Review of the use of aerobic thermophilic bioprocesses for the treatment of swine waste

For 40 years, aerobic thermophilic (AT) processes have been presented as a possible way of treating liquid manure, especially swine wastes. If they are well designed, bioreactors can be self-heating and a temperature up to 75 °C (but preferably in the 55–65 °C range) can be reached. Claimed benefits are the efficient destruction of pathogens, the simplicity of the process, its robustness, a higher reaction rate (and consequently smaller bioreactors), the conservation of nitrogen and the possibility of heat recovery. However, there are very few examples of implementation of AT technologies for this particular application. The aim of this review is to present the knowledge that has been acquired over the last 40 years through experimentations of AT processes with livestock wastes.