Anaerobic digestion of flower waste for methane production: An alternative energy source

Abstract

The waste generated in temples is presently piled at one place and then disposed off in water bodies or dumped on land to decay which causes several environmental problems such as water, soil pollution, etc. The aim of the paper is to determine the biogas yield by using temple waste as a raw material. A prototype experimental setup has been developed to find the quality of biogas produced by flower waste with the help of gas chromatographer. The experiment was conducted during cold months in the composite climatic conditions of Lucknow, India. Prototype digesters of 2 m³ capacity were used and fed with flower waste which was digested in daily feeding for a retention period of summer and winter seasons. Preliminary results indicate that the process is effective in reducing the pollution potential of the flower waste. The process removed a lot of environmental pollutants as total solids, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), etc. respectively, along with biogas production. The results of the biogas from flower waste were compared as 43%–50% methane (CH₄) and 44%–50% carbon dioxide (CO₂) during winter season (December to February) and 50%–54% methane (CH₄) and 40%–43% carbon dioxide (CO₂) during summer season (March to May). © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2011