ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Enhancement of Biogas Production through
Phase Separated Anaerobic Co-Digestion
of Cattle Manure with Fruit
and Vegetable Waste
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1
Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health, University of Sheffield,
Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
2
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
3
Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Gomal University,
Dera Ismail Khan, KPK, Pakistan
4
Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
5
Centre of Agricultural Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
6
Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
7
Department of Microbiology, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University, Peshawar, Pakistan
8
Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Submission date: 2024-08-22
Final revision date: 2024-10-19
Acceptance date: 2025-02-16
Online publication date: 2025-04-18
Corresponding author
Moona Nazish
Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
Malik Badshah
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
KEYWORDS
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ABSTRACT
In response to current energy challenges, anaerobic digestion (AD) is emerging as a viable
and sustainable alternative to conventional fossil fuels. Phase separation evolves to mitigate process
instability observed in single-stage AD, offering enhanced process stability and efficiency for biogas
production. This study aims to comprehensively compare phase-separated and single-phase AD systems
while incorporating cattle manure and fruit and vegetable waste (FVW) co-digestion to enhance
process stability and biogas production. The two-stage and single-stage continuous AD systems were
analyzed at an organic loading rate (OLR) of 3 gVSL-1day-1 with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of
10 days and three retention periods (30 days) under uncontrolled environmental conditions (20-35ºC),
which may fluctuate with seasonal changes, and controlled temperature (37ºC). The FVW and cattle
manure were co-digested in a 1:1 ratio of volatile solids (VS) as a substrate. The two-stage AD system
operated at 37ºC and exhibited the highest biogas yield (0.25 NL/gVS) at a steady state as compared
to single-stage AD, including 0.113 NL/gVS, 0.178 NL/gVS, and 0.201 NL/gVS at environmental temperature (20-35ºC), controlled temperature (37ºC), and two-phase AD at environmental temperature
(20-35ºC), respectively. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test revealed a significant effect
of the controlled temperature and phase separation on biogas production, F(3, 0) = 0.987, p<0.001.
Additionally, the total reduction in COD in the final effluent was notably higher in the two-stage
anaerobic digester at 37ºC, showing an 85% reduction rate compared to single-stage anaerobic digesters
with a mean difference of -6.51 (95% CI [-9.50, -3.52]) and SD = 1.88, t(3) = -6.93, p = 0.006, two-tailed.
These results highlight the significant biogas productivity, improved process stability, and better effluent
quality achieved through phase separation of the anaerobic digester at 37ºC. The estimated biogas
potential from two-stage anaerobic co-digestion of cattle manure and FVW is 21.37 million m³/day
in Pakistan, representing significant prospects for implementing this technology as a renewable energy
source.