STUDIES ON BIOMETHANATION

Abstract

Biomethanation is a highly efficient process for the conversion of organic substances to bio6s, a pollution free non-conventional source of energy. The major constituents of biogas are methane and carbon dioxide. Depending upon the operating conditions and the nature of the feed, methane content in the gas varies from 50-80%. It is also one of the most viable technique for the treatment of industrial. effluents having high organic contents. In the present work, experiments were conducted to study the effects of some of the operating parameters on biogas production and COD reduction rates. Results indicate that between 48-72 hours after the inoculation of the reactor, both COD utilization and biogas generation rates increased rapidly. However, after 72 hours, there was a sharp decline in both the COD utilization rate and the gas production rate. Nitrogen utilization was maximum during the first 72 hours because of a high rate of nitrogen consumption in the synthesis of biomass. However, after 72 hours, nitrogen content of the sample became almost constant. Phosphorus, one of the important constituent of all the living systems, also has the same effect on gas production and COD utilization as