CFD modelling and simulation of anaerobic digestion reactors for energy generation from organic wastes: A comprehensive review

Farid MU, Olbert IA, Bück A, Ghafoor A, Wu G (2025)

Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2025

Journal

Heliyon Elsevier

Book Volume: 11

Article Number: e41911

Journal Issue: 2

DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e41911

Open Access Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e41911

Abstract

Anaerobic digestion (AD) has been recognized as one of the most viable options for the treatment of a wide range of waste materials. Complex structure of wastes is safely broken down to destroy pollutants and pathogens. Biogas is produced as a by-product of this process which is considered as a clean energy resource. However, provision of controlled environment for microbial activities is critical to ensure the required process efficiency. This can only be achieved with the efficient design of controlled vessels used for anaerobic digestion, termed as AD reactors. AD functions such as mixing, hydrodynamics, multiphase interaction, heat transfer, temperature distribution and bio kinetics are significantly affected by the reactor shape, design and configurations, hence making it essential to optimize the reactor design before installation at large scale. Mostly, such optimization is carried out with the help of lab scale experimentations and testing protocols which result in high costs for repeating several design experiments. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is an applied mathematical tool which helps to understand and predict the fluid dynamics, heat flow as well as species transport in different domains. This approach contributes to minimize the experimental costs while optimizing the reactor configurations in less time. The current review is presented to summarize and discuss the core characteristics of AD process followed by concerned CFD attributes. Research gaps and critical challenges are identified in different aspects such as reactor design, and configuration, mixing, multiphase flow, heat transfer, biokinetics as well as machine learning approaches.

Authors with CRIS profile

Muhammad Usman Farid Lehrstuhl für Interfaces und Partikeltechnologie (LFG) Andreas Bück Professur für Partikeltechnik

Involved external institutions

University of Galway (NUIG) / Ollscoil na Gaillimhe IE Ireland (IE) University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) PK Pakistan (PK)

How to cite

APA:

Farid, M.U., Olbert, I.A., Bück, A., Ghafoor, A., & Wu, G. (2025). CFD modelling and simulation of anaerobic digestion reactors for energy generation from organic wastes: A comprehensive review. Heliyon, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e41911

MLA:

Farid, Muhammad Usman, et al. "CFD modelling and simulation of anaerobic digestion reactors for energy generation from organic wastes: A comprehensive review." Heliyon 11.2 (2025).

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