International Journal of Advanced Engineering and Technology

Authors
Henry VI, Ani OI, Iloabachie ICC, Chime AC

Abstract
In this study, poultry droppings and cow dung were evaluated and characterized under anaerobic conditions as substrates for the production of biogas. Fermentation slurry was prepared by the addition and vigorous mixing of dried cow dung and dried poultry droppings separately with an equivalent amount of water needed for maximum yield in the ratio 1:1. 2 batch-type anaerobic-digesters of 25L each were equipped with pH probe, stirrer, thermometer and sampling port. Digestion was carried out for 30 days at room temperature. The substrates were characterized using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) according to the method of AOAC and Proximate analysis of the substrates was carried out according to the method of AOAC. The pH value of the cow dung substrate was found to be mainly alkaline which favoured digestion and biogas production. The result of the proximate analysis revealed that the cow dung substrate had a higher calorific energy value and carbon content. The XRF result showed that poultry droppings substrate contained traces of heavy metals (which act as inhibitor to anaerobic digestion) more than that of cow dung. This results of this study established that cow dung substrate is a better effective feedstock for biogas production.