Study of Biogas Production from Food Waste Using Anaerobic Digestion

Abstract

The primary goal of this research is to look at the feasibility of food waste biomass (fruits and vegetables) to produce biogas by anaerobic digestion. This study demonstrated the possibility of utilizing sludge and cow manure in energy production rather than being a source of pollution and treating it in natural ways. This study compares inoculums (tap water, 1:1 cows’ manure, tap water slurry, and sewage sludge) for the best methane yield with weight ratios 1:1, 1:2, and 2:1 food waste: inoculum. Temperature varied from room temperature to 55⸰C to determine the best operating conditions for methane production. The volatility of fatty acids (VFAs) and pH were measured during the experimental work. The results concluded that the cows’ manure slurry and the sludge were more effective in increasing the pH than tape water, which ranged from 6.15 to 6.47 and from 5.53 to 6.47 for cow manure and sludge respectively. At the same time, tap water did not increase the pH more than 5.7 and did not produce any gas. In general, some mixtures gave results, but with low methane production. However, the best amount of made methane 4.44 % was obtained using a mix of food wastes and cows’ manure slurry at a mixing ratio of 1:1, at a temperature of 42⸰C. To enhance the methane concentration, it is necessary to improve the operating conditions represented by the use of a semi-batch reactor and control the pH and other parameters.