This analysis demonstrates significant biogas yields and nutrient enhancements in food waste and water hyacinth co-digestion, indicating efficient pollutant removal.
This study investigates the anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and water hyacinth, using cow dung as a seeding material, to assess biogas production and nutrient enhancement. Unlike previous studies, this work uniquely combines FW’s high biodegradability with WH’s nitrogen content in a controlled mesophilic system, using a bench-scale anaerobic digester to evaluate biogas yield and daily nutrient profiles across varying substrate ratios: 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, and 0:100 (food waste to water hyacinth). Corresponding biogas volumes recorded were ‘450 mL, 470 mL, 430 mL, and 380 mL’, respectively. The maximum biogas yield (900 mL) was obtained for the 70:30 ratio, demonstrating a synergistic effect that has not been previously quantified for this substrate pair. The study also incorporated partially degraded waste to reduce the hydraulic retention time (HRT) and enhance biogas generation. The biodegradation process demonstrated substantial reductions in pollution indicators: BOD reductions were 58%, 66%, 57%, and 63%, while COD reductions reached 68%, 80%, 73%, and 66% for the respective substrate ratios. Total solids decreased by 19%, 28%, 32%, and 40%. Additionally, the nutrient content, including phosphate, sulphate, and nitrate of the digestate, was significantly enriched at the end of the digestion cycle, indicating its potential as a bio-fertilizer. These findings highlight the novelty of FW–WH co-digestion as a dual benefit approach for waste valorisation and decentralised renewable energy generation, offering a scalable model for sustainable waste management in resource-constrained settings.
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