Evaluation of sugarcane vinasse and maize stalks for anaerobic digestion

Abstract

Sugar cane vinasse and maize stalks waste disposal poses serious challenges to the environment. However, anaerobic digestion is an attractive treatment method for these wastes. The current study therefore established the suitability of theses wastes for anaerobic digestion. Specifically, the study aimed at characterizing the substrates and anaerobic digestion of the substrates. The raw materials were collected from Muhoroni Sugar Company and Uasin-Gishu county maize farms, respectively. The pH, moisture content, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total solids (TS), total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), total organic carbon (TOC), nitrogen content, and CN ratio were determined based on standard methods. Experiment setups were run depending on batch experiment. The study established that the pH, moisture content, COD,TS, TSS, TDS, TOC, and nitrogen content for vinasse were 4.34, 93.91%, 71.28g/L, 7.05%, 6.04%, 1.01%, 2.23g/L, and 0.27g/L, respectively. For the maize stalks, the pH, moisture content, TS, TSS, TDS, TOC, and nitrogen content were 7.52, 9.52%, 91.50%, 90.12%, 7.38%, 49.51g/kg, and 1.28g/kg, respectively. The cumulative biogas yield for sugarcane vinasse and maize stalks were 329mL and 385mL, respectively. In conclusion, this study found that the characteristics of vinasse and maize stalks are suitable for biogas production.