Investigation of feed stocks blending for efficient biogas production

An investigation on the feedstock blending for efficient biogas production has been conducted. The feedstocks in this study were four namely pig manure, cow dung, potato peels and chicken manure. The blended feedstocks were in the ratio of 1:1 and pH controlled within a range of 6.0-7.5 while uncontrolled pH samples were digested naturally. The feedstocks were fed to the 500ml Anaerobic Digester of which 200ml was left as gas chamber. Biogas production was monitored for a period of 25 days. The study results showed that potato peels produced high biogas followed by pig manure and the chicken manure being the least. The observed highest biogas from potato could be due to inherent high volatile solids compared to other feedstocks. Moreover, the mixture of potato peels, cow dung and pig manure showed highest biogas production at mixing ratio 1:1:1. These results were related with physical chemical characteristics of the feedstock, so blended feedstock leading in biogas production has the highest volatile solids compared with other feedstock. The methane content of the biogas ranged between 30-97% with low content in first six days and the level contents differed depending on the feedstock blended. In general this study suggests that feedstock blending could be good practice for enhanced biogas production while potato peels can be chosen as potential candidate for efficient biogas production.