Abstract
Production of biogas from crop wastes via the biological route is one of the most demanding and promising technologies for energy generation for sustainable development. The incorporation of photocatalytic pretreatment as a robust catalytic technique has been reported to enhance the overall efficiency of the anaerobic process. Rice husk has been pretreated using Indium Vanadate decorated Titania nanocomposite to enhance its biodegradability for biogas production. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the deformities and crevices that may support the role of the photocatalytic pretreatment in the subsequent anaerobic degradation process. FT-IR spectroscopy investigated the structural characteristics of pretreated and photolyzed rice husk samples. Gas chromatography was used to quantify the CH4 content of biogas yield after different treatments of rice husk. Photocatalytic pretreatment of rice husk showed 2.8 times higher cumulative biogas production than raw or untreated rice husk. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference between natural and pretreated rice husk biogas yield with a p-value of < 0.01. The results suggest that visible light active photocatalysis is an efficient pretreatment method that can facilitate the microbes to degrade the rigid rice husk for enhanced biogas production via the anaerobic digestion process.
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