Biogas Production from Fruit and Vegetable Solid Waste Co Digested with Sugar Mill Waste Sludge

Abstract

Biogas (methane) production from batch anaerobic digesters containing varying concentration of sugar industry wastewater sludge as inoculums and organic fruit and vegetable market solid waste as a substrate was experimentally studied in this research. It was observed that biogas production was optimized with batch anaerobic digestion of fruit and vegetable solid waste. It was carried out for 60 days at room temperature with untreated sugar industry wastewater sludge as an inoculums with the varying concentration 10%, 20% and 30% of the working volume (Weight) of substrate. The performance of reactors was evaluated by measuring the daily biogas production at the room temperature and pH was maintained in the range of 6.8 to7.3 respectively. The maximum cumulative methane production is 597.66 ml/gVS. The biogas yields at the end of the 60days total cumulative biogas for R1, R2 and R3 was obtained as 382.48ml/gVS, 552.66ml/gVS and 597.66ml/gVS respectively from the reactors. At the end of the 60 days total cumulative biogas for Rc(control) was obtained as 196.85ml/gVS. It was observed that the methane content of the biogas generated from the reactors was in the range of 47–56% in control reactor and that forR1, R2and R3 were 56-61%, 60-67% and 65-74% respectively.