Design and construct a biogas digester which uses human faeces as substrate
Abstract
The rapid increase in population has placed significant pressure on available resources globally. This is largely because energy serves as the foundation of any economy. Although Nigeria’s dependence on fossil fuels continues to rise annually, access to electricity remains critically low. This has prompted the development of alternative energy sources, with recent attention focused on renewable energy. While biogas has gained notable attention, many existing biogas digester designs remain relatively expensive and are susceptible to corrosion and leakage. Therefore, this study aims to design and construct a biogas digester that utilizes human faeces as the primary substrate. To achieve this, design equations were developed to determine the volume of the digester, inlet and outlet pipes, gas holder, and digester cover plate, all based on the shape of the digester. The digestion chamber was fabricated using high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic. After fabrication, a ventilation test was conducted to ensure the system was leak-free. The results showed an average gas yield of 5.25 m³ over a 30-day period, equivalent to 37.91 g. The pH of the system decreased from 6.5 to 6.0. After purification, the volume of gas obtained was 3 m³, indicating that methane accounted for 57%, while carbon dioxide and other impurities made up the remaining 43%. The performance of the biogas digester was found to be satisfactory. Furthermore, the use of human faeces as feedstock can significantly contribute to solving waste management challenges while simultaneously enhancing the energy sector.
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