Progress 02/01/18 to 01/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The scientific community in the broader areas of waste management, manure handling, renewable energy production, and PVAMU student community. Also, the Agricultural community can benefit from the enhanced productivity and sustainability of animal feeding operations. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? To date, this project has trained 2 postdoctoral candidates, 2 graduate students, and 8 undergraduate students in research activities for developing characterization procedures for substrates and biomethane potential determination. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? As provided in the publication list, during this reporting period, 5 research articles were published in peer-reviwed acclaimed journals. Additionally, one conference paper, and 12 posters were presented by the graduate and undergraduate researchers at national conferences and also at university/TAMUS research symposiums. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Task 1. The substrate characterization Three feedstocks, GM from International Goat Research Center (IGRC), CGT from a local cotton gin (5354 Steel Store Rd, Bryan, TX, 77807) and FW (student dining facility at PVAMU) were originally proposed for this research. However, GM having been characterized as a low C/N substrate and realizing the narrow range of C:N ratio (15-36; via the substrates originally selected), the PIs attempted to make amendments to the proposed range by adding higer C/N feedstocks. Three more substrate rice straw (RS), rice husk (RH), and were collected from Gulf Pacific Co., Houston, TX, and sorghum (SG) from Dr. William Rooney's Research Trials at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. Their C:N ratios were determined by analyzing the total elemental composition with an elemental analyzer located at CEES labs and confirmed again in the CARC labs. The C/N was found to be in the range of 38.5-107.3. Inoculum for all research trials collected from the fresh inoculum obtained from the Prairie View wastewater treatment plant (operating at 36 ± 1 °C) was de-gassed for a week and used for the assays. Another additive, Class C fly ash (FA), industrial waste was obtained from W.A. Parish Power Plant (Thompsons, TX). It was characterized for TS and VS by the standard APHA method. This question has been answered by characterizing substrates and taking forward for biochemical methane potential (BMP) assays the ones with desirable (e.g., CGT having higher C:N ratio) characteristics for AD. The proximate analysis (moisture, total solids, volatile solids, ash; ultimate analysis (N, C, H, O, S), C:N ratio, lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose; chemical properties (pH, volatile fatty acids, alkalinity (CaCO3 mg/L), NO3¯-N (mg/L), NH4+- N (mg/L), PO43¯-(mg/L), Total N (mg/L), NO3¯ + NO2¯(mg/L), and TKN (mg/L) were determined using standard methods. Task 2. Determination of BMP Triplicate batch assays were maintained at an organic loading rate of 10% TS (mono and co-digestion). After characterization, the GM was co-digested with CGT, FW, RH, RS, and SG in double and triple substrate (GM:CGT:FW) co-digestions laboratory-scale BMP assays. The fndings from BMP assays revealed the best co-digestion ratios for GM:CGT, GM:SG, GM:FW,GM:RH, GM:RS, and GM:CGT:FW were 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, 90:10, 50:50 and 70:10:20. Among all the BMP assays, most of the GM:SG co-digestions had higher BMP than the GM codigetion, hence the higest yielding co-digestion (70:30) was chosen for up-scaling to the 2-L fabricated bioreactors. Task 3: Process optimization of Lab-Scale 2-stage AD Process The BMP assays were conducted in bioreactors fabricated from 2-liter volumetric flasks with a total volume of 800 mL and 10% total solids organic loading rates of co-digestion of GM:SG (70:30), respectively. The bioreactors having sorghum feedstock received 13.4 g sodium bicarbonate (5% wt. basis) to adjust alkalinity. The degassed inoculum from Prairie View A&M University wastewater treatment plant was added to maintain the inoculum-to-substrate ratio of 2:1. Anaerobic medium in doubled volume (than that of inoculum) was added to enhance microbial multiplication. The total volume of 800 mL was achieved with DI water. Another bioreactor had a different treatment of 0.15 g FA instead of anaerobic medium. The initial pH was determined and adjusted to 7.2 to 7.3 with 2M NaOH as needed. The bioreactors were purged with nitrogen and sealed. The reactors were incubated at 36°C for 7 days, onwards the temperature was raised to 55°C. The plastic fuel shut-off valves of 6 mm diameter, assembled to the side neck of the 2 L flask, were used to collect biogas with the liquid displacement method. Between 8-9 days