COMPARISON OF THE COSTS OF DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS OF CONSTRUCTION OF INDIAN MODEL BIODIGESTORS

Abstract

The biodigester is effective in the treatment of organic waste and represents a good investment for any producer, with environmental and economic benefits that outweigh the implementation costs. To assist in the decision, this work aimed to compare the costs of different configurations of construction of Indian model biodigestors, considering the costs of materials in the construction of the digester tank and in the manufacture of the gasometer. The cost of biodigesters was estimated and the values ​​found can be adapted and used in any location. The financial analysis of the different configurations was performed by the capacity of converting swine manure into biogas compared to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and vehicular natural gas (CNG). The average payback time was calculated using the Simple Payback and Discounted Payback methods. The results showed higher cost for the biodigester in masonry with gasometer in steel plate and lower cost for the biodigester in ferrocement with gasometer in fiberglass. The gasometer built in steel plate contributed to the increase in the value of the investment and its replacement by fiberglass proved to be a good alternative. The financial viability regarding the return on invested capital was demonstrated in all biodigesters construction configurations. In addition to the biogas evaluated in this work, it is also necessary to consider the production of biofertilizer and the relevant gains in terms of social and environmental well-being, advantages that can be observed in any location where the biodigester is built.