Sustainable Waste Management: A Footpath Towards Biogas Production

Werelobari Marvellous Nnebue & Peace Oluwasomidotun Adewoye , Volume 5 Issue 1, July 2024 Pages 139-148, Published: 2024-06-11

Abstract

The paper explores sustainable waste management, by using anaerobic digestion to produce biogas from cow dung using agricultural wastes in Akure, Nigeria. The objective was to determine the potential biogas production by co-digesting cow manure with agricultural wastes such as yam peel, cassava peel, and maize husk as catalyst for biogas production. The biogas output from co-digesting cow dung with wastes such as yam peel, cassava peel, and maize husk was investigated using laboratory digesters. The data gathered over a 7-week period was analyzed statistically to reveal the impacts of the catalysis on biogas generation. A prototype using cassava peel and chicken dung for co-digestion was developed to calculate biogas output using a non-continuous feeding strategy. The study found that co-digesting crop waste and cow dung can have a positive economic impact by recovering energy and producing valuable compost. The total biogas yield after the period for yam peel with cow dung, maize husk with cow dung, cassava peel with cow dung and cow dung only were 487.20 ml, 316.7 ml, 99 ml, and 205.4 ml respectively with the highest being yam peel with cow dung. This approach is sustainable for managing agricultural waste, providing financial benefits like compost for increasing agricultural yields. Additionally, co-digestion could be a viable method for optimizing anaerobic digesters, enhancing renewable energy production and better municipal solid waste management. The recommendations emphasize the importance of stable pH levels, ideal C/N ratios, and precise co-substrate composition for improving anaerobic digester efficiency. Future studies should focus on renewable energy generation and waste treatment techniques. Collaboration between public and private sectors can provide resources for in-depth research, promoting sustainable waste management and renewable energy projects. Benefits include improved biogas production, waste management system advancements, anaerobic digestion understanding, and policies promoting renewable energy resources