anaerobic filters were added. To fabricate anaerobic filters common household/lab ware cleaning brushes and Scotch-Brite scrubs were suspended in effluent (combined from GM:CGT and GM:SG co-digestions) for 19 days at room temperature. Afterward, the intermedium was transferred to a mixture of fresh anaerobic medium and inoculum in equal proportions, purged and incubated at 55°C for three months. The highest yielding co-digestion ratio 70:30 for GM (GM:SG) was scaled up in 2 L bioreactors for optimizing 2-stage anaerobic digestion with added FA and anaerobic medium. For the first stage, reactors were maintained at 36 ± 1?. For the second stage reactor 140 mL of degassed inoculum and anaerobic medium in equal proportions were purged and incubated at 55°C for two weeks. Between 8-9 days the contents of the first reactor (and anaerobic filters) were transferred to it, purged, sealed, and again incubated at 55° C. The second stage bioreactor was fabricated by inoculating (at 55 ± 1?). The kitchen scrubs (Scotch Brite) and glassware cleaning brush into the anaerobic digestate (constituting all feedstocks tested for at least a month) for biofilm formation by methanogens. The filters were introduced between 5-7 days (from the literature studies), and the temperature was raised to 55 ± 1?. The GM:SG co-digestion having nutrient medium yielded the highest BMP of 266.0 mL/gvs in the two-stage AD. Another set of bioreactors was fabricated with two-L Pyrex reagent bottles and standard tubing, and metal connectors fitted to caps after drilling. Task 4: Lifecycle Assessment of 2-stage AD The goal of lifecycle assessment (LCA) is to evaluate the environmental benefits of the anaerobic co-digestion process of goat manure, food waste, and agricultural residues. A popular LCA package, SimaPro (Version 9.3), including the Ecoinvent database, was used in our LCA study. The database consists of information on raw materials, energy and heat flow, assembling, products, and waste disposal at different stages of the whole co-digestion process. We built a basic framework for our LCA task based on a standard anaerobic co-digestion process of manure and biowaste available in the database. The method of Recipe 2016 Midpoint was used to analyze the output, and our preliminary results demonstrate that an anaerobic co-digestion process of manure and biowaste benefits our environment. Task 5: Evaluating Impact of Biosolids Application on Agricultural Soils The effluents were fractionated into liquid and solid fractions. To determine its quality for environmental release/ liquid biofertilizer, the liquid fraction was analyzed for available N (and organic), P, and remainder chemical oxygen demand (COD). The additional amounts of MgCl2 required for the precipitation of struvite (Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate; MAP) were determined for each effluent. The solid fraction of the effluents of each treatment was dried under a hood and groundwith pestle-mortar to get uniform-size particles of about 2 mm. The samples were sent to CARC for analysis of macro and essential elements needed for plant growth and development. For determining Al, B, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, P, Na, Ni, and Zn, the analysis was done with inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The relative contents of nitrate, phosphate and sulfate ions in the solid fraction were determined by ion chromatography. For total C, H, N & S analysis, approximately 100 mg of samples were weighed using aluminum foil 35 x 35 mm and analyzed with an elemental analyzer. The C/N ratio in the range of 2-24.8 was observed in the solid fraction. The ion chromatographic analysis of the solid fraction revealed that the concentration of phosphate was higher than nitrate and sulfate in GM, GM-SG, and sorghum alone as well. The S, and GM:SG had similar concentrations of sulfate and nitrates, while GM had higher sulfate than the other two GM-S & S alone fractions. We report relatively higher concentrations of Cu and Mn in the solid fraction. The impact of the effluent application on soil's physical and chemical properties needs to be investigated.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Harjinder Kaur, and Raghava R. Kommalapati. 2023. Anaerobic digestion, process optimization, and biomethane recovery from agro-industry wastes. Submitted to Energies, Under Review.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Allyssa Reynolds, Harjinder Kaur, Raghava R. Kommalapati. Anaerobic digestion of sludge and comparison of properties of digested and fresh samples. Poster Presentation, Undergraduate Research Day Conference, PVAMU Research and Innovation Week, April 2022.