Feasibility of Biomethane Production from Banana Peel

Abstract

This study focused on the kinetics of biomethane production from raw banana peel. Physical pretreatment by grinding the peel into small pieces prior to anaerobic fermentation was used. Experiments were setup in 0.5 L batch reactor under mesophilic condition (37 oC), pH 7 and varied total solids (TS) in concentrations of 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10% w v-1. Air and liquid samples were collected every 12 hr for gas composition and volatile fatty acids (VFA) analyses. At 7.5% TS, maximum biomethane yield and production rate were 439 mL g-1 TVS and 5.31 mL hr-1, respectively. Small amount of VFA was accumulated in the reactor content.