Assessment of the Methane Production Capacity of a 20 m³ Biodigester Fed with Poultry Manure in Côte d’Ivoire
Marc Cyril Kouadio *
Institut de Recherche sur les Énergies Nouvelles, Université Nangui Abrogoua, 02 BP 801 Abidjan 02, Côte d’Ivoire.
Dagaud Julien Eymard Bahino
Laboratoire des Sciences de la Matière de l’Environnement et de l’Energie Solaire (LASMES), UFR SSMT, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, 01 BPV 34 ABJ 01, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Adjoumani Rodrigue Kouakou
Laboratoire de Thermodynamique et de Physico-Chimie du Milieu (LTPCM), UFR Sciences Fondamentales Appliquées, Université Nangui ABROGOUA, 02 BP 801 Abidjan 02, Côte d’Ivoire.
Kié Kpan
Laboratoire de Thermodynamique et de Physico-Chimie du Milieu (LTPCM), UFR Sciences Fondamentales Appliquées, Université Nangui ABROGOUA, 02 BP 801 Abidjan 02, Côte d’Ivoire.
Mahamadi Nikiema
Université Yembila Abdoulaye TOGUYENI, BP 54 Fada N’Gourma, Burkina Faso.
Kouakou Eric ADOU
Institut de Recherche sur les Énergies Nouvelles, Université Nangui Abrogoua, 02 BP 801 Abidjan 02, Côte d’Ivoire.
Hôntonhô Espérance Justine DEGUENON
Université des Sciences, Technologies, Ingénierie et Mathématiques (UNSTIM) d’Abomey, Institut National Supérieur de Technologie Industrielle (INSTI) de Lokossa, Laboratoire des Procédés et de l’Innovation Technologique (LAPIT), BP 133 Lokossa, Benin.
Abollé Abollé
Laboratoire de Thermodynamique et de Physico-Chimie du Milieu (LTPCM), UFR Sciences Fondamentales Appliquées, Université Nangui ABROGOUA, 02 BP 801 Abidjan 02, Côte d’Ivoire.
Boko Aka
Institut de Recherche sur les Énergies Nouvelles, Université Nangui Abrogoua, 02 BP 801 Abidjan 02, Côte d’Ivoire.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study evaluated the methane-production capacity of a 20 m³ biodigester fed exclusively with poultry manure under field conditions in Côte d’Ivoire. The assessment was conducted at Fondation Brin, Yaokokoroko, Tabagne Sub-prefecture, Gontougo Region, over a 30-day analytical monitoring period. The poultry manure was characterised for moisture content, dry matter, volatile solids, pH, total organic carbon, inorganic carbon, total nitrogen and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. Digester pH and temperature were monitored, and daily biogas production, cumulative production, methane content and methane yield were evaluated. The substrate contained 65.19 ± 0.81% moisture, 34.81 ± 0.73% dry matter and 72.98 ± 0.91% volatile solids on a dry-matter basis. The initial pH was 8.45, while the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio was 9.01, indicating a nitrogen-rich substrate. During operation, digester pH ranged from 6.00 to 8.35 and temperature from 27.53 to 35.95 °C. Daily biogas production ranged from 5.00 to 7.00 m³/day, with cumulative production of 173.5 m³ over the monitoring period. The mean methane content was 62%, and the mean methane yield was 141.1 L CH₄/kg VS. These results indicate that poultry manure can support continuous methane-rich biogas production in an intermediate-scale biodigester under tropical field conditions, although the low carbon-to-nitrogen ratio remains an important operational constraint.
Keywords: Waste management, anaerobic digestion, poultry manure, biogas, methane, biodigester, atmospheric greenhouse gas mitigation, Côte d’Ivoire