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Lauren Bennett, Harjinder Kaur, Raghava R. Kommalapati. Insights into Struvite Precipitation from Anaerobic Digestate of Argo-industrial Wastes. Poster Presentation, Undergraduate Research Day Conference, PVAMU Research and Innovation Week, April 2022.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Allyssa Reynolds, Harjinder Kaur, and Raghava R. Kommalapati. Biochemical Methane Potential Assays Optimizing Co-digestion of Cotton Gin Trash and Goat Manure. Poster Presentation, 20th Annual Texas A&M University System Pathways Student Research Symposium, Galveston, TX. March 2023.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Ayobami Orangun, 2020, Batch Anaerobic Co-Digestion and Biochemical Methane Potential Analysis of Goat Manure and Food Waste. MS Thesis submitted to Office of Graduate Studies Prairie View A&M University, August 2020
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Mahmoud Soliman, 2023, Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Goat Manure with Rice Waste to Maximize Biomethane Recovery, MS Thesis submitted to Office of Graduate Studies Prairie View A&M University, May 2023
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Harjinder Kaur and Raghava R. Kommalapati. 2021. Effect of Inoculum Concentration and Pretreatment on Biomethane Recovery from Cotton Gin Trash. Journal of Agricultural Science; 13:1526, doi:10.5539/jas.v13n4p15
|
Progress 02/01/21 to 01/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The scientific community in the broader areas of waste management, manure handling, renewable energy production, and PVAMU student community. Also, the Agricultural community can benefit from the enhanced productivity and sustainability of animal feeding operations. Changes/Problems:The Research Team sought two-year extension and received the extension for two year. The research was adversely impacted due to restrictions of personnel being able to work in the university labs due to COVID-19. One of the chemicals for determining N from solid fraction of effluents was delayed (received last week), causing major delay in these studies. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?To date, this project has trained 2 postdoctoral candidates, 2 graduate students, and 8 undergraduate students in research activities for developing characterization procedures for substrates and biomethane potential determination. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?As provided in the publication list, during this reporting period, one conference paper, and one poster was presented by the graduate researcher at a national conference and also a university research symposium. The results have been disseminated to the scientific community by publishing three more research articles in in peer-reviewed acclaimed journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, the effluents (mainly solid fraction from GM co-digestion with SG, RS, and RH) will be evaluated for total P, Total N, nitrate nitrogen, calcium carbonate (inorganic carbon), organic carbon, and tested for their potential as bio-fertilizers and soil amendments on plants in greenhouse trials. Additional carbon mineralization studies involving solid fraction of effluents will also be included. The data from two stage process optimization will be utilized for the life cycle assessment to evaluate bio-methane production from the co-digestion of goat manure with food waste and agricultural residues. The research findings will be published in scholarly peer-reviewed journals.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
As proposed by the PIs, Objectives 1- 3 are completed or in progress.Details of the experimental work during this reporting period are provided in the following sections. Task 1. The substrate (SG, RS, and RH) characterization Rice residues were collected from Gulf Pacific Co. (Houston, TX). The C:N ratios of new substrates, rice straw (RS), and rice husk (RH) were confirmed to have C: N ratios of 47.9 and 96.8, respectively. Task 2. Determination of BMP Triplicate batch assays were maintained at an organic loading rate of 10% TS (mono as well as co-digestion). The ratio of RH for co-digestion with GM was varied between 0-100% Inoculum to substrate ratio of 2:1 was maintained at 36±1for 65 days in 250 mL serum bottles. Daily data was collected with the liquid displacement method, converted to standard temperature and pressure conditions, and expressed as mL/gvs. The process efficacy was determined from BMP by calculating the theoretical maximum biomethane yields (TMYs) and biodegradabilities (BDs). After 65 days, the highest yielding ratio was 90% GM. The BD of the mono-digestions of GM and RH were 66.7% and 19.8%, respectively, while of 90% GM ratio was 64.1%. The Modified Gompertz model showed to be helpful in simulating the anaerobic digestion of rice husk and goat manure substrates. The model findings provided valuable