Mass Transfer in Porous Media

In this contribution, a constitutive model based on the macromechanical Theory of Porous Media (TPM) for a saturated thermo elastic porous body has been developed. The body under investigation consists of an organic and inorganic moisturized phases and a gas phase. Based on a consistent thermomechanical treatment, the governing equations and constitutive equations will be given. Thus, we obtain a mathematical concept describing the motion of the solid phase, the pressure of the gas phase, the temperature of the mixture and the biodegradation of organic material into a gas mixture of methane and carbon dioxide produced by bacterial decomposition during stable methane fermentation (biogas). (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)