Upgrading of Biogas Produced from Cattle Dung for Household Energy Usage.
1*Oniya, O.O., 1Adebayo, A.O., 1Idowu D.O., 1Ochin, N.G. and 1Oladejo C.B.
1Department of Agricultural Engineering, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso
DOI: 10.36108/laujoces/6202.61.0260
Abstract
Raw biogas produced through anaerobic digestion contains substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and water vapour which are impurities that reduce its effectiveness as a domestic fuel. Hence, this work aimed at upgrading biogas produced from cattle dung for household energy usage. Cattle dung of 340 kg was collected from an abattoir in Ogbomoso, Nigeria (8.13º N, 4.25º E) and dissolved into a slurry at a ratio of 1:2 (cattle dung:water) and used to fill a 1000 litres tank to 70% of its volume. It was allowed to decompose in the absence of air. The gas produced was upgraded by passing it through a desulphrizer to remove sulphur, a scrubber to remove water, CO2, and H2S. The filtered gas then passes through a flow meter to the storage bag. The biogas produced was analysed with a gas chromatograph equipment and the rate of combustion in a biogas cooker was evaluated. The biogas produced per day ranged 0.001 – 0.322 m3. The total volume of biogas produced was 3778 m3. The composition of the raw biogas was 67.53% methane, 0.25% carbon monoxide, 2.12% oxygen and 1.52% hydrogen sulphide, while the upgraded biogas had methane 95.47%, carbon monoxide 0.21%, oxygen 0.25% and hydrogen sulphide 0.20%. Biogas performance in a gas cooker showed that water had a boiling rate of 49 g/min and rice had a cooking rate of 6.2 g/min. The biogas generated is suitable for cooking food and other household applications. It is recommended for household energy usage.
Keywords: Cattle dung, Biogas, Upgrading, Fuel, Energy
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