understandings of the co-digestion of GM and RH substrates and the GM:RH (90:10) was up-scaled in fabricated semi-autonomous 2-L bioreactors. Similar BMP assays were run for determining the optimum ratio of goat manure and sorghum co-digestion. The best yielding ratio was 70:30 (240 mL/gvs against 220 mL/gvs in GM mono-digestion). The best yielding co-digestion ratio for rice straw (50:50) adapted from Zhang et al. (2013) was also up-scaled in a 2 liter bioreactor for further optimizations. Task 3: Process optimization of Lab-Scale 2-stage AD Process The highest yielding co-digestion ratios 80:20 and 70:30 for goat manure cotton gin trash and sorghum, respectively, were scaled-up in 2 L bioreactors for optimizing 2 stage anaerobic digestion with added fly ash and anaerobic medium. For the first stage, reactors were maintained at 36 ± 1. The second stage bioreactor was fabricated by inoculating (at 55 ± 1). The kitchen scrubs (Scotch Brite) and glassware cleaning brushes into the anaerobic digestate (constituting all feedstocks tested for at least a month) for biofilm formation by methanogens. The filters were introduced between 5-7 days and temperature was raised to 55 ± 1. The effect of fly ash (compared with anaerobic medium) was not clear during these runs as GM:SG yielded higher biomethane with anaerobic medium while GM:CGT yielded higher with added fly ash. The influent's and effluent's pH, chemical oxygen demands (COD) were determined. The GM:SG trials with additional concentrations of fly ash and at organic loading rates are in progress. Task 4: Lifecycle Assessment of 2-stage AD The goal of lifecycle assessment (LCA) is to evaluate the environmental benefits of the anaerobic co-digestion process of goat manure, food waste, and agricultural residues. A popular LCA package, SimaPro (Version 9.3), including the Ecoinvent database, was used in our LCA study. The database consists of information on raw materials, energy and heat flow, assembling, products, and waste disposal at different stages of the whole co-digestion process. We built a basic framework for our LCA task based on a standard anaerobic co-digestion process of manure and biowaste available in the database. The method of Recipe 2016 Midpoint was used to analyze the output, and our prelimary results demonstrate that an anaerobic co-digestion process of manure and biowaste benefits our environment. Task 5: Evaluating Impact of Biosolids Application on Agricultural Soils The impact of biosolids on soil quality will be monitored by comparing the soil properties before and adding amendments (solid fraction) as well as growing plants on amended soils. The quantity to be added to the soil will be determined on the basis of N requirement of the crop chosen to be tested. For this part the chemical selected for the method arrived earlier this week, thus causing major delays. The liquid fraction of effluents originating from goat manure and rice husk serum bottle experiments was characterized for nitrate, volatile solids, orthophosphate, ammonia, and TKN during this period. The liquid and solid fractions of effluents from two stage AD have been separated and optimum pH and magnesium concentrations for recovery of struvite (Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate; MAP), have been determined and will be positively identified by suitable chemical methods. The solid fraction has been dried up and the further characterization studies are underway.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Harjinder Kaur, and Raghava R. 2021. Kommalapati. Biochemical Methane Potential and Kinetic Parameters of Goat Manure at Various Inoculum to Substrate Ratios. Sustainability 13, No. 22: 12806.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Harjinder Kaur and Raghava R. Kommalapati. 2021. Optimizing anaerobic co-digestion of goat manure and cotton gin trash using biochemical methane potential (BMP) test and mathematical modeling. SN Applied Sciences. 3:114. doi: 10.1007/S42452-021-04706-1
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Ayobami Orangun, Harjinder Kaur, and Raghava R. Kommalapati. 2021. Batch Anaerobic Co-Digestion and Biochemical Methane Potential Analysis of Goat Manure and Food Waste. Energies 14:1952. doi: 10.3390/en14071952
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Mahmoud Soliman, Harjinder Kaur, and Raghava R. Kommalapati. Biogas production by co-digestion of goat manure with rice husk. Oral Presentation, Annual (2021) Graduate Research Conference, Prairie View A&M University, April 8, 2021.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Mahmoud Soliman, Harjinder Kaur, and Raghava R. Kommalapati. Biogas production by co-digestion of goat manure with rice husk. Conference Paper, Virtual American Institute of Chemical Engineers Annual Conference, November 1519, 2021.
