Abstract
The beneficial effects of biofuels as components of the worldwide energy supply are unquantifiable because they have versatile applications. However, an adequate understanding of the chemical properties of typical biomass is an integral aspect of maximizing the energy potentials because it is susceptible to biomass behavior during the conversion process, especially anaerobic digestion. Therefore, this study investigated the physicochemical characteristics of selected lignocellulose biomass, namely; cow dung, mango pulp, and Chromolaena odorata of Nigerian origin. The raw biomasses were characterized by proximate, calorific, ultimate, compositional, and microbial (for cow dung only) analyses using ASTM standards and equipment. Raw biomass characterization showed that cow dung, mango pulp, and Chromolaena odorata leaves recorded percentages; fixed carbon, volatile matter, and ash contents in addition to calorific values in the ranges of 6.22–7.25%, 5.02–7.79%, 1.14–1.91,% and 13.77–16.16 MJ/kg, respectively. The ultimate analysis of cow dung, mango pulp and Chromolaena odorata recorded carbon (43.08, 39.98, 41.69%); hydrogen (7.87, 6.74, 9.86%); nitrogen (1.53, 1.34, 1.51%); sulphur (0.46, 0.12, 0.25%) and oxygen (47.06, 51.82, 46.69%), respectively. Compositional analysis of the biomass gave percentages in the range of 7.47–11.37 for hemicellulose, 0.22–6.33 for lignin, and 3.71–12.03 for cellulose, while the microbial analysis of cow dung gave total bacteria counts of 5.78 × 108 and 3.93 × 105 cfu/g on wet and dry bases, respectively, which implied that it was rich in microbial colonies, evidently from the various species found, such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aureginosa, Proteus morganii, and Micrococcus spp. In this regard, the physicochemical properties of selected biomass of Nigerian origin were established to conform with those of the literature and thus can be regarded as suitable feedstock for anaerobic digestion resulting in methane-rich biogas products.
Highlights
Research findings established that biomass blends such as kitchen refuse and domestic sewage[17], brewery spent grain and poultry droppings[18], brewery spent grain, carbonated soft drink, powdered rice husk and soya bean c ake[15], Ilama, sheep and cow m anure[19], cow dung and rice h usk[20], cattle excreta and two-phase olive mill w astes[21], crude glycerine obtained from biodiesel and cattle dung[22], horse and cow d ung[23], maize leaves and elephant g rass[24], cattle dung with plantain p eels[25], Justicia schimperiana and cow dung[26], cow dung and elephant grass[15], amongst others yielded improved results compared to sole digestion of each of the biomass investigated
Selected raw biomass, namely, cow dung, mango pulp, and Chromolaena odorata leaves, were characterized using the ASTM standard methods, and the results alongside comparisons with those from previous studies are discussed
The proximate analysis included the volatile matter (VM), moisture content (MC), ash content (AC), and fixed carbon (FC); individual heating values were determined in the form of calorific values; ultimate analysis was used to establish the carbon, C, hydrogen, H, nitrogen, N, Sulphur, S and oxygen, O contents; and compositional analysis was employed to investigate the hemicellulose, lignin, and cellulose contents of the selected biomass
Summary
The beneficial effects of biofuels as components of the worldwide energy supply are unquantifiable because they have versatile applications. Compositional analysis of the biomass gave percentages in the range of 7.47–11.37 for hemicellulose, 0.22–6.33 for lignin, and 3.71–12.03 for cellulose, while the microbial analysis of cow dung gave total bacteria counts of 5.78 × 108 and 3.93 × 105 cfu/g on wet and dry bases, respectively, which implied that it was rich in microbial colonies, from the various species found, such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aureginosa, Proteus morganii, and Micrococcus spp In this regard, the physicochemical properties of selected biomass of Nigerian origin were established to conform with those of the literature and can be regarded as suitable feedstock for anaerobic digestion resulting in methane-rich biogas products. This, suggests the need for adequate characterization of selected biomass to establish their suitability as feedstock for anaerobic digestion resulting in improved biogas production With such diversified biomass sources, energy production techniques, and sketchy information on the suitability of cow dung, mango pulp, and Chromolaena odorata as anaerobic digestion feedstocks, it becomes imperative to understand their physicochemical characteristics through standard procedures, the conception of this study. The results of this study will serve as a guide for biogas producers and allied who wish to extract energy from the investigated biomass
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