ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF BIOGAS CH4 PRODUCED FROM CROP RESIDUES IN THE CANTON OF LA MANÁ AS A RENEWABLE ENERGY ALTERNATIVE

Biogas is an important renewable energy source that contributes to reducing dependence on fossil fuels and offers sustainable on fossil fuels and offers sustainable solutions for organic waste management. organic waste management. However, there are few studies and applications of anaerobic digestion anaerobic digestion in cocoa-producing areas in the province of Cotopaxi. in the province of Cotopaxi, Ecuador. The objective of this research is to the energy efficiency of the biogas obtained from the anaerobic digestion of cocoa anaerobic digestion of cocoa shells, by evaluating the physicochemical parameters of the process. the physicochemical parameters of the process and the methane (CH4) content in the final product. content in the final product. The biogas produced revealed similar characteristics to other studies reported in the literature, with a ratio of 39.5 L biogas kg-1 of organic waste and an average methane concentration in the biogas of 58.77%. 58,77%. The equivalent CH4 production of 23.21L CH4 kg-1 of organic waste. Equivalent energy calculations showed that the biogas produced annually calculations showed that the biogas produced annually can replace 131 cylinders of LPG cylinders or 25.67 MWh of electrical energy. These results indicate the feasibility of These results indicate the feasibility of using cocoa crop residues as a substrate for biogas production in the growing areas. biogas production in the cultivation areas and as an alternative for the proper management of organic waste organic waste generated by these agricultural activities.