|
Progress 02/01/20 to 01/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The scientific community in the broader areas of waste management, manure handling, renewable energy production, and PVAMU student community. Also, the Agricultural community can benefit from the enhanced productivity and sustainability of animal feeding operations. Changes/Problems:The research Team sought one-year extension and received the extension for one year. The research was adversely impacted due to restrictions of personnel being able to work in the university labs due to covid 19. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?To date, this project has trained 2 postdoctoral candidates, 2 graduate students, and 8 undergraduate students in research activities for developing characterization procedures for goat manure, food waste and cotton gin trash, and biomethane potential determination. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?As provided in the publication list, during this reporting period, one graduate poster presentation was made by the graduate researcher; to demonstrate the research findings to the peer research community. Currently, one manuscript from the project is accepted and two more have been submitted to the peer-reviewed journals, and both are currently under review. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, the effluents (from GM co-digestion with SG, RS, and RS) will be evaluated for total P, Kjeldahl N, volatile acids, ammonium, and nitrate nitrogen, calcium carbonate (inorganic carbon), organic carbon, and tested for their potential as bio-fertilizers and soil amendments on plants in greenhouse trials. A life cycle assessment to evaluate bio-methane production from the co-digestion of goat manure with food waste and agricultural residues will also be conducted.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Non-Technical Summary Confined animal feeding operations (CAFO) are confronted with air quality concerns pertaining to the emission of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, particulate matter, and greenhouse gasses. Manure-laden runoff with high concentrations of nutrients also poses a water pollution problem to surface and groundwater resources. Effective management of manure and agricultural wastewater is key to improving the sustainability of livestock operations and limiting their impact on the environment. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a proven treatment technology that treats wastewater and generates renewable methane and stable bio solids as effluent. Integrating waste feedstock from multiple sources offers an attractive option to overcome the constraints of small-scale livestock operations. The proposed research would address agricultural sustainability issues at the International Goat Research Center (IGRC) at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), by focusing on the development of a novel and integrated waste management approach to anaerobically co-digest goat manure, cotton gin trash, and food wastes to generate renewable energy and produce nutrient-rich bio-solids. The proposed project would initiate extensive collaborative research between Colleges of Agriculture and Engineering at PVAMU by applying engineering principles to validate and optimize a 2-stage lab-scale AD system capable of handling manure sludge at IGRC. Lifecycle assessment of the AD process would be offering a comprehensive approach to elucidate the environmental and cost-benefit analysis of agricultural waste management. Impact of chemical additives and fly ash on process kinetics and reliability will offer valuable information on fertilizer recovery from manure waste comprehensive approach to elucidate the environmental and cost-benefit analysis of agricultural waste management. The impact of chemical additives and fly ash on process kinetics and reliability will offer valuable information on fertilizer recovery from manure waste. Details of the work done this year As proposed by the PIs the objectives 1 & 3 are completed or in progress. During this reporting period, the daily and cumulative data from GM-FW co-digestion assays were analyzed and kinetic parameters utilizing two non-linear regression models were calculated and compared. It was observed that the modified Gompertz model was a better fit for the co-digestions. The maximum biodegradability of 97.4% was achieved in GM-FW co-digestion having 60% GM. The potential of effluents from GM-CGT co-digestion (details included in the previous report) as bio-fertilizers was evaluated by analyzing the available nutrients (nitrate, ammonium, orthophosphate) utilizing standard HACH kits. The data revealed that co-digestion did not improve the concentration of water-soluble/available forms of these nutrients. Other than these experiments findings the anaerobic co-digestion of GM and sorghum (SG, mentioned in the previous reporting period) was optimized. Details of the experimental work during this reporting period are provided in the following sections. Task 1. The substrate (SG, RS, and RH) characterization Sorghum samples were collected from the field research trials being conducted at the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station. Rice residues were collected from Gulf Pacific Co. (Houston, TX). The fresh goat manure (GM) was collected from the International Goat Research Center (IGRC), Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). The inoculum for biomethane potential (BMP) assays (in triplicates) was collected from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (operating under mesophilic conditions) at PVAMU. The substrates and inoculum were characterized for moisture, total and volatile solids. The chemical oxygen demand (COD), and pH of rice residues were also determined. The C/N ratio of all substrates was determined using a CHNO/S element analyzer. The new substrates; rice straw (RS) and rice husk (RH) had C: N ratios of 66.8 and 66.5, respectively, while SG (introduced in the last reporting period) had a C: N ratio of 41:0. Task 2. Major findings from Biomethane potential assays The laboratory-scale triplicate BMP assays were conducted in 250 mL serum bottles under mesophilic temperature conditions and GM was co-digested with SG, RS, and RH. Sodium bicarbonate as a buffering agent was added to all serum bottles. When GM was co-digested with SG in various proportions (10-90%). All of the co-digestions (10-90% sorghum) yielded higher biomethane than GM mono-digestion. While the GM-RH co-digestions yielded lower biomethane than GM mono-digestion. Among the co-digestion having 60% RH yielded the highest biomethane. A bioreactor of 2 L capacity was designed and tested during this period. The findings of these experiments (still in progress) will be shared in the next reporting period. Task 4. Data analysis The anaerobic process was simulated by employing a modified Gompertz equation and the first-order kinetic equation, and high co-relation coefficients (between experimental and predicted BMP) were observed. The enormous data generated from BMP assays were statistically analyzed and interpreted. Our findings are comparable to the results from previous studies.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Harjinder Kaur, Raghava R. Kommalapati. 2021. Effect of inoculum concentration and pretreatment on biomethane recovery from cotton gin trash, Journal of Agricultural Science (in press).
