Pages 348–358
Abstract
Research summary supplied by the authors
Tannery fleshing waste (TFW), a major by-product from leather industry, poses significant environmental challenges due to high organic content, if it is not collected and disposed in proper manner. The potential of banana peduncle waste biochar (BPW-BC) prepared from Banana Peduncle Waste (BPW) generated from market as a novel additive for enhancing the biogas production from Anaerobic Digestion (AD) with tannery fleshing waste (TFW) generated from tanneries has been studied. The study was evaluated through batch scale anaerobic experiments under mesophilic conditions in reactors without biochar (R1) and experimental reactors with biochar dosages of 5 g/L (R2), 10 g/L (R3), 15 g/L (R4) and 20 g/L (R5). Experimental results indicated that the highest specific biogas yield in R2 was 627.7 ± 13.7 mL/g of volatile solids (VS) which showed significant enhancement in the biogas yield by 27% comparing with control reactor (R1). The outcome of the study could help in synergetic approach for sustainable combined treatment and disposal of the fibrous banana peduncle by pyrolysis and utilize the biochar during Anaerobic Digestion (AD) of fleshing waste with recovery of energy and digestate. From this study, it is concluded that addition of biochar during AD of tannery fleshing waste offers a sustainable solution for producing renewable energy in the form of biogas and management of BPW meeting the sustainable development goals.