REVIEW article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Bioprocess Engineering
Structural Improvement Towards the Efficiency of Biodigesters in the 21st Century: A Review of the Different Designs
Provisionally accepted
Takalani Nethavhanani*
Vhutshilo 1st Mountaineer Nekhubvi
Lutendo Michael MathomuNnditshedzeni Eric Maluta- University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
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Anaerobic biodigesters play a crucial role in the sustainable development of rural areas, managing waste and generating renewable energy. This review evaluates the development and performance of the fixed dome, floating drum, and tubular biodigesters, viz, shows how design improvements and operational strategies impact their efficiency. The original design of these traditional models was found to be restricted by microbial instability caused by climate fluctuations and operational disturbances. In response, modern designs incorporated specific adaptations, such as thermal control and feedstock optimization. The fixed dome model demonstrated improved durability and performance with solar heating and self-mixing capabilities that increase methane production and volatile solids removal. In contrast, floating drum digesters, which are constantly limited by corrosion and inconsistent yields, have been developed to incorporate plastic protective layers, integrated mixing shafts, and in-situ purification to achieve better methane concentrations and improved system efficiency. Affordable and adaptable tubular digesters with modular expansion capabilities, incorporating trench burial and greenhouse enclosures, have been designed to enhance affordability and mitigate the effects of climate change. The modifications increase methane production, process stability, and energy recovery. Biodigester performance and efficiency are fundamentally driven by design. Accordingly, the future adoption of anaerobic biodigesters will depend on locally adaptable and affordable systems supported by practical maintenance frameworks, as well as community awareness and training. Overall, recent design innovations have enabled a shift from climate-sensitive traditional models toward more durable, efficient, and adaptable digesters capable of stabilizing methane yield under variable operating conditions.
Keywords: Biodigesters, Biogas production, Digester efficiency, Digester operation, Fixed dome digester, Floating drum digesters, structural design, Tubular digester
Received: 14 Oct 2025; Accepted: 21 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Nethavhanani, Nekhubvi, Mathomu and Maluta. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Takalani Nethavhanani
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.