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Ayobami Orangun, Harjinder Kaur, Raghava R. Kommalapati. 2021. Batch anaerobic co-digestion and biochemical methane potential analysis of goat manure and food waste, Submitted to Energies (Under Review).
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Harjinder Kaur, Raghava R. Kommalapati. 2021. Optimizing anaerobic co-digestion of goat manure and cotton gin trash via biomethane potential assays and mathematical models, Submitted to the SN Applied Sciences (Under Review).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Mahmoud Soliman, Harjinder Kaur, Raghava R. Kommalapati. Characterization of Rice Residues for Biogas Production by Co-digestion with Goat Manure. Poster presentation, Virtual American Institute of Chemical Engineers Annual Conference, November 16-20, 2020.
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Progress 02/01/19 to 01/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The scientific community in the areas of waste management, manure handling, renewable energy production, PVAMU student community, and wider agricultural community that needs to enhance productivity and sustainability of operations. Changes/Problems:The findings from the BMP assays revealed that goat manure co-digestion with CGT did not enhance BMP of goat manure. So, another suitable crop residue (such as sorghum) will be selected and co-digested with GM.? What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?To date this project has trained 2 postdoctoral candidates, 1 graduate student, and 5 undergraduate students in research methodologies for biochemical methane potential determination and developing characterization procedures for chemical analysis of goat manure, food waste and cotton gin trash. Three newly joined undergraduate students in Fall 2019 were trained on laboratory instrumental analysis for the evaluation of chemical oxygen demand, total solids determination, moisture content, ammonia determination, total nitrogen content, and elemental characterization of the manure and food waste or cotton gin trash. Most importantly, 4 undergraduate students were introduced to literature search, scientific writing, and conference presentations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?As provided in the publication list, during this reporting period, four poster presentations (two graduate and two undergraduate categories) were made by students working on the project to inform the peer research community about the research findings. Currently, three manuscripts from the project are under preparation and will be disseminated to the scientific community through the appropriate peer-reviewed journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, a two-stage co-digestion bioreactor will be designed and tested, and bio-fertilizer produced from the lab co-digestion trials, will be tested for plant nutrients, and their effect on the plant growth and soil properties. Life cycle assessment will be conducted to evaluate bio-methane production from the co-digestion of goat manure with food waste and agricultural residue.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Task 1. Substrate collection and characterization As proposed, cotton gin trash (CGT) samples were collected from a local Texas gin and characterized for moisture, total solids, volatile solids, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and pH. The C/N ratio of two gin trash samples was determined using a CHNO/S element analyzer. One sample was discarded owing to its too low C/N ratio while the other with a high C/N ratio was selected for BMP assays and co-digestion with goat manure (GM). The fresh GM and food waste were collected from the International Goat Research Center (IGRC) and a student dining facility respectively, both located at the PVAMU. The substrates were subjected to appropriate pre-treatments and characterized for moisture, total solids, volatile solids, chemical oxygen demand, pH, elements (CHNOS) and C/N ratio. Task 2. Biomethane potential assays The inoculum for BMP assays (in triplicates) was collected from a wastewater treatment plant (operating under mesophilic conditions) at PVAMU. The BMP of GM was determined in mono as well as co-digestions with FW and CGT under mesophilic temperature conditions. Goat manure was co-digested with CGT and FW in various proportions (10-90% CGT). In GM-CGT co-digestions, the BMP assays involving 10-20% cotton gin trash yielded statistically similar bio-methane as that of 100% GM. When the CGT proportion was increased further to 30-90%, a significant decrease the bio-methane yield was observed in the co-digestions. Whereas, the findings from the GM-FW co-digestion were more promising. The GM-FW co-digestion (60:40; GM:FW) yielded maximum bio-methane and was significantly higher than the GM mono-digestion. Task 3. Data analysis The anaerobic process was simulated by employing a modified Gompertz equation and the first-order kinetic equation, and high co-relation coefficients (between experimental and predicted BMP) were observed. The enormous data generated from BMP assays were statistically analyzed and interpreted. Our findings are comparable to the results from previous studies.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
