Production of Biogas from Paper Waste Blended With Cow Dung

Abstract

This research investigated how biogas was produced using paper waste and cow dung. In this study, two digesters were used, one charged with paper waste alone as control and the other charged with cow dung and paper waste. The retention period of the Anaerobic digestion was 44 days, the cumulative biogas yield for paper alone was 210.5 while that of paper blended with cow dung was 322.5, it was found that paper waste alone became flammable within 24 h while that of the paper waste blended with cow dung takes place on the fifth day, the initial combustion of the paper waste alone was as a result of the initial microbes in the waste. The biogas production from paper drastically stopped after 13 days. The result of the physiochemical analyses shows that the rate of biogas production was been determined by physiochemical properties such as temperature, pH, volatile solid and total solid. The organisms that produce biogas are sensitive to pH and cannot survive below the pH of 6.5, the biogas was produced under mesophilic condition of 25 0 C- 40 0 C. It was observed that the ratio of carbon to nitrogen was between 30:1 and 20:1. The organisms identified after microbial isolation were Micrococcus, Staphylococcus, Escherichia coli and Fungus Aspergillus fumigates, A. niger and penicillium species. Keywords: Biogas, paper waste, cow dung, retention period and anaerobic digestion.