ENHANCED BIOGAS PRODUCTION FROM POULTRY DROPPINGS USING CORN-COB AND WASTE PAPER AS CO-SUBSTRATE

The rising cost of conventional fuel in urban areas have necessitates the exploration of other cheap, renewable and sustainable alternative energy sources. This study investigates the potential of plant and animal wastes for biogas production at laboratory scales. The study was carried out through anaerobic fermentation using poultry droppings as main substrate and corn-cob and waste papers as co-substrate. The fermentation was carried out at temperatures between 27 - 35 degree C and pH range of 4.2 - 8.0 for a period of 30 days. The results showed that poultry droppings alone in bio-digester A gave a cumulative average biogas volume of 3452 cm3 (115 cm3 day- 1) and poultry droppings plus untreated co-substrates in bio-digester B gave a cumulative average biogas volume of 4811 cm3 (160.3 cm3 day-1) while poultry droppings plus treated co-substrates in bio-digesters C gave a cumulative average biogas volume of 6454 cm3 (215.1 cm3 day-1).