Characterization of Mixing by CFD Simulation and Optimization of Mixing Frequency to Break Scum and Enhance Methane Yield in Chinese Dome Digester

Abstract The Chinese dome digester (CDD) is a low-cost and the most popular anaerobic digester that is used for the treatment of organic waste such as food waste and cow dung. However, the main challenge of CDD is scum formation due to inadequate mixing intensity. This study explores computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to characterize mixing in CDD and the effects of mixing frequency (0, 4, 6, and 8 times per day) on the performance of semicontinuous anaerobic digestion to break scum and enhance methane yield. The flow field simulation on a lab-scale CDD by Ansys Fluent (v.19.2), a finite volume solver, estimated that 45% of CDD working volume was occupied by dead zones which could nurture scum. The simulation results elicited the optimization of mixing frequency. Four CDDs were operated to investigate the optimum mixing frequency. The average scum thickness for the non-mixed digester was 2 ± 0.1 cm compared to 0.2 ± 0.1, 0.8 ± 0.1, and 1.3 ± 0.2 cm for the mixed digesters (4, 6, and 8 times per day, respectively). The average methane yields for 0, 4, 6, and 8 times per day were 206 ± 191, 602 ± 87, 555 ± 59, and 492 ± 109 mL g-VS −1 , respectively. Four times per day was the optimum mixing frequency and the energy required to break scum was 6.1 ± 0.3 Joules per mixing cycle. This study proves that by optimizing the mixing frequency in CDD, scum formation can be controlled without additional investment cost.