Experimental investigation of biogas production from feedlot cattle manure

Authors

  • Logan Rosenberg
  • Gerrit Kornelius

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/2413-3051/2017/v28i4a1753

Keywords:

biogas, anaerobic digestion, cattle manure, methane

Abstract

Biogas can be generated from biomass in an anaerobic digestion process and used to generate electricity and heat as an alternative energy source to fossil fuel-generated electricity. This study investigated biogas generation from cattle manure dried for periods up to 40 days. Manure samples were analysed for gas yield using the biochemical methane production test. The biogas volume produced by manure samples aged for periods up to 40 days after seeding with cattle rumen fluid was measured as a function of time until there was no further measurable gas production. The biogas was analysed for methane and carbon dioxide content using a gas chromatograph. The corresponding cumulative net biogas yield ranged from 154 to 369 Nml/g.VS respectively. The test results showed that an average of 240 Nml/g.VS of biogas can be produced from cattle manure that is less than 40 days old, with an average methane and carbon dioxide percentage of 63% and 31% respectively. Within 3 to 4 days the manure samples generated 80% of the final biogas volume. The drying process was found to occur at a constant rate per unit area, regardless of the manure thickness up to thickness of 200 mm. Biogas formation closely followed the Gompertz equation. There was no significant difference in the biogas production nor biogas production rate for cattle feedlot manure that was fresh up until aging to 40 days.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Deublein, D. and Steinhauser, A. Biogas from waste and renewable resources, 2011, Weinheim: WILEY-VCH.

Tauseef, S.M., Premalatha, M., Abbasi, T. and Abassi, S.A. Methane capture from livestock manure, Journal of Environmental Management, 2013, 117: 187–207.

Chynoweth, D.P., Turick, C.E., Owens, J.M., Jerger, D.E. and Peck, M.W. Biochemical methane potential of biomass and waste feedstocks, Biomass and Bioenergy, 1993, 5(1): 95–111.

Dechrugsa, S., Kantachote D. and Chaiprapat, S. Effects of inoculum to substrate ratio, substrate mix ratio and inoculum source on batch co-digestion of grass and pig manure, Bioresource Technology, 2013, 146: 101–108.

Al Seadi, T., Rutz, D., Prassl, H., Kottner, M., Finsterwalder, T., Volk, S. and Janssen, R., Biogas handbook, 2008, Denmark: University of Southern Denmark Esbjerg.

Triolo, J.M., Sommer, S.G., Moller, H.B., Weisbjerg, M.R. and Jiang, X.Y. A new algorithm to characterize biodegradability of biomass during anaerobic digestion: influence of lignin concentration on methane production potential, Bioresource Technology, 2011, 102: 9395–9402.

Amon, T., Amon, B., Kryvoruchko, V., Zollitsch, W., Mayer, K. and Gruber, L. Biogas production from maize and dairy cattle manure – influence of biomass composition on the methane yield, Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 2007, 118: 173–182.

Siddique, N.I., Abd Munaim, M.S. and Zularisam, A.W. Mesophilic and thermophilic biomethane production by co-digesting pretreated petrochemical wastewater with beef and dairy cattle manure, Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 2014, 20: 331–337.

Horwitz, W. Official methods of analysis of AOAC International, 17th edition, 2000, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Owen, W.F., Stuckey, D.C., Healy, J.B., Young, L.Y. and McCarty, P.L. Bioassay for monitoring biochemical methane potential and anaerobic toxicity, Water Research, 1979, 13: 485–492.

Hansen, T.L., Schmidt, J.E., Angelidaki, I., Marca, E., Jansen, J.C., Mosbaek, H. and Christensen, T.H. Method for determination of methane potentials of solid organic waste, Waste Management, 2004, 24: 393–400.

Esposito, G., Frunzo, L., Liotta, F., Panico, A. and Pirozzi, F. Bio-methane potential tests to measure the biogas production from the digestion and co-digestion of complex organic substrates, The Open Environmental Engineering Journal, 2012, 5: 1–8.

Wilkie, A.C., Smith, P.H. and Bordeaux, F.M. An economical bioreactor for evaluating biogas potential of particulate biomass, Soil and Waste Science Department, University of Florida, 2003.

Hesketh, A. Talbot & Talbot – BMP assay report 163/13, Talbot & Talbot (Pty) Ltd, 2013, Pietermaritzburg.

Onwude, D.I., Hashim, N., Janius, R.B., Nawi, N.M. and Abdan, K. Modeling the thin-layer drying of fruits and vegetables: A review, Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 2016, 15(1): 599-618.

Budiyono, I.N., Widiasa, S.J., and Sunarso, S. The kinetic of biogas production rate from cattle manure in batch mode, International Journal of Chemical and Biological Engineering, 2010, 3(1): 39–44.

Downloads

Published

2017-12-23

How to Cite

Rosenberg, L., & Kornelius, G. (2017). Experimental investigation of biogas production from feedlot cattle manure. Journal of Energy in Southern Africa, 28(4). https://doi.org/10.17159/2413-3051/2017/v28i4a1753