Effect of co-digestion on biogas production using poultry litter as feedstock

The demand for energy has been promptly increasing due to rapid growing world population and increased growth of industries. In the pursuit of renewable energy production, the anaerobic digestion of organic wastes was a proved technology that is shaping up to be the one of the reliable source of alternate energy. Even though the anaerobic digestion is an effective method of renewable energy production there are a few factors that inhibit biogas production using poultry litter as a feedstock. Among the various factors the low carbon nitrogen ratio of the poultry litter is the important factor. The C/N of the feed can be increased by co-digestion with the carbon rich biomass feedstock. In this research the inhibiting factors of anaerobic digestion can be eliminated through the co-digestion of the poultry litter with water hyacinth in the batch type digesters. Initial samples placed within two batch type reactors. Namely, pure poultry droppings, poultry droppings and water hyacinth in a 1:0.25 ratio. Batch type production of these samples at mesophilic conditions of 30 – 40 C and a pH of 6.8-7.2 a constant increase of 15% in biogas production by co-digestion. The carbon nitrogen ratio of the poultry litter can be increased by the addition of water hyacinth which provides ample atmosphere for the anaerobic microorganisms. Through this research we can ensure that the biogas production can be enhanced by codigestion of the feedstock. By adopting the biogas technology the rural population can be self-sufficient when it comes to energy generation and usage. Keywords— co-digestion, water hyacinth, C/N ratio, ammonia formation, ammonia nitrogen