Study of internal and external temperatures and their influence on covered lagoon digester performance

Thermal Exchanges in a Covered Lagoon Biodigester Treating Pig Farm Effluent Heated by Solar Energy

“…In Brazil, covered lagoon biodigesters (CLB) have been increasingly used in treatment of agro-industrial effluents due to their low technological demand and because they fit within investment conditions of producers of different sizes (Sousa et al, 2022;Cheng et al, 2018). The stabilization of organic matter in these reactors occurs through anaerobic conditions, but process speed and efficiency can be influenced by different factors (Náthia-Neves et al, 2018).…”

“…According to Deng et al (2016), mesophilic anaerobic digestion (with internal temperatures between 30 and 35°C) affects the economic viability of biodigesters for organic matter degradation. However, most full-scale systems operate at ambient temperature, compromising treatment efficiency and biogas production (Sousa et al, 2022). Given this scenario, new alternatives have been proposed to optimize anaerobic reactors, such as effluent heating using internal and external sources.…”

“…Hence, the analysis of temperature behavior and heat exchanges between a reactor and its surrounding environment is of great relevance, as it allows for a more detailed study of interactions both inside and outside the system (Tápparo et al, 2021). This enables identifying operating conditions for systems that result in greater utilization of solar radiation, lower heat losses to the external environment, increased microbial activity rate, optimization of treatment, and selection of materials with more favorable thermal properties (Sousa et al, 2022).…”