Integrated Methodological Framework for Small-Scale Anaerobic Biodigesters: Traceability Between Design, Operation, and Sustainability

Vargas R.A.M.; Alvarez Y.C.; Jiménez Borges R.; Carrera L.A.I.; Sevilla-Camacho P.Y.; Robles-Ocampo J.B.; Rodríguez-Reséndiz J. · AgriEngineering (2026) · DOI: 10.3390/agriengineering8070285

Resumen

Small-scale anaerobic digestion offers a decentralized pathway for organic waste recovery; however, its performance is often evaluated through fragmented modules that do not ensure formal traceability between design, operation, sustainability assessment, and decision-making. This study proposes an integrated five-stage methodological framework—diagnosis, design, operational control, economic-environmental assessment, and decision-making validation with feedback—whose ACT (Acceptance–Control–Traceability) decision block applies three sequential filters: data-quality control ((Formula presented.)), multivariable operational stability ((Formula presented.)), and comprehensive sustainability verification ((Formula presented.) : (Formula presented.), (Formula presented.), (Formula presented.), and (Formula presented.)). A phased bibliographic mapping of 48 references confirmed the modular structure of the state of the art:60.4% address operation/optimization and 39.6% address economic-environmental evaluation, whereas only 2.1% incorporate a formal decision closure. The framework was inductively derived from two Peruvian case studies: Chillón, as a structural-predictive reference, and Huaycán, focused on active pH–EC control through stoichiometric NaHCO∗3 dosing. It was then prospectively evaluated on an independent 200-L co-digestion prototype in Lurín. The Lurín reactor delivered a mean biogas production of 96.9 L,d−1, a methane fraction of 54.2%, and a specific methane yield of 177.4 L,CH∗4,kgVS−1; nevertheless, the ACT decision yielded (Formula presented.), classifying the system as not validated (Type A failure) due to ionic drift and thermal variability. Although the co-product scenario showed conditionally positive economic ((Formula presented.)) and environmental ((Formula presented.) kgCO2eq/a) indicators, (Formula presented.) could not be evaluated because Stage 1 territorial inputs ((Formula presented.), (Formula presented.)) were undefined. By rejecting a system that a fragmented modular assessment would have classified as viable, the framework demonstrates the practical value of enforcing operational-stability verification before any sustainability claim and prescribes targeted feedback to Stage 3 for ionic and thermal management.

Instituciones: Universidad Tecnológica del Perú