Sugarcane-bagasse-ash in enhanced mesophilic Co-digestion for biogas and nutrient recovery: A concept of developing rural circular bioeconomy

Conductive agro-industrial wastes as accelerants in the anaerobic digestion (AD) of organic waste is a good technique for developing a rural circular economy, such as producing bioenergy and biofertilizer. This study disclosed the a role of sugar cane bagasse ash (SCBA) in enhancing the bioenergy (biogas) yield and digestate fertility via anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) of buffalo dung (BD) and vegetable residue (VR) under mesophilic conditions (37 ᴼC). Firstly, an optimal BD/VR ratio (1:3) was determined based on biogas yield by introducing five different BD/VR ratios (1:0, 3:1, 1:1, 1:3, and 0:1) into AcoD systems. Secondly, the biogas yield was increased further by adding SCBA at five different concentrations (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 wt%). Experimental results disclosed that the 1.5 wt% of SCBA gave the highest cumulative biogas yield (153.67 mL/g VS), COD removal rate (31.18%), and fertility (5.08%). Moreover, a framework is suggested to understand the role of SCBA in the enhanced DIET mechanism. This work documents an environmentally friendly and economical technique for developing a rural circular bioeconomy via the AD of organic agro-waste.