A researcher, Ngozika Confidence, has highlighted the potential of co-digestion technology in improving biogas production and promoting sustainable organic waste management.

Confidence made this known in a study published in the Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management, where the researcher examined the effectiveness of kitchen food waste, untreated food effluent, and cow rumen content as substrates for anaerobic digestion.

According to the study, anaerobic digestion remains one of the promising approaches to addressing organic waste disposal challenges while also producing renewable energy.

The research explained that the study evaluated the physicochemical characteristics of the selected substrates and monitored their performance over 35 days to determine biogas yield, pH variation, and nutrient dynamics.

The findings showed that the co-digestion biodigester produced the highest cumulative biogas volume of 13000.97 ml/kg volatile solids, outperforming individual substrates used in the experiment.

The study revealed that cow rumen content followed with a cumulative biogas yield of 11708.97 ml/kg volatile solids, while kitchen food waste generated 8360.29 ml/kg volatile solids and untreated food effluent recorded 4522.26 ml/kg volatile solids.

Confidence stated in the paper that “biogas production was significantly influenced by substrate composition and digestion time,” noting that the result underscored the importance of selecting appropriate substrates for anaerobic digestion processes.

The research further showed that the highest total organic carbon removal of 97.47 per cent was recorded in the cow rumen content biodigester, indicating strong microbial activity and efficient organic matter degradation.

In the microbial analysis, the researcher discovered viable anaerobic bacteria in all substrates examined, with concentrations ranging from 1.26–2.44 × 10⁴ CFU/g in kitchen food waste, 1.5–6.4 × 10³ CFU/mL in untreated food effluent, and 2.93–5.71 × 10⁴ CFU/mL in cow rumen content.

Confidence concluded that the findings demonstrated the efficiency of co-digestion in boosting biogas yield, adding that the process could contribute significantly to sustainable waste management practices and renewable energy generation.