PRODUCTION OF BIOGAS FROM ORGANIC WASTE

ABSTRACT

In Nigeria, the scarcity of petroleum products, particularly kerosene, has become a major concern. As a result, biogas technology has received significant interest. This study focused on producing biogas from cow manure and food waste. The food waste, which consisted of equal parts corn cobs and plantain peels, was obtained from the University of Benin in Benin City, while the cow dung was taken from the Uselu Slaughter House. These items were used as feedstock for the anaerobic digestion process, which produced biogas. The goal was to optimize biogas generation by combining high caloric feedstock with anaerobic microorganisms. The proximate study showed that both feedstocks contained a variety of energyyielding nutrients. The study discovered a fall in pH values as bacteria created acids in the digester. This decline occurred more quickly in the cow dung slurry, which became acidic by the fourth day, than in the combined waste slurry, which became acidic by the twelfth day. The data revealed the amount of biogas produced over multiple days for the various slurries. As demonstrated by the declining pH values, gas generation increased initially before decreasing as the acid concentration grew. This effect was more pronounced in the combined waste slurry than the cow dung slurry. The findings demonstrated that acid content has a significant impact on biogas production. As a result, the combined waste slurry generated more gas than the cow dung slurry, because food waste contains more nutrients than dung. This study found that combining cow dung and food waste can improve the efficiency of biogas generation