DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A 32 LITRE CHICKEN AND GOAT WASTE DIGESTER

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research involves the use of chicken and goat waste at different mixing ratio to produce gas. A 32 litres Capacity prototype biogas plant constructed at the National centre for Energy Research and Development, University of Nigeria Nsukka was used to investigate the anaerobic digestion in generating biogas from two types of wastes: chicken waste and goat waste with different mixing ratios. Chicken waste, goat waste and co digestion of chicken and goat waste. The ratio of the percentage distribution of chicken waste to goat waste were: (100:0), (30:70), (70:30), (50:50), (0:100) all by weight percent for digesters 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively. Goat waste alone (sample I), co digestion of chicken and goat waste (sample II), co digestion of chicken and goat waste (sample III), co digestion of chicken and goat waste (sample IV) and chicken waste alone (sample V). The digester was charged differently with these wastes in the ratio of 1:3 of waste to water respectively. The mesophilic ambient temperature range attained during the course of the experiment were 26 -38 oC and a slurry temperature of 25 - 32 oC. The result showed that sample I, sample II, sample III, sample IV and sample V were capable of producing a total of 17.3 L, 44.3 L, 74.3 L, 86.2 L and 113.2 L of biogas respectively in a 32 L digester in 30days. Chicken waste alone has the highest volume of gas production as compared to other wastes. The result obtained from the gas production showed that sample IV produced the highest methane content of 63.3 % followed by sample III with 59.4 %, followed by sample II with 59.2 %, followed by sample I with 59.1 % and sample IV has the least methane content of 57.3 %. This research has shown that goat waste can produce methane for cooking and can be combined with other animal wastes to enhance its viability for biogas production. The study showed that chicken droppings as animal waste have great potentials for generation of biogas and also high volume of biogas as compared to others.