EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON BIOGAS PRODUCTION USING COW MANURE

Objectives: 1. To conduct an experiment investigation producing biogas. 2. To record the measurements during the experiment on everyday basis. 3. To compare the results obtained using graphs between two operating samples, with and without catalyst. INTRODUCTION The large amount of organic waste generated is one of the biggest problems today. An alternative is creating renewable energy from waste products through anaerobic digestion results in numerous advantages, including capturing and utilizing methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, decreasing organic loading on receiving waters, and creation of a highnutrient, low solid fertilizer (Huttunen et al. 2005) Anaerobic digestion is a microbially mediated biomedical degradation of complex organic material into simple organics and dissolved nutrients. Digesters are physical structures that facilitate anaerobic digestion by providing an anaerobic environment for the organisms responsible for digestion (Kvasauskas 2009: Lansing et al. 2008). The anaerobic digestion of various feed-stocks predominantly animal manures and wastewater sludge, produce a methane rich gaseous mixture called biogas. (60-70%) Biogas, as known by many scientific as sociations and universities, is made from a mixture of CH4 (methane), CO2 (carbon dioxide), H2S (hydrogen sulfide), NH3 (ammonia), and SO2( sulfur dioxide). This gas is formed when biological matter (usually cow manure), is decomposed in an environment with no oxygen present by bacteria.. Owing to the high levels of methane, biogas can be used as a heating fuel, and can even be used in an engine to generate electricity (Monteiro et al. 2011: White et al. 2011). In order to produce biogas, we

must first build an anaerobic (no oxygen present) digester, where specific types of organic wastes are placed in order for bacteria to decompose them. In the environment, biogas is produced naturally in deep soils, lake bottoms, and wetlands. The experiment aimed at analyzing the use of fabricated bioreactor in biogas production using mesophilic temperature regime for the same proportion of cow manure with and without a catalyst.

Safety caution: Since biogas is made mostly of methane, it is highly explosive, and dangerous. There should be no flames or electrical items around the digester. Some elements and molecules present in biogas can cause suffocation. The digester should be placed in a well-ventilated area. After handling the digester or any organic matter, that person should ALWAYS wash his/her hand thoroughly with plenty of soap and water. Carbon dioxide will asphyxiate a person if he/she breathes it. Gas produced by rotten egg (H2S) will destroy the lungs and other tissues that serve in smelling. In order to make an anaerobic digester, biomass is needed. For example, cow manure, grass clipping with soil or any other waste, as long as you use cow manure as a starter, can be used to produce biogas. A digester needs some conditions in order to work properly. For example, there should be a water-biomass ratio of 1 to 5. The pH of this mixture should always remain around 7. An acid or base level will kill the bacteria that cause this gas.