Système de chauffage pour poussins à biogaz issu des fientes de poules : étude de cas d’une ferme avicole à Yaokokoroko (Côte d’Ivoire)

A Biogas-powered heating system for chicks using poultry manure: A case study of a poultry farm in Yaokokoroko (Côte d'Ivoire) Poultry farms in eastern Côte d’Ivoire produce a significant amounts of poultry litter, which is often underutilized. At the same time, the poultry sector faces a major energy challenge in brooding chicks. Currently, some rural farmers rely on charcoal, a practice that is harmful to the environment. This study aims to propose a sustainable alternative to traditional heating in poultry farming. It involves a heating system for chicks powered by biogas produced from the anaerobic digestion of chicken droppings. The purified biogas is compressed using an air compressor and then channeled to infrared radiant heaters installed in the brooding chambers. These heaters warm the chicks through infrared radiation. Temperature and relative humidity sensors monitor the thermal and hygrometric conditions of the room. During the October 2022 experiment, daily biogas production reached 6.83 m³, with a maximum H₂S concentration of 4 ppm, well below the toxicity threshold of 10 ppm. This concentration was measured using electrochemical sensors, and H₂S was removed via adsorption on activated carbon, an effective and commonly used method for biogas purification. This system successfully provided heating for 25,000 chicks, housed in six 84 m² brooding chambers. The thermal energy from the biogas was efficiently used to maintain a stable temperature, which is crucial for chick growth during the early brooding stage. Keywords: Anaerobic digestion; Poultry litter; Biogas; Chick heating system.