Production of biogas as a waste management option for textile effluent sludge: a case study of the a to z textile mills ltd
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Date
2020-12
Authors
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
NM-AIST
Abstract
Textile effluent sludge management is becoming a major environmental management issue in
many agro-processing industries throughout Africa. This is mostly due to the limited and
ineffective means of management. This research explored the potential of producing biogas
as a strategy for reducing the on-site accumulation of textile effluent sludge. The co-digesting
of the textile effluent treatment plant (ETP) sludge with substrates such as sewage treatment
Plant (STP) sludge, cow dung (CD), and sawdust, was investigated as the main approach for
the anaerobic digestion (AD) process. ETP sludge and STP sludge were collected from A to
Z Textile Mills Ltd factory and a complete characterization was made in triplicate for
essential parameters, namely chemical ogygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand
(BOD), alkalinity, volatile fatty acids (VFAs), carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N ratio) and heavy
metals. Sludge mixtures were analyzed before and after digestion. Biogas production was
tested for 30 days at different mixing ratios (4:0, 3:1, 1:1, 0:4). A laboratory-scale reactor was
assembled for the experiments. High biogas yield was achieved from the co-digestion of ETP
sludge and STP sludge at a mixing ratio of 3:1, 1:1, and 1:3, and methane content was,
respectively, 87.9%, 68.9%, and 69.5% of the gas composition. Results from the current
study provide relevant information to improve the production of biogas from ETP sludge
through co-digestion and various pretreatment methods.
Sustainable Development Goals
A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master’s in Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering of the Nelson Mandela
African Institution of Science and Technology
Keywords
Anaerobic digestion, Sludge management, Textile sludge, Wastewater treatment plant