Treatment of swine excrements by anaerobic bio-digestion

Abstract

Swine-breeding is a highly appreciated economic activity in Brazilian agribusiness. However, the production of great amounts of effluents at high pollution rates is impairment for growth. Current study contextualizes the environmental, economic and sanitary importance for the treatment of swine excrement and forwards the technology of anaerobic bio-digestion applied to this end. Anaerobic bio-digestion is an efficient alternative for the treatments of such wastes. The employment of bio-digesters enhances a milieu with anaerobic conditions that makes possible the development of hydrolytic, acidogenic, acetogenic and methanogenic bacteria that degrade organic matter and the recycling of nutrients, coupled to the production of value-aggregating byproducts such as biogas and bio-fertilizer, with positive environmental, sanitary, economic and social advantages.