Biogas Production From Lignocellulosics Materials: Co-Digestion Of Corn Cobs, Groundnut Shell And Sheep Dung

Abstract

: The rising cost in the price of fossils fuels in Nigeria and the world at large with its attendant negative impact on our environment necessitate the need for exploring the potentials of lignocelluloses materials. This research paper presents biogas production from an agricultural biomass comprising of corncobs, groundnut shells and sheep dung using fabricated Bio-digesters A and B. Proximate and ultimate analysis of the samples were carried out before digestion which include bulk density, moisture contents, total solids, ash contents, volatile matter, fixed carbon, net calorific values, hydrogen contents, nitrogen contents, and protein contents. Powdered sheep dung and groundnut shells mixed ratio of 5 (w/w) with 12kg of water feed into 20 litres Bio-digester A; while powdered sheep dung, groundnut shells and corn cobs mixed ratio of 1:1:1 (weight basis) with 15kg of water and feed into 20 litres bio-digester B. The slurries in both digesters occupies 75% of the total volume, they were subjected to anaerobic digestion for 30 days retention period. The results obtained have shown that the pH was within 4.0-9.4 and the temperature was within Mesophilic temperature ranges of 19-48^oC. The Bio-digester A gave a cumulative bio-gas of 1386cm³ with estimated daily production of 46.20cm³ and Bio-digester B gave a cumulative bio-gas of 2811cm³ with estimated daily production of 93.7cm³. It is therefore encouraging that biomass wastes can be harness for energy production due to their relative abundance and processing environmental friendliness.