Recovering biogas and nutrients via novel anaerobic co-digestion of pre-treated water hyacinth for the enhanced biogas production.

The present investigation explores the feasibility of generating biogas from water hyacinth (WH) through a pretreatment process. The WH samples were subjected to a high concentration of H 2 SO 4 pretreatment to enhance biogas production. The H 2 SO 4 pretreatment aids in breaking down the lignocellulosic materials found in the WH. Additionally, it helps modify the cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, which assists in the anaerobic digestion process. The samples underwent pretreatment with 5% v/v H 2 SO 4 for 60 min. Biogas production was conducted for both untreated and pretreated samples. Furthermore, sewage sludge and cow dung were used as inoculants to promote fermentation in the absence of oxygen. The results of this study demonstrate that the pretreatment of water hyacinth with 5% v/v H 2 SO 4 for 60 min considerably enhances biogas production through the anaerobic co-digestion process. The maximum biogas production was recorded by T. Control-1, with a production rate of 155 mL on the 15th day compared to all other controls. All the pretreated samples showed the highest biogas production on the 15th day, which is comparatively five days earlier than the untreated samples. In terms of CH 4 production, the maximum yield was observed between the 25th and 27th days. These findings suggest that water hyacinth is a viable source of biogas production, and the pretreatment method significantly improves biogas yield. This study presents a practical and innovative approach to biogas production from water hyacinth and highlights the potential for further research in this area. • A high concentration of H 2 SO 4 pretreatment was used to enhance biogas production to break down the lignocellulosic materials. • Sewage sludge and cow dung were used as inoculants to promote fermentation in the absence of oxygen. • The pretreatment of water hyacinth with 5% v/v H2SO4 for 60 min significantly enhances biogas production. • Water hyacinth is a viable source of biogas production, and the pretreatment method significantly improves biogas yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]