1. De Jaune C. Bickham, Venkata S.V. Botlaguduru, Hongbo Du, and Raghava R. Kommalapati. Determination of the Bio-Methane Potential of Food Waste at the Prairie View A & M University Campus Dining Facility . Poster Presentation, The 14th Annual Research Symposium at Prairie View A&M University. April 11, 2019.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
2. Ayobami Orungun, Venkata S.V. Botlaguduru, Hongbo Du, and Raghava R. Kommalapati. Determination of the Bio-Chemical Methane Potential from Anaerobic Digestion of Goat Manure . Poster Presentation, The 14th Annual Research Symposium at Prairie View A&M University. April 11, 2019.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
3. Baker, J., Kaur H., Orangun A., Du, H. and Kommalapati R.R. Characterization of cotton gin trash as a potential substrate for anaerobic digestion. Poster Presentation, 16th Annual Texas A&M University System Pathways Research Symposium, Laredo, TX. November, 2019.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
4.Orangun, A., Kaur, H., Du H., and Kommalapati R. R. Batch anaerobic co-digestion and biochemical methane potential analysis of food waste and goat manure. Poster Presentation, 16th Annual Texas A&M University System Pathways Research Symposium, Laredo, TX. November, 2019.
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Progress 02/01/18 to 01/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Scientific Community in the areas of waste management, manure handling, renewable energy production, PVAMU student community, and wider Agricultural community that needs to enhance productivity and sustainability of operations.? Changes/Problems:Due to the non-availability of cotton gin trash during this season, the chemical characterization was limited to food waste and goat manure. However, the PIs plan to expand and reach out to a wider network of cotton gins across Texas and out of State. The malfunctioning of analytical instrumentation in the laboratory such as the GC-MS and the elemental analyzer were fixed. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has trained 1 post-doctoral researcher, 1 graduate student and 1 undergraduate student in research methodologies for biochemical methane potential determination and developing characterization procedures for chemical analysis of manure and food waste. All three members were trained on laboratory instrumental analysis for the evaluation of chemical oxygen demand, total solids determination, moisture content, ammonia determination, total nitrogen content, and elemental characterization of the manure and food waste. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Two poster presentations were made by students working on the project to inform the peer research community and Agricultural researchers on the latest findings regarding the chemical characterization and biochemical methane potential analysis. The presentations are listed under the publications list. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Resources will be directed towards leveraging on-campus GC-MS facilities at PVAMU to analyze the biomethane production and shift to multiple incubators and water bath usage as a replacement to increase the number of samples. ?
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
As proposed by the PIs, chemical characterization of goat manure and food waste was completed. Task 1 of the characterization of goat manure and food waste has been completed. Chemical oxygen demand (COD), pH, alkalinity, moisture content, volatile solids, total dissolved solids, total solids, and ammonia nitrogen were determined for goat manure and food waste samples. The elemental composition of both waste was analyzed with Thermo Scientific Flash 2000 CHNS/O Combustion Elemental Analyzer. Task 2 of Determination of BMP has been done. Biochemical methane potential tests were conducted to evaluate initial kinetics and optimize production of biomethane from a combination of the two wastes of goat manure and food waste. The kinetic study shows that goat manure is moderately biodegradable substrate which has a minimum testing time between 8 and 15 days, however, maximum biomethane production was reached within 2 days. Other trasks will be carried out as per the plan described inthe proposal.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
De Jaune Bickham, Venkata S.V. Botlaguduru, Hongbo Du, Raghava Kommalapati. Investigating the Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Food Waste at the Prairie View A & M University Campus Dining Facility , 15th Annual Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) Pathways Student Research Symposium. Canyon, Texas. November 1-2, 2018.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
? Ayobami Orangun, Venkata S.V. Botlaguduru, Hongbo Du, Raghava R. Kommalapati. Investigation of Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Goat Manure for Biochemical Methane Recovery , 15th Annual Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) Pathways Student Research Symposium. Canyon, Texas. November 1-2, 2018.
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