Energy Management of a Solar-Biogas-Electric Hybrid Dryer for Animal Manure Processing
Received: 30 June 2025 | Revised: 17 August 2025 | Accepted: 2 September 2025 | Online: 8 December 2025
Corresponding author: Thanwit Naemsai
Abstract
Animal manure serves as a cost-effective fertilizer in Thailand, but the pelleting process is energy intensive. To reduce the reliance on unsustainable energy sources, this study developed and evaluated a Solar Biogas Electric Hybrid Dryer (SBEHD) system. Existing solar and biogas dryers use batch systems and lack the energy management required for continuous manure processing. The developed SBEHD system includes an infrared heater, a 5 mm polycarbonate greenhouse cover for heat retention, and a biogas burner. The system's drying kinetics and energy flow were optimized to within 4.00 m by 3.00 m. The drying process occurred in two stages: an initial drying of the raw manure and a subsequent drying of the pelletized product. During the daytime, the raw manure's drying performance was evaluated under three scenarios, a Solar-Biogas System (SBS), a Solar Electric System (SES), and a combined Solar Biogas Electric System (SBES). At night, a Biogas Electric System (BES) was employed to dry the pelletized manure. The SBEHD's design was informed by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling, and the experimental results demonstrated high drying performance with an efficiency of 37.9% and a specific energy consumption of 4.67 kWh/kg. This process reduced the manure's Moisture Content (MC) to 40% and 25% (wet basis) over a 9-h period. An economic analysis indicates strong commercial potential with an impressive Payback Period (PP) of just 1.3 years. These findings position the SBEHD as a key innovation for sustainable Thai agriculture, promoting the renewable energy and creating valuable fertilizer from waste.
Keywords:
solar energy, biogas, management, hybrid dryer, animal manureDownloads
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Copyright (c) 2025 Arthit Sawatdiraksa, Pennung Inthararak, Jaruwat Jareanjit, Thanwit Naemsai
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