Experimental investigation on the production of biogas from waste food

The production of biogas has been a substantial target to be utilized globally, especially in the agricultural sector. Most organic waste that is being produced from other forms of renewable energy systems is mainly used to reduce greenhouse emission (GHG), which as well reduces the daily consumption of fossil fuels. Anaerobic Digestion (AD) has been studied widely in recent years where its implementation in the industry has seen a mitigating impact on greenhouse gases. Unrestricted discharge of the big amount of waste food (WF) has become the main effect of severe environmental pollution worldwide. Among the various treatment methods, anaerobic digestion (AD) of waste food allows its valorization and the biogas produced can be used as biofuel enhancing the gas supply. In this study, a mechanical pre-treatment with Hollander beater has been applied to break down the particle size of waste food in the way to increase feedstock specific surface areas in other to enhance biogas production. Following, the pre-treatment of waste food during 30 min beating time, the biogas yield achieved a value of about 610.33 ml/gTS. Accordingly, a response surface methodology (RSM) can be used to critically evaluate the effects of process parameter (beating time and temperature) to the output response (biogas production). Pre-treated waste food by Hollander beater at beating time of 30 min enhances biogas production by 80%. An optimum biogas yield was achieved with pre-treatment of waste food at a beating time of 30 min.