different methods for estimating CH₄ emissions and global warming potential. IPCC default method was used in estimating CH₄ emission from 5 different states of India and 20 different countries of the world and results were analyzed. Our main focus is finding the CH₄ emission and global warming potential from apple pomace which will further help to promote a more systematic and non- expendable conduction of this under- utilized and overgrowing waste. Usage of methane by recovery will help in reducing the effects of climate change and simultaneously increasing energy security, enhancing economy, growth and improving air quality. All of which will finally contribute to integrated apple pomace waste management, methane recovery and food economy.