UTILIZATION OF CATTLE RUMEN CONTENTS FOR BIOGAS PRODUCTION

ABSTRACT There is a great deal of environmental pressure in many parts of the country to ascertain how organic waste can best be handled in the absence of appropriate disposal methods can cause adverse environmental and health problems. Anaerobic digestion has been considered as waste to-energy technology, and is widely used in the treatment of different organic wastes. The study was carried out for biogas production from degradation or break down of cattle rumen contets in producing biogas through anaerobic digestion. This is achieved by constructing four (4) local digesters and gas collection/passage pipe systems. The digesters were used to digest the slurry (mixture of cattle rumen contets (substrate) and water which was mixed in the ratio 2:1, that is 400g of cattle rumen contents to 600ml of water), as a result of the microbial action of the isolated microorganisms (E. coli, P. aeruginosa, B. subtilis and S. aureus) at different percentage ratios or rate for a period of eight weeks (56) days retention time until the biogas reduced significantly. Proximate analysis such as potassium (mg/ml), and nitrogen (mg/ml), ratio with 4255.00, and 0.38 0.02 respectively. Others such as Ash Content (%) 1.73±0.03, Crude Protein Content (%) 1.53 0.09, Crude Lipid Content (%) 0.17 0.10, Carbohydrate Content (%) 2.38 0.54, Crude Fiber Content (%) 0.17±0.10, and Moisture Content (%) 93.27 ± 2.33. were determined before anaerobic digestion to know the substrate biogas production capacity. The total average yield of the gas produced were 1,190, 1,070, 3,040, and 840 for D1, D2, D3, and D4 respectively within eight weeks of production. The nitrogen 0.38 (mg/ml), potassium 425 (mg/ml) and phosphorus 1.35 (mg/ml) value determined implies that the digest could be a good source of biofertilizer. The pH values of the media in all the substrates digested were found in the optimal or at a neutral pH level of methanogenic bacteria of 6.12-7.20. Biogas production from organic wastes which is eco-friendly, is gaining prospects in contributing towards solving the national energy crisis of most countries.