Abstract:
Biogas production through anaerobic digestion is
widely used to convert domestic and industrial waste into energy.
In order to successfully adapt this technology for Sri Lankan
domestic usage, it is necessary to identify the necessary operating
conditions for optimum biogas generation. This study focused on
analysing the effect of co-digestion ratios and organic loading
rates on processing local domestic waste. Experiments were
conducted on a laboratory scale plug flow anaerobic digester
setup. The best methane yield was obtained with a co-digestion
ratio of garden to kitchen waste of 70:30, at an Organic Loading
Rate of 3.1 kgVS/day/m3. The energy potential of the generated
biogas was evaluated in comparison to the average demand of
households in the country, to establish the viability of biogas
substitute to conventional energy sources. Future work is needed
to validate the experimental results through mathematical
modelling.
