Influence of pre-treatments and anaerobic co-digestion of slaughterhouse waste with vegetable, fruit and flower market wastes for enhanced methane production

authored by: Velusamy Mozhiarasi, Christopher Josef Speier, Pious Michealammal Benish Rose, Dirk Weichgrebe, Srinivasan Shanmugham Venkatachalam
Abstract: Considerable amounts of slaughterhouse wastes (SHW) are generated in Indian urban centres causing serious environmental issues that demand effective treatment and disposal. The present study evaluates the effect of pasteurization (70 °C for 1 h) and extrusion pre-treatment on pathogen removal and methane production from SHW in anaerobic mono- and co-digestion with mixed vegetable, fruit and flower market wastes (VMW) under controlled batch anaerobic digestion (AD) tests. The complete destruction of pathogen was observed in post-pasteurized SHW, whereas the post-extruded SHW showed significant reduction (p < 0.05) in pathogen concentration (with a Salmonella count of 29.3 × 10³ CFUs/g). The results of AD test revealed that the maximum specific methane yield (SMY) of 273.2 mL_N/g oDM was obtained by anaerobic co-digestion of SHW:VMW in 1:3 proportion. Further enhancement in the SMY was obtained with extrusion pre-treatment of SHW (SHWE) by 11.5% (i.e. 304.8 mL_N/g oDM) in 1:3 proportion of SHWE:VMW. Modified Gompertz and logistics models fitted the kinetic data of AD process well. Results confirmed that the proposed extrusion pre-treatment of SHW coupled with anaerobic co-digestion improved the oDM reduction, methane potentials and pathogen removal, thereby making it a suitable pre-treatment during anaerobic co-treatment of SHW with VMW from centralized wholesale markets from urban centres.
Organisation(s): Institute of Sanitary Engineering and Waste Management
External Organisation(s): Central Leather Research Institute
Type: Article
Journal: BIOMASS CONVERSION AND BIOREFINERY
Volume: 13
Pages: 7079-7096
No. of pages: 18
ISSN: 2190-6815
Publication date: 06.2023
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-021-01709-1 (Access: Closed)