Studies on the Feasibility of Producing Biogas from Rice Waste

Abstract

Biogas is considered as one of the alternative sources of energy which is used in many applications such as power generation, heating and refrigeration. The quantity and quality of biowastes vary due to the intensity and nature of human activity. Since the methane (CH4) composition in biogas is influenced by the ingredients of the biowaste, specific research is needed to check the biogas yield from locally available biowastes and to predict the usage of biogas as alternative energy in all levels. In countries like India, rice is a staple crop and the common food source for people. The food waste collected from common places like student's hostels, restaurants and houses consists of wasted rice along with other wastes of meat, fish, vegetables and fruits. In this study, analytical & experimental work was done on the biogas production from various biowastes collected from an engineering college campus. The Anaerobic Digestion Model 1 (ADM1) was used for analytical studies, and four anaerobic digesters were used in the experimental investigation. Mesophilic condition was considered for this study. From the experimental studies it is observed that the methane content in the biogas produced from rice waste, mixed rice waste, cow dung and vegetable waste are 52.01%, 52.98%, 61.13% and 51.11% respectively. The results obtained from the simulation study are also close to the experimental values.