A method to characterize the influence of air distribution on the composting treatment: monitoring of the thermal fields

F. Hénon (1) , A. Trémier (1) , Gérald Debenest (2) , J.L. Martel (3) , Michel Quintard (2)

1 UR GERE - Gestion environnementale et traitement biologique des déchets
2 IMFT - Institut de mécanique des fluides de Toulouse
3 SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT (FRANCE)

In a composting process the monitoring of heat flows is a useful tool in terms of phenomenological comprehension and diagnosis of the process. Indeed, the temperature fields are generic markers of the micro-biological phenomena governing a composting process. Moreover, as heat flows are largely influenced by the air flowing through the porous solid waste, the temperature fields also characterize the influence of the air flow distribution on the composting process. However, at the industrial scale, it may be difficult to measure precisely the temperature distribution. In this paper, an in situ experimental data acquisition method of these thermal fields is described. Obtained data were used to reconstruct the evolution of the temperature in the whole composting reactor along the industrial composting process, in order to understand the influence of the air flow distribution. On the basis of these results, a model for the description of the thermal behaviour and the optimization of the aeration system was proposed.

Mots clés: COMPOSTAGE; MODELISATION; CONTROLE DE FLUX; FLUX THERMIQUE; COMPOSTING; TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION; MODELLING

Domaines: Sciences de l'environnement

F. Hénon, A. Trémier, Gérald Debenest, J.L. Martel, Michel Quintard. A method to characterize the influence of air distribution on the composting treatment: monitoring of the thermal fields. Global Nest Journal, 2009, 11 (2), p. 172 - p. 180. ⟨hal-00455616⟩