PRODUCTION OF BIOGAS USING COW DUNG AND PALM OIL MILL EFFLUENT

ABSTRACT

Energy is the key ingredient to any economic activity. Increasing demand of energy due to rapid population and industrial growth has led to the development of palm oil mill effluent (POME) as the source of sustainable bio-energy. Hence this research was carried out to investigate the possibility of biogas production from a cheap raw material like cow dung and palm oil mill effluent using laboratory scale digester. Fresh cow dung and palm oil mill effluent were collected from cattle yard and Agric engineering unit in NIFOR. The samples were collected with a clean plastic container and covered immediately, thereafter taken to the laboratory for further analysis. Six (6) set of 1000 ml Bunchner flask was used as digesters. Three (3) pair digesters labeled A B and C with equal concentration of the cow dung, palm oil mill effluent and their mixture was poured into the digesters. The digesters was covered with rubber bung to prevent leakages and connected with delivery tube which conveys the gas from the digesters to 1000 ml measuring cylinder for a period of 51 days. The results obtained from this study shows that the highest total volume of biogas produced from the mixture of cow dung and palm oil mill effluent was 1000.0 cm3 at ambient temperature on day 50. Followed by palm oil mill effluent with a total volume of 1000.0 cm3 biogas produced at ambient temperature on day 27. While cow dung produced 700.0 cm3 total volume of biogas at ambient temperature on day 51. The differences in total biogas production for the different treatments were significant (p<0.05). The findings of the study show that cow dung and palm oil mill effluent could be used as a suitable substrate for biogas production.