Studies on Biogas and Bioliquid Production by Fungal Degradation of Banana (musa sapienium) leaves

Abstract

Anaerobic biodegradation of banana leaves by cellulolytic fungus (yeast) was conducted at optimum operational conditions of concentration, temperature and pH for biogas and bioliquid production. Proximate analysis of both the fermented and unfermented substrates was carried out. Effects of nutritive additives on biogas and bioliquid production were investigated. The bioliquid generated was extracted by soxhlet extraction and, its components were separated into maltenes (soluble component) and asphaltenes (insoluble component) by precipitation. The maltenes contents of both the fermented and unfermented substrates were separated into fractions by column chromatography. Gas-chromatographic identification of organic component of the biogas generated was carried out using flame ionization detector (FID) while the heavier hydrocarbons in the bioliquid were analysed using gc-mass spectrometer. The analyses carried out revealed that, all the physio-chemical prametres employed, enhanced the production of biogas and bioliquid; the quantity of bioliquid generated from the fermented substrate was smaller than the quantity of the bioliquid generated from the unfermented substrate while the maltenes contents of the fermented substrate were higher than those in the unfermented substrate; the fractions of maltenes of the fermented substrate were in the order: saturates> polyaromatics > monoaromatics> diaromatics> resins and polars while the fractions of maltenes of the unfermented substrate were in the order: polyaromatics > monoaromatics >diaromatics >resins and polars> saturates; and the organic gas identified in the biogas was methane (CH4) while the heavier hydrocarbons detected in the bioliquid were n-alkanes, iso-alkanes and cyclo-alkanes.