Potential of Biogas Production from Wastewater of Shredded Pork Processing with Cow Manure

Abstract

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role in driving the economy, especially in developing countries. Since they are essential employment resources and support local development, in SMEs relate to processed meat production, large amounts of wastewater containing blood, fat, and protein require high-efficiency treatment methods to prevent environmental pollution. If the wastewater is not treated appropriately, the impact will cause environmental pollution. Therefore, this research aims to study the potential of biogas production from wastewater of shredded pork processing (WSPP) to find the optimal substrate-to-inoculum ratio and evaluate its industrial application potential. The research also experimented following the biochemical methane potential method, where the total volume was 1000 mL, and the working volume was 400 mL. The experiment used the substrate-to-inoculum ratio (SIR) ratios, which were 1:2, 1:1, and 2:1 VS-based. The operating temperatures were 35 ± 2 °C in the mesophilic period. The study results showed that the most appropriate ratio for biogas production was 2:1 VS-based. During the 33 days of the experiment, it was found that the potential of the highest cumulative biogas and methane yield was 1640.19 ± 97.46 and 650.59 ± 48.04 N mL/g VS added, respectively, which contained a maximum methane content of 68.60%. Moreover, COD, TS, and VS removal efficiency were 57.57 ± 2.28, 57.30 ± 2.19, and 1.49 ± 0.16, respectively. The research results demonstrated that the wastewater from the WSPP was a high-potential substrate for biogas production and would continuously be developed at the industrial level.