Potentials for commercial production of biogas from domestic food waste generated in Benin Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

The work reported in this paper investigated the potentials of commercial biogas production from biodegradable waste in Benin metropolis. The study was carried out in two phases. The first phase involved characterization of solid waste generated and determination of the quantity of potential feed stock for biogas production in Benin metropolis and the second phase was determination of the amount of biogas obtainable from biodegradable waste. The results from the study showed that an average daily generation rate of 0.358kg per person per day (ppd.) of solid waste is generated in study area. Food waste accounted for about 78.49% of the generated solid waste representing 0.281kg per person per day (ppd.) and a total daily food waste generation of 305.075tonnes. Based on this value for food waste the obtainable biogas was estimated to be 28,836.91m³ of biogas in Benin metropolis per day. This volume of biogas can provide cooking gas for about 24,076.91 families per month in Benin metropolis or alternatively can be utilised to generate about 49.023MW of electricity per day.

Keywords: Solid waste management, food waste, anaerobic digestion, biogas