What is a Biodigester? Biodigester for Solid Waste Management

What is a Biodigester? Biodigester for Solid Waste Management

What is a Biodigester?

A Biodigester is typically a tank that digests organic material biologically.

A biodigester Tank is a biodegradation tank that digests solid organic waste via an anaerobic process producing water and methane gas.

Meriam Webster dictionary defines a biodigester as;

it is a system in which the digestion of organic waste matter by bacteria occurs with the production of burnable biogas and a nutrient-rich slurry.

This anaerobic process takes place in a digester tank where bacteria convert the waste into water and methane. The composition of the gases produced by this biodigester type is about 60% Methane, 30% Carbon Dioxide.

Water leaves the tank for re-use in other places. The bacteria used are anaerobic. This means that they can survive in places where there is no oxygen. Besides, they procreate and multiply themselves. For this reason, the systems don’t require another dosing.

However, for a Biodigester to produce enough methane to make it practical for cooking alone, it would require all the household waste and toilet waste plus more manure from large farm animals.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that an average biodigester tank produces 25.5 g of methane per user per day, which is not enough to cook a one-pot evening meal. As most UK households do not keep cattle or pigs, small scale Biodigesters are not practical in the many homesteads.

Biodigesters are, however, superb solutions for rural-urban communities, towns, and cities used for human waste management.

In rural areas, biodigesters are built-in settlements where there is adequate animal manure for the sole purpose of producing biogas.

 Biodigester Solution For Human Waste Management

A biodigester does not need frequent exhausting because solid waste is broken down and converted to water. The water leaves through an outlet or percolates to the ground. Bacteria in use work under a different range of temperature. A colorless and odorless gas, commonly known as biogas, is generated.

The concept intends to address sanitation challenges facing most people in rural areas and many schools.

Biodigester Toilet Design

A biodigester toilet is a modern way to manage and control human waste. It is eco-friendly and maintenance-free. It is most common in schools and several individual residences, mostly in rural areas.

Many people are replacing the traditional awful pit latrines and septic tanks with the modern biodigester toilets. The work involves constructing a biodigester based on the number of users or number of household members. of the toilet is done locally.

Bacteria in the systems decompose the waste and turn it to a boil. A boil is a liquid rich in organic fertilizer. Besides, it is odorless, free from pathogens, and perfect for agriculture.

However, ensure that the person you hire to set up a biodigester is qualified and with the necessary skill. Checking for a license and a portfolio as poor installations can be catastrophic.

The toilets have a protruding ventilation unit. Ventilation ensures that they remain odorless as decomposition takes place. The ventilation system in some toilet includes a fan which uses wind energy. Most toilets have translucent roof material to allow adequate light inside. The toilets do not need water as well. As a result, it reduces the power and water bill.

 The toilet is friendlier to children, unlike the old pit latrines that were prone to accidents. In design, the loo is never to be full. After installing a bio-toilet, you don’t dig another after a few years, unlike in latrines.

 Biodigester for Solid Waste Management

Disposal of human waste in urban areas with no access to the sewer line is a significant concern. Biodigester could be the best solution to take care of the disposal of human waste.

The biodigesters have been extensively fitted in different areas across the county and have proven to be very useful.

Biodigesters are suitable for solid waste biodegradation. In addition to human excreta, kitchen waste, and animal waste disposal

The technology uses Anaerobic Digestion to break down the waste matter.

Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material without oxygen.

The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels.

Much of the fermentation used industrially to produce food and drink products, and home fermentation uses anaerobic digestion.