Abstract
The process dynamics of anaerobic digestion of municipal solid waste (MSW) in a batch bioreactor for the production of biogas has been analysed. An anaerobic batch digester was designed for the treatment of MSW in Port Harcourt metropolis, Nigeria, while at the same time generate biogas as a useful by-product. In the course of the design, the biochemical behaviour of the MSW in batch processing was investigated and analysed. Mathematical models were developed to describe the behaviour of the waste using material balance analysis. The models were validated by the formulation of a Microsoft Visual Basic Version 6.0 programme to simulate the digestion process for a fractional conversion of 0.2-0.8 and Total solids (TS) concentration of 4-30%. The results were analysed using Microsoft Chart Editor and showed that the fractional conversion has various levels of effect on other process parameters like the mean cell residence time, substrate and microbial concentrations and the volume of biogas/methane produced.
Highlights
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) load in Port Harcourt metropolis, Nigeria increases at a hyper-geometric rate
∴ (d[ X ] / dt)Vbd = [μm[S][ X ] /(Ks + [S])]Vbd − kd [ X ]Vbd or d[ X ] / dt = μm[S][ X ] /(Ks + [S]) − kd [ X ]. This represents the mass balance for the mass of microorganisms in the batch reactor. (b) Material balance for total substrate utilization The material balance for the total substrate utilization in a batch process is given as; (24a) (24b)
As the population of Port Harcourt metropolis, Nigeria increases at a rapid rate, the management of municipal solid waste can no longer continue on the usual pedestrian level of mere collection and disposal in very inappropriate manners
Summary
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) load in Port Harcourt metropolis, Nigeria increases at a hyper-geometric rate. In 2006 the per capita MSW generation was 1.11kg/person/day (Igoni, Ayotamuno, Ogaji and Probert, 2007). There are no engineered landfills for disposal, so borrow pits are used This improper management of the waste results in huge deposits of refuse along streets and major roads in the city, causing obstruction to human and vehicular traffic and blocking of drain channels, leading to flooding. They elicit offensive odours, destroy road infrastructure and cause pollution of ground water, especially when the waste is not treated before disposal
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