(573c) Biogas Production By Co-Digestion of Goat Manure with Rice Husk

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is the primary technique used in aiding and limiting odors in waste management systems, reducing the organic strength in waste streams, and is a major player in producing a high energy source biogas. The AD is a process of degradation of organic materials by the microorganisms that operate in an oxygen-free environment. This work focuses on the anaerobic co-digestion of goat manure (GM) with rice husk (RH) to determine the maximum biogas yield. The GM was collected from International Goat Research Center, PVAMU. The RH was collected from Gulf Pacific Co. (Houston, TX) and passed through Willy mill, subsequently sieved (2 mm) to obtain uniform sized particles. The fresh inoculum was obtained from the Prairie View wastewater treatment plant (operating at mesophilic temperature) and was de-gassed for a week. The well-mixed samples in triplicates were characterized for moisture, total and volatile solids (TS and VS) and the elemental composition (C, H, N, and S). The lab scale biomethane potential (BMP) assays were conducted in triplicates at various mixing ratios. The influents and effluents were characterized for volatile acids, nitrate, and ammonia. The biodegradability and kinetic parameters were determined by employing standard models. The daily and cumulative data revealed that 4:6 ratio is the best mixing ratio for GM with RH. This research advances the knowledge in the anaerobic co-digestion of GM and RH. The future experiments will focus on the fabrication of two-liter lab-scale bioreactors and analyzing the process efficacy.