Paper Waste Co-Digestion, Combined Milling, and Hydrothermal Pretreatment for Improved Biogas Production

Utibe Ofon; Uduak  Ndubuisi-Nnaji; Anthony Adegoke; Favour Jackson; Mboutidem Ekaette

doi:10.37934/progee.30.1.3344

Authors

Utibe Ofon (1) Department of Microbiology, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria; (2) International Center for Energy and Environmental Sustainability Research, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
Uduak Ndubuisi-Nnaji Department of Microbiology, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
Anthony Adegoke Department of Microbiology, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
Favour Jackson Department of Microbiology, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
Mboutidem Ekaette Department of Microbiology, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37934/progee.30.1.3344

Keywords:

Co-digestion , Hydrothermal, Combined pretreatment, Paper waste, Chicken manure, Biogas yield

Abstract

This research, conducted in two experiments, focused on the effect of co-digestion and combined hydrothermal with milling pretreatment of paper waste (PW) and chicken manure (CM) on biogas production. In the first experiment, three reactors labeled B-D contained varying ratios of the feedstock (4:1, 3:2, 1:1) with control reactors A and E respectively containing milled paper waste (MPW) and chicken manure (CM) alone were prepared and assessed for biogas production. In the second experiment, the optimum co-digested mixture (reactor D) with a ratio of 1:1 and cumulative biogas volume (633.5mL/gVS) was selected from the first experiment and duplicated (reactor F) for the hydrothermal pretreatment. All digesters were operated at a temperature of 45oC for 32 days. The results revealed that reactor F, which contained the hydrothermally pretreated paper waste, showed a significant cumulative biogas yield of 1095.5 mL/gVS which was 1.7 times higher, surpassing control reactor D with a yield of 633.5 mL/gVS. Bacterial isolates present in the substrates and inoculum belonged to the following genera: Staphylococcus (50%), Lactobacillus (22.2%), Micrococcus (16.7%), and Bacillus (11.1%). The research outcome showed that co-digestion combined with hydrothermal pretreatment method led to enhanced biogas production. These results highlight how creative pretreatment methods can optimize waste-to-energy operations, supporting both renewable energy production and sustainable waste management.

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