A thermophilic digester or thermophilic biodigester is a kind of
biodigester
Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels. Much of the ferment ...
that operates in temperatures range 50 °C (122 °F) to 60 °C (140 °F) producing
biogas
Biogas is a gaseous renewable energy source produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste, Wastewater treatment, wastewater, and food waste. Biogas is produced by anaerobic ...
.
It has some advantages: it does not need agitation and is faster in fermentation than a
mesophilic digester. In fact, it can be as much as six to ten times faster than a normal biodigester. The problem is that for use in this biodigester, the source must enter at high temperature.
Vinasse is produced at more than 70 °C (158 °F) and can be used in this kind of biodigester. For each unit of volume of ethanol, about eight units of vinasse are produced. In Brazil, this kind of biodigester is used to process
vinasse as a cheap source of
methane
Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The abundance of methane on Earth makes ...
.
References
Anaerobic digester types
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