INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF PRE-TREATMENT WITH GRANULATEDPLANTAIN PEEL ON BIOGAS PRODUCTION FROM POULTRY WASTE

Abstract

The continued reliance on wood and fossil fuels has demonstrably negative environmental and economic consequences. These include significant contributions to carbon emissions and global warming, as well as economic instability driven by volatile energy markets, as evidenced by recent price surges in petroleum products in regions such as Nigeria. Thus, there is a pressing need to develop energy sources that are both protective and restorative to the environment. This study investigates the pre-treatment of poultry waste with granulated plantain peels (GPP) as a pre-treatment agent to enhance both the yield and quality of biogas. Conducted over 53 days using two laboratory-scale bio-digesters, one fed a mixture of poultry waste and GPP and a control bio-digester receiving only poultry waste, gas production was measured at five-day intervals. The pre-treated substrate yielded a cumulative 52,650.6 cm³ of biogas, a 140 % increase over the 21,928.6 cm³ from the untreated control. Flammability testing indicated an accelerated production onset, with biogas from the pre-treated mixture igniting from the first day and exhibiting appreciable methane content by days 3–4, whereas the control began production on day 3, with significant methane observed only by days 4–5. Furthermore, a compression test demonstrated the technical feasibility of storing the biogas, showing a minimal temperature increase of 0.19 °C per psi during pressurization.