Biogas production from blends of field grass (Panicum maximum) with some animal wastes

An investigation was carried out on the production of biogas, a low natural gas, from equal blending of field grass (F-G) with some animal wastes which include cow dung (G-C), poultry dung (G-P), swine dung (G-S) and rabbit dung (G-R). The wastes were fed into prototype metallic biodigesters of 50 L working volume on a batch basis for 30 days. They were operated at ambient temperature range of 26 to 32.8 degrees C and prevailing atmospheric pressure conditions. Digester performance indicated that mean flammable biogas yield from the grass alone system was 2.46 +/- 2.28 L/total mass of slurry while the grass blended with rabbit dung, cow dung, swine dung and poultry dung gave average yield of 7.73 +/- 2.86, 7.53 +/- 3.84, 5.66 +/- 3.77 and 5.07 +/- 3.45 L/total mass of slurry of gas, respectively. The flash point of each of the systems took place at different times. The field grass alone became flammable after 21 days. The grass-swine (G-S) blend started producing flammable biogas on the 10(th) day, grass-cow (GC) and grass-poultry (G-P) blends after seven (7) days whereas grass-rabbit (G-R) blend sparked on the 6(th) day of the digestion period. The gross results showed fastest onset of gas flammability from the G-R followed by the G-C blends, while the highest average volume of gas production from G-R blend was 3 times higher than that of F-G alone. Overall results indicate that the biogas yield and onset of gas flammability of field grass can be significantly enhanced when combined with rabbit and cow dung.