Utilization of Vinasse for Biogas Production Using a Pilot Plant

Abstract

The study aimed to produce biogas from Vinasse and to manufacture a model of a simplified anaerobic digester at the lowest possible costs that can be used at home, whether using Vinasse or any other organic waste. Cow dung was used by mixing it with vinasse in different proportions and for different periods of time in digesters with a capacity of 2400 ml, until we reached through practical experiments, which in total lasted 175 days, that the most appropriate ratio for mixing vinasse with cow dung under natural conditions and a temperature of (30-40) ◦C, where the ratio was (2:1:1) which is respectively (Vinasse: Cow Dung: Inoculum), the experiment period was divided into plan (A) and the mixing ratio was by diluting the Vinasse to three different degrees on nine Anaerobic digesters, in addition to three other digesters without dilution of the control, the experiment lasted 60 days, and since there was no gas production, the mixing ratios in the test digesters were changed and reversed in plan (B) by increasing and doubling the proportion of vinasse instead of diluting it, and this experiment continued (EX2) was the first gas production in a period of 9 days, and the highest production was 500 ml after 16 days. After 60 days the gas production stopped, so a confirmatory experiment (EX4) was carried out using the only mixing ratio that produced gas (2:1:1), the first gas was produced after 2 days, and the largest quantity in one day was 700 ml, after 21 days of confused. Gas production stopped this time after 64 days, with a cumulative volume of gas by 9960 ml, which means that the anaerobic digester produced an average of 156 ml/day, and that each gram of the mixture produced 25.2 ml of gas in Average temperature 35◦C. Samples of the gas were analyzed and it was found that the percentage of methane gas is (55-60%) and the percentage of carbon dioxide gas is (35-40%), with the presence of other gases in very small percentages. Accordingly, a larger size anaerobic digester was designed to bear 20 kg of organic waste and thus increase the amount of gas production for domestic use, with the possibility of converting it into electrical energy in the future. Accordingly, a larger anaerobic digester was designed to bear 20 kg of organic waste (vinasse), and thus the production of biogas was increased in a period of 60 days to 5833 ml, and it was theoretically possible to produce electricity from this volume of gas of 67.5 Kw.