SOLAR HEATING SYSTEM USING PARABOLIC COLLECTOR FOR THERMAL OPTIMUM CONDITIONS OF BIOGAS PRODUCTION IN WINTER

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Agric. Engineering Dept., Fac. of Agric., Ain Shams Univ., P.O. Box 68, Hadyek Shoubra 11241, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

The aim of this study is to enhance the fermentation temperature inside the digester by supplying the required thermal energy to be within the desired optimum range (mesophilic range) for biogas production during winter “cold days”. Two 50 L digesters were used in the experiment that was conducted at Solar Energy Laboratory, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Cairo. One is a treatment digester and the other is a control digester. The treatment digester is thermally enhanced by a parabolic trough collector, while the control digester operated at the ambient temperature. The experiment was conducted through December 2018 and January 2019. The results show that the average temperature in the control digester through the experiment was 21.5°C, while in the treatment digester it was 27.08°C. This means that the parabolic trough collector enhanced the fermentation temperature in the treatment digester by 20.6%. The total biogas yield of the control digester and the treatment digester was 9684.7 mL/kg. T.S. and 24649.69 mL/kg. T.S. respectively. By comparing both productivities, it was found that the productivity of the treatment digester was 2.5 times more than the productivity of the control digester